You know, this thread has me thinking.....
I doubt an episode of history like this ever took place in Rome or in any culture. BUT I wonder how many people throughout history who claim to be gods/divine in some way where able to doupe people into buying their BS right up until the authorities of the time gave the leader and their followers a decision like the one given to Laela and those same leaders said, yeah, sure go ahead and kill these idiots, they'll happily die for me so I can live and spread the good message of my particular brand of snake oil to others.
AND I wonder how many of these poor fools needlessly died, thinking they would be welcomed into whatever brand of paradise they believed in/ peddled by their self-named savior, only for said savior to be saying aloud bless you, but in their minds their having an LOL moment.