> I think the only reason they were hated was due to being popular and somehow offending or scaring someone in power.

The idea of not being the highest authority to the people is the scariest thing to any authoritarian power.

That's why they are closing churches, jailing pastors, and rewriting scripture in China as Christianity’s popularity grows[1].

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/13/china-christia...