Is there any evidence that these kind of threads ever lead to games changes or patches? Are we not just navel gazing? (Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I would like to know.)
FWIW, I find the arguments against adjusting piety just for Byzantiums sake to be compelling. I also find the recommendations for giving them a faith generation capability weak since, as others have pointed it, it would be too much like other civ UA. Additionally, I assert that a faith generation UA overcompensates for the problem and could easily be OP if it did not end once they established a religion.
I agree that Theodora not founding a religion is a significant problem, and, I would point out that this is actually a bigger obstacle for the AI than a human player! No other UA is as routinely neutered. The UA is relatively powerful, so the loss is severe.
The suggestion that Byzantium always get to found a religion (even when nominally 0 left) is the most obvious. I cant think of how that might break anything, and it seems straightforward to implement.
The idea that Byzantium could further enhance an established religion I find even more interesting. This models real life denominations, and is probably more powerful than starting a new religion, so I like it a lot! It might be harder for the devs to implement and seems like it might lead to some difficulties. For example, does Theodora get the benefit of founder beliefs in this case? If so, does a benefit like Tithe get split 50/50 between Byzantium and the original founder, or is there more money for everyone?