People will use Christianity along with the prevailing movement of society with individualistic values of wealth, comfort, as well as doctrinal beliefs which resulted rejecting and intimidating people who get in the way. John Calvin and Martin Luther were persecuted for discovering the truth of "justification by faith."
Luther persecuted the Anabaptists because they felt the need to bring further Biblical reforms into the church. Looking back on that historically, we see that most, if not all, of those punishments were due religion trying to hold onto its doctrine.
Today, heretics often use force to persecute Christians simply because force works and often silences the oppositions. That is why heretics and tyrants use it. Webster defines "heresy" as, "an opinion, doctrine, or practice contrary to the truth or to generally accepted beliefs or standards."
I believe that each of us, as an individual, have a responsibility before God, to determine what is true about God and also what is false. What is true about God impacts every aspect of our lives. What is true about God -- not what each of us believe is true, but what is actually true -- determines what happens to us after we die.
Remember the story about the rich ruler? Jesus looked after the rich young ruler as he walked away, but Jesus did not follow him or attempt to coerce him. Jesus wants people make their own moral choices; and Christ knew this and permitted rich ruler to go his own chosen way. Jesus is saying that He cannot do our repenting for us. He died for our sins, now it is up to us to pick up the cross.
Every Christian must decide whether they will use their liberty to decide on their moral decisions. They are free, but our freedom must prove a source of real temptation of this world. Christians are free from the chains of sin because by grace they are saved by Christ. Spiritual liberty means the freedom to be all that Christians were designed (chosen) to be, but this is not a freedom that is without restrictions or responsibilities.
We have the moral responsibility which no one can shift to another: "For each one should carry his own load" (Galatians 6:5) which is a source of comfort if our hearts are right according to the Scriptures. I like these quotes:
If you allow physical selfishness, mental carelessness, moral insensitivity, or spiritual weakness, everyone in contact with you will suffer. But you ask, "Who is sufficient to be able to live up to such a lofty standard?" "Our sufficiency is from God . . ." and God alone (2 Corinthians 3:5 ). Oswald Chambers
One of the hardest lessons to learn comes from our stubborn refusal to refrain from interfering in other people’s lives. It takes a long time to realize the danger of being an amateur providence, that is, interfering with God’s plan for others. Oswald Chambers
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