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Latter-day Saints are understandably concerned today with religious freedom. We are increasingly alert to violations of or threats to that freedom, in the United States and elsewhere. Of course, these concerns are as old as religion itself, though the idea of religious freedom as a basic political and legal principle is a relatively recent development. Here I review an episode of religious persecution that happened more than seventeen centuries ago and draw five lessons that might be kept in mind as we face today’s challenges.

Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius was born in Pannonia (roughly modern Hungary) in the third century. Helped by family connections, he rose to be a gifted and influential Roman senator. During the third century, politics was violent and cutthroat, and consequently Roman emperors were short-lived. The Emperor Phillipus appointed Decius to command legions in the Danube region in 248, and Decius proved so popular that his soldiers proclaimed him emperor. Decius claimed to be loyal to Phillipus but nevertheless the two met in battle at Verona in 249 where Phillipus and his son were killed by Phillipus’s own army. Decius then became emperor from 249 to 251. He spent most of his reign fighting a hopeless campaign against the Goths, eventually dying of a spear wound, suffering “the best and most kingly end” according to the historian Zosimus (1.23).

Decius would just be another third-rate third-century Roman ruler if he had confined his actions to the battlefield but Decius had not trained as a general, he had trained as a bureaucrat and a legislator. Decius was convinced that Rome’s disastrous fortunes were a consequence of abandoning the old Roman religion.

He was determined to reinvigorate the Roman state by recommitting it to the ancient Roman religious rites, thus promoting national unity. As a sign of that unity, he required all Roman citizens (excepting Jews) to offer incense and libations to the Roman gods, to partake of their sacrificial offerings in public and obtain a government-issued certificate (libellus) that they had done so. Those who refused were suspected to be disloyal and could be imprisoned, tortured or killed. The intentions behind this act were noble, its goals laudable. Yet this legislation created havoc among the Christian community.

How was one to legally prove to be a good pagan and remain a good Christian? A variety of ways appeared. If one had a corrupt local official, one could perhaps bribe him and obtain a libellus without actually having to sacrifice. Perhaps a sympathetic neighbor could be persuaded to sacrifice in one’s place and thus obtain a libellus for one. The rationale in these cases was that obtaining a libellus through less than honest means was justifiable.

Some, like the bishop Cyprian, went into hiding; if one could not be found, one could not be punished. Others, like the Christian scholar Origen, were tortured and some were put to death. If everyone were martyred, though, what hope would there be for Christianity? Although the edict only lasted a couple of years, Christianity in the Roman world was a shambles when it was over. Those who had held firm to their convictions mistrusted those who had not. The question of what to do with the fair-weather Christians (known as the lapsed) was a pressing issue that took Christianity years to sort through and not to everyone’s satisfaction.

A number of important lessons about persecution and how it is created can be learned from the Decian persecution.

First, persecution can arise from laws promulgated with the best of intentions. In an era marked by ethnic division, factional strife and weak leadership, Roman national unity was a laudable goal but the nobility of the intentions are irrelevant. The only reason Decian’s edict is remembered now is for its unintended consequences. In evaluating laws the effect of the law is what matters, not its intention. We can acknowledge the good intentions but we must focus on the harmful effects.

The second lesson is that freedom of conscience and freedom of religion are fundamental rights that must be protected in all governmental actions. The Decian edict exempted Jews but no other groups. Had Christians been allowed the same exemptions as Jews, there would have been no Decian persecution. Governments do not always understand how laws will affect various religions. What may not be a problem for adherents of one religion may be a big problem for another. This may hold true even within larger religious groupings.

For example, among Christian groups that oppose abortion, some permit it under specific exceptional circumstances and others oppose it under all circumstances. The freedom of religion needs to be preserved for all of them. With the extreme religious diversity of modern societies it is almost impossible for a government to consider all the ways in which legislation may impact different religions. It is important to protect religious exemptions, and not just on those issues where we might see a problem with our own religious worship, but also on those issues where legislation creates a problem for other religions. If we want to be able to worship after the dictates of our own conscience, we must allow others the same privilege.

The third thing we can learn is that governmental actions can be undone. Mortal institutions, like the mortals that staff them, are not permanent. In the case of Decius, his programs scarcely outlasted his brief, two-year reign. Grandiose governmental blunders are often launched with great fanfare only to be quietly shelved some time later. But it is rare to be able to undo a governmental action without significant damage already having been done. Sometimes the damage may take centuries to undo even after the governmental program has been long forgotten. This was certainly the case with the Decian persecution.

A fourth lesson is that Christianity was in a vulnerable state prior to the Decian persecution. They did not see it coming and were unprepared for it—intellectually, organizationally or morally—when it did come. There were a variety of responses but no overall program when it arrived. The Church had not thought about what to do if it were to face a government-backed persecution.

A fifth lesson is that when persecution comes, there will be casualties. In the parable of the sower, Jesus points out that some seeds fall into rocky ground: “Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away” (Matthew 13:5–6).

Jesus interpreted this part of the parable: “he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended” (Matthew 13:20–21). In King James’s times the expression by and by meant not eventually but immediately. Jesus warned that when persecution comes some will take offense and then take their leave. Knowing this does not lessen the pain when the one who leaves is a loved one.

In a worldwide Church we can expect that from time to time some countries will enact programs that, while it may not have been the intent, cause hardship and even persecution for the Church. We should prepare mentally and intellectually for such possibilities. We must also try to prevent such outcomes by defending religious exemptions, freedom of religion and freedom of conscience for ourselves and for others. Learning from past can put us into a better position to prepare for the future.