Religion is primarily about shared belief, shared rituals, and shared culture. Traditionally, it was difficult to draw a hard line between religion and the rest

Religion is primarily about shared belief, shared rituals, and shared culture. Traditionally, it was difficult to draw a hard line between religion and the rest of the society. Someone who rejected the prevailing religion also rejected the society, which is why people found it difficult to tolerate. The emphasis on personal aspects of religion in the recent centuries is mostly due to Protestantism, which values personal faith above all else.