[Knalus]

Originally Posted by Cheese

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I

Constantine is perhaps best known for being the first "Christian" Roman emperor.
In February 313, Constantine met with Licinius in Milan, where they developed the Edict of Milan. The edict stated that Christians should be allowed to follow the faith without oppression.[205] This removed penalties for professing Christianity, under which many had been martyred in persecutions of Christians, and returned confiscated Church property. The edict protected from religious persecution not only Christians but all religions, allowing anyone to worship whichever deity they chose. A similar edict had been issued in 311 by Galerius, then senior emperor of the Tetrarchy; Galerius' edict granted Christians the right to practice their religion but did not restore any property to them.[206] The Edict of Milan included several clauses which stated that all confiscated churches would be returned as well as other provisions for previously persecuted Christians.

Throughout his rule, Constantine supported the Church financially, built basilicas, granted privileges to clergy (e.g. exemption from certain taxes), promoted Christians to high office, and returned property confiscated during the Diocletianic persecution.[209] His most famous building projects include the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and Old Saint Peter's Basilica.

According to Lactantius, Constantine was visited by a dream the night before the battle, wherein he was advised "to mark the heavenly sign of God on the shields of his soldiers...by means of a slanted letter X with the top of its head bent round, he marked Christ on their shields."[155] Eusebius describes another version, where, while marching at midday, "he saw with his own eyes in the heavens a trophy of the cross arising from the light of the sun, carrying the message, In Hoc Signo Vinces or "with this sign, you will conquer";[156] in Eusebius's account, Constantine had a dream the following night, in which Christ appeared with the same heavenly sign, and told him to make a standard, the labarum, for his army in that form.[157] Eusebius is vague about when and where these events took place,[158] but it enters his narrative before the war against Maxentius begins.[159] Eusebius describes the sign as Chi (Χ) traversed by Rho (Ρ): ☧, a symbol representing the first two letters of the Greek spelling of the word Christos or Christ.

Um, yeah. I know that he was the first Christian Emperor. I'm just saying that if you were to construct something as a control mechanism, Christianity is not the one you would invent. He altered the Christian church to be a more controlling entity, something it wasn't so much prior to his involvement, but it wasn't the awesome tool of control you seem to think it was. Especially if, according to you, it was invented in a "mythical" sort of way. Christianity in many ways represented resistance, not control. You are grasping at straws.