Why did people stop believing in Greek gods?

The Christian emperor Theodosius banned the public worship of the pagan gods in 391 CE and even made the possession of statues of the gods a criminal offence. Paganism had already been under persecution since the time of Emperor Constantine, but Theodosius persecuted pagan beliefs with a fury never seen before. It became a capital offence to even look at a pagan statue that had been smashed by the Christian mobs. Under this onslaught, it is natural that most people felt it safer to stop following the ancient gods. Hwever, belief in the Greek gods continued in private for some centuries, particularly in the more distant provinces.