Many Christian leaders opposed the idea of Christians being soldiers, not just because it involved Pagan worship, but also because they did not think Christians should ever kill a human being for any reason. However, many Christians did in fact serve in the Roman army; they managed to avoid committing idolatry, and could often live the life of a soldier without having to kill anyone, since in the Roman Empire the army acted as a police, prison and fire service, as well as a strictly military force. Christian soldiers spread the gospel as they did tours of duty in different parts of the Empire;
