Final answer:
Emperor Decius's requirement led to empire-wide persecution of Christians, who faced torture and death for not participating in state sacrifices. The culmination of persecution was under Emperor Diocletian, but this approach ultimately failed, leading to Christianity's acceptance and prevalence in the Roman Empire.
Step-by-step explanation:
The requirement by Emperor Decius significantly affected Christians by legally binding them to participate in state sacrifices, which was antithetical to Christian beliefs. Failure to comply with the universal sacrifice edict was considered treason, leading to persecution, torture, and death. The rise in persecution saw its peak under Emperor Diocletian, where Christians were subjected to more extreme measures, such as the destruction of churches and sacred texts, and were tortured and killed in attempts to restore pagan worship practices.
While sporadic persecution had occurred before, like under Emperor Nero, it had not been a systematic empire-wide policy until Decius' rule. However, these persecution efforts ultimately failed, as evidenced by the Edict of Milan in 313, which granted Christians the freedom to practice their religion and marked the beginning of Christianity's rise to prominence within the Roman Empire, culminating in its establishment as the state religion by Emperor Theodosius I in 380 CE.