West’s contention is not one of religious nor state imperialism as was the case under Constantine. As the Roman state expanded, people actually saw their freedoms decline. Under the secular Roman state, people were free to practice as they saw fit – - as long as it did not violate the highest good of the land, which was the state. When the Romans expanded, religion was used as a method of early imperialism. People had little choice: convert or die; we saw this happen 600 years after the fall of Rome with the crusades.