Persecution of Christians

Persecution refers to the unfair treatment or hostility directed at individuals or groups because of their religious beliefs. For Christians, this has been a recurring theme throughout history, spanning from the first century to the present day.

This history includes various forms of hardship, ranging from local social pressure to state-sanctioned violence and genocide. It involves many different actors, including Jewish authorities, Roman officials, other Christian denominations, and modern political states or non-state groups. Understanding this history requires looking at how religious identity has intersected with political power over two millennia.

In the earliest stages of Christianity, the movement functioned as a sect within Second Temple Judaism. This led to immediate inter-communal dissension. According to the New Testament, the Apostle Paul originally persecuted Christ-following assemblies before his own conversion. The book of Acts describes the death of Stephen, who was stoned by a mob for perceived transgressions of Jewish law.

Paul himself later documented his own sufferings, including floggings by Jewish authorities and beatings by Roman magistrates. He also faced dangers from shipwreck, robbery, and threats from both pagans and rival members within the movement.

As Christianity grew, it encountered the complex political landscape of the Roman Empire. Early on, persecution was often sporadic and managed by regional governors rather than the emperor himself. For example, the Emperor Trajan maintained a policy where Christians were punished if they refused to worship the emperor, but they were not actively sought out. However, the first documented case of imperially supervised persecution occurred under Nero. Tacitus recorded that Nero blamed Christians for the Great Fire of Rome, leading to state-led punishments.

During this era, many early leaders, including Peter and Paul, are reported to have died as martyrs.

By the fourth century, the relationship between the state and Christianity changed significantly. The Edict of Serdica in 311 and the Edict of Milan in 312 ended official imperial persecutions and legalized the faith. However, this shift introduced a new type of conflict: intra-Christian persecution. Once Christianity became established, different groups began to fight over doctrine, or specific sets of religious beliefs. Those whose views differed from the accepted standard were often declared heretical. This led to major schisms, such as the Rome–Constantinople schisms and the conflicts following the Protestant Reformation.

In the 20th century, the scale of persecution reached catastrophic levels through state-sponsored genocide. The Ottoman Empire and its successor, the Republic of Turkey, targeted Christian populations during several mass killings. These included the Hamidian massacres and the late Ottoman genocides, which comprised the Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian genocides.

These events involved the systematic destruction of entire communities. Additionally, Christians in the former Eastern Bloc faced persecution from atheist states that sought to limit religious influence.

In the modern era, the nature of religious hardship continues to evolve. Christianity remains the largest world religion, yet approximately 10% of its followers live as minorities in non-Christian-majority states.

Contemporary persecution often occurs in countries in Africa and Asia where governments practice religious favoritism. The United States Department of State identifies several "countries of particular concern" due to severe violations of religious freedom, including China, Iran, and North Korea. In these regions, official state persecution is often accompanied by widespread religious discrimination.

Beyond government actions, non-state actors also play a significant role in modern persecution. These are groups that are not part of an official government but still exert control or violence over specific areas. Examples include the Islamist group Boko Haram in Nigeria, the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the Houthi movement in Yemen. These entities create environments where religious freedom is severely restricted. This ongoing pattern shows that religious identity continues to be a focal point of social and political tension globally.