Why did the Roman Empire change dominant religions so many times?

>the roman empire
huh
Really

made me think

....

Stupid bait but interesting question. Might have something to do with their retarded insistence on deifying emperors. No-one could take that shit seriously for long.

>>1884910

That was only taking a cue from basically every other major empire in the east, though. God-kings was nothing special with Rome.

>>1884916
I guess, but you can't just keep adding dudes to the pantheon before that shit collapses.

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>>1884798
Bait thread, but ironically enough the Ottomans did recognize the Orthodox to be the "Nation of Rome" (millet-i Rûm) and gave them some autonomy.

>>1884798
The conversion from Paganism to Christianity has 2 sides to it, really.

1 is personal, as Constantine and Theodosius were both Christian themselves, and the rapidly growing population of Christians couldn't be suppressed anymore. In Nero's time they were a fraction of 1 percent, but by Constantine, the empire was nearly 10% Christian, making it all that more challenging to suppress it.

2 is because Rome saw benefit in a universalizing monotheistic religion. During Pagan times, where would be religious conflict ingrained in politics, with squabbles over religious rites being performed for one god other the other, or not building enough shrines or provide enough sacrifices to another, keeping track and pleases the worshippers of all the gods was a strain on the Roman state, along with the Celtic/Anatolian/African regions with populations that still believe in their own local traditions, it was a perfect formula to create a very divided Empire.

Having the entire empire subscribe to one single creator-god made sense to create a state with a more common denominator in unifying the population on a closer level than just citizenship status, having everyone related to each other in faith as well as state citizenship was seen a force to keep Rome united as a state.

I would say that the conversion didn't come in time to save the Western Empire, or if it could save it at all, but I believe it was a move that preserved unity within the Eastern Empire, which was able to use the Orthodox Patriarchy to keep the Empire together for another 1000 years.

>>1884934
>
is that why they committed genocide against Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians?
you know, those Christians?

>>1885037
Exactly.

>>1885037
I don't understand, what are you trying to say?