You're making the mistake of severely underestimating the ruling class.

Don't confuse them for their midwit mouthpieces spouting ideology and propaganda.

Your rulers are intelligent, or at least the technocrats surrounding them are and so are the systems that prop them up. They have access to information and tools that you don't. Predictive analysis, holistic perspectives, influential networks, statistical analysis, supercomputers, the list goes on. They know exactly what they're doing.

It's worthwhile to study how Christianity became the Roman state religion, and how in the same declaration Theodosius also calls for the persecution of all other religions.

Christianity was persecuted by the Roman state because it was seen as a cultish branch of Judaism that operated besides the state and often in conflict with it.

Throughout the persecutions Christians were forced to flee and scatter throughout the empire, but their influence never dissapeared. Where they fled they set up churches, and the churches stayed in communication - effectively creating a network spanning the empire. With time it would become the only organization that had a hierarchical structure and branched across the wast empire.

How did they stay afloat during the hundreds of years of persecution? Seen as a movement for the weak they gathered assistance through empathy. They drew their base of support from the powerless and mainly from influential women, the wifes of influential and wealthy men.

And because of its association with women and their charitable work, the churches were most often allowed to exist in the open despite the state's edicts, also for being seen as mostly harmless, and for having the function of taking care of the weak, sick, and poor.

As the Empire at its height becomes unruly, Aurelian sees the utility of a monotheistic state cult to bind his subjects in one unified belief. For this he chooses Sol Invictus, and sets out to force this religion on the empire. But ultimatly this would fail. This ideology didn't have the infrastructire to succeed.

Was Constantine a Christian in belief? Possibly, his father was one of the influential men who protected Christianity.

However it was Theodosius who gave up on Sol Invictus and made Christianity the state's cult, and ordered the destruction of every other competitior. Think about what that means. The destruction of ancient traditions and values and beliefs, the fundament of what it meant to be Roman, the very fabric of society - made illegal.

People forced to give up on their traditions, culture and beliefs and adopt Christianity or face punishment and death. Christianity became the only way you are allowed to think, and though Christianity the empire was united in an ideology that could be controlled through a clearly defined hierarchical organization.

The church was thus just simply coopted. With the organization in place, all that ever was needed was to replace some key figures, and the religion could go from inherently anti-establishment, to an effective tool of the rulers.

When the state coopts woke culture, it's not an accident. They've found their new state cult. And it's perfect: it's like Christianity on steroids. It exploits peoples empathy, it fosters groupthink, it sucks in anyone who in any way feels powerless, it's organized and hierarchical, and any challenge is a de facto act of evil and worthy of strict punishment.

You're making the mistake of severely underestimating the ruling class.

Don't confuse them for their midwit mouthpieces spouting ideology and propaganda.

Your rulers are intelligent, or at least the technocrats surrounding them are and so are the systems that prop them up. They have access to information and tools that you don't. Predictive analysis, holistic perspectives, influential networks, statistical analysis, supercomputers, the list goes on. They know exactly what they're doing.

It's worthwhile to study how Christianity became the Roman state religion, and how in the same declaration Theodosius also calls for the persecution of all other religions.

Christianity was persecuted by the Roman state because it was seen as a cultish branch of Judaism who operated besides the state and often in conflict with it. Throughout the persecutions Christians were forced to flee and scatter throughout the empire, but their influence never dissapeared. Where they fled they set up churches, and the churches stayed in communication - effectively creating a network spanning the empire. With time it would become the only organization that had a hierarchical structure and branched across the wast empire.

How did they stay afloat during the hundreds of years of persecution? Seen as a movement for the weak they gathered assistance through empathy. They drew their base of support from the powerless and from influential women, the wifes of influential or wealthy men.

And because of its association with women and their charitable work, the churches were most often allowed to exist in the open despite the states edicts, also for being seen as mostly harmless, and for having the function of taking care of the weak, sick, and poor.

As the Empire at it's height becomes unruly, Aurelian sees the utility of a monotheistic state cult to bind his subjects in one unified belief. For this he chooses Sol Invictus, and sets out to force this religion on the empire. But ultimatly this would fail. This ideology didn't have the infrastructire to succeed.

Was Constantine a Christian in belief? Possibly, his father was one of the influential men who protected Christianity.

However it was Theodosius who gave up on Sol Invictus and made Christianity the state's cult, and ordered the destruction of every other competitior. Think about what that means. The destruction of ancient traditions and values and beliefs, the fundament of what it meant to be Roman, the very fabric of society - made illegal. People forced to give up on their traditions, culture and beliefs and adopt Christianity or face punishment and death. Christianity became the only way you are allowed to think, and though that the empire was united in an ideology that could be controlled.

The church was thus just simply coopted. With the organization in place, all that ever was needed was to replace some key figures, and the religion could go from inherently anti-establishment, to an effective tool of the rulers.