He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: "Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship." Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" Acts 19:25-28
Whenever Christianity makes inroads into societies where other religions are prevalent, Christianity is virtually always opposed—and often most vehemently! Notice the devotees of the worship of the goddess Diana “were full of wrath” (v.28) when people turned to worship the only true and living God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
To be fair, people react this way no matter what religion their people turn to when turning away from the accepted religion. Hindu converts to Buddhism face similar wrath. Why is this so? Because people who practice any religion are convinced that their religion is the only true religion. They need not be convinced by evident facts or logic. Their devotion may be nothing more than emotion and devotion to their “religious team” (see the previous post, Once a Dodger fan always a Dodger fan).
And to be fair, we Christians are also distraught when one of “ours” converts away from Christ to follow a false religion. Here is the big difference (if we understand Christian salvation): Though we are deeply saddened, we do not (and we must not) resort to violence, much less “honor killings” as other major religions often do to avenge those who convert. Why?
Because we understand that salvation (belief in the Christian gospel) is a sovereign work of the Spirit of God. We cannot make a person trust in Christ, nor can we force them back if they turn away from Christ. Are we saddened when one departs from following Christ? Of course. So we pray, love, and seek to persuade—knowing that: (a) only the Holy Spirit can convert them (Jonah 2:9); and (b) if they never return to following Christ, they were never truly followers of Christ (1 John 2:19).