Is it true that after the Roman Empire became Christian that they kept the gladiator games going?

Question

As they say, "The show must go on." (But they abolished crucifiction because it was considered "bad taste"?)

Answer 1

1) The Emperor Constantine, who banned gladiatorial game, but not chariot races, in 325 for his new capital Constantinople. In 313 in the edict of Milan he legalized Christianity (along with all other religions in the empire) and although he converted in 312, he never made the Empire Christian.
2) The Emperor Theodosius in a series of decrees, 390-393, ended the Olympic games and their dating system, withdrew state support for pagan holidays and temples and made Nicene Christianity the "state" religion.
3) Gladiator fights were finally stopped in AD 404, supposedly as a result of the daring of Telemachus, an Asian monk. After he rushed into the arena to try to separate two gladiators, the spectators stoned him to death. Afterward the Emperor Honorius issued an edict suppressing such exhibitions.
So the answer is a qualified "yes." The "Christian" emperors struggled with banning the games as part of the "pagan" state practices, but the games continued until 404 (about 100 years.)
http://www.roman-empire.net/society/soc-games.html

Answer 2

the purpose of the gladiator events was not to kill christians. it was entertainment. the games continued after the people began to convert to christianity. Crucifiction is one of the least efficient ways to complete capital punishment. The method of death in a crucifiction is suffocation, which with this method usually took days to complete. The purpose was a reminder -- not execution. It was abolished because it took too long. [for those that dont believe that it was suffocation -- hold your arms up and extended for a period of time, it becomes difficult to breath.]

Answer 3

The Roman empire NEVER BECAME CHRISTIAN!!! SOME PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN IT DID BECOME Christians the Bible is full of accounts of that same thing from Matthew to Revelation some who were Jews did become Christians as did people fom all over the then Known world but the gladitorial games were for the amusement of a sick sadistic Roman society and many of the victims of the games were Christians who refused to worship the emperor of Rome as a god or years later for the amusement of emperor nero who burned down Rome because he was a pyromaniac and blamed it on the Christians the Romans were aetheistic and polytheistic the Christians Monotheistic hope this helps Gorbalizer

Answer 4

Constitine (spelling error i know) made it a christian empire. but he was a good person, so i don't think they continued on with gladiator games.

Answer 5

Don't confuse Religion with Christianity