Ummmmm... I think you will find it did not have state patronage at the beginning. Quite the opposite actually: Christian Persecutioncyril wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2018 10:47 pmA long-lived phenomena usually peaks at a slower pace than a short-lived one. Christianity, so far, enjoyed a long life because, from the Constantine the Great till the so-called Age of Reason, it benefited from the patronage of royalty, state and other powerful supporters. Even today, if you look at the symbiosis between the state and the Orthodox church in countries like Greece, Romania or Russia, it becomes very clear that Christianity still has many years ahead of it in those places. Now, with the exception of Bhutan, I don't see Vajrayana enjoying this kind of support anywhere in the world and I believe this fact alone is enough reason not to think that it will follow in the West a trajectory similar to Christianity.
Constantine came onto the scene 300 years after Christ's death and did not officially convert to Christianity (ie was not baptised) until just before his death. Even after his death Byzantine emperors continued to offer state funding to ALL the existing religions, this practice did not end until Emperor Justinian I in 527AD. That is when Christianity became the official religion of the Byzantine state and when the persecution of non-Christian religions began in earnest. So, no, I don't think your point is all that valid.