[learc83]

By far the most extreme christian persecution was by Diocletian. His hatred for christians began when fortune tellers, and priests of the Oracle of Apollo told him they couldn't predict the future because of the influence of Christians--definitely a religious rather than political reason.

>creating unrest and speaking against Rome

Those were the charges leveled against them (many times falsely) primarily by their fellow pagan citizens who were motivated by religious intolerance not political concern.

Most of the time the state wouldn't have persecuted the Christians had not the people demanded it.

The Romans also had a history of banning religious cults before the rise of Christianity.