As for the religion thing... I don't think that has anything to do with it. Especially since the creation of Orthodox Astroism in Aurvandil it's sort of a moot point. Whether that means that you're more or less popular now than you were before remains to be seen.
I was going to ask about that. Does that mean religion is NOT banned in Aurvandil anymore? Is Orthodox Astroism then tacitly supported by the State?