Let No One Trouble His Neighbor

“Once more, let no one use what he himself has received, persuaded of its truth, to harm another. Rather, let everyone, if he can, use what he has understood and come to know for the good of his neighbor; and if he cannot, let him give up the attempt. For it is one thing to take up the contest for immortality of one’s own free will, and another to force others to do so through fear of punishment. “These are our words. We have spoken at greater length on these subjects than our usual clemency would have led us to, because we did not wish to hide the true faith or be false to it; all the more so because we understand that some are saying that the rites of the pagan temples and the power of darkness have been done away with entirely. We would indeed have earnestly urged such a removal on all people, were it not that the rebellious spirit of those wicked errors still stays stubbornly fixed in the minds of some, and so discourages any hope that mankind as a whole will return to the ways of truth.” [a]