Durante siglos, se consideró un deber del buen cristiano obligar, a todos los hombres a entrar en el seno de la Iglesia (compelle intrare), puesto que de ello dependía su salvación eterna. Esta doctrina presupone que existe una nítida diferencia entre verdad religiosa y error. Para Bayle, sin embargo, la creencia religiosa solo puede aspirar a convertirse en una verdad putativa, sustentada en la convicción subjetiva del fiel, concepción que le permite desdibujar el propio concepto de herejía y criticar las persecuciones religiosas de su tiempo.

For centuries it was considered a Christian moral duty to compel everyone to join the Church (compelle intrare), as their salvation depended upon it. This concept of duty presupposes a clear distinction between religious truth and error. For Pierre Bayle, however, religious belief can only be considered a putative truth, sustained by the subjective conviction of the believer. This approach allows Bayle to soften the concept of heresy and to criticize the religious persecutions of his time.