Is it worth it to use these? Or does it cause too many followers to abandon the faith to outweigh the benefits? I would think that if you use it in regions where your religion is in total dominance, then it wouldn't matter how many followers you lose because they would just get converted back anyway. Otherwise other religions could come and take them up.
Depends on the context and your available resources. I've used calm, scare, and incite unrest to great effect, but only thanks to the context. In most cases, I avoid using these at all costs.
As for the sympathy tools, don't use them unless you don't have access to an ambassador or you are really that desperate/in a hurry.
