The thing is that pretense is cheap - everyone and their dog has claimed some sort of grand pretense from the Aztec priests keeping the sun shining to every ban

The thing is that pretense is cheap - everyone and their dog has claimed some sort of grand pretense from the Aztec priests keeping the sun shining to every bandit, warlord, or mobster claiming "protection" when they rob people. Trusting anyone at their face value is being dangerously naive. Look at actual incentives and actions. You may find some organizations or individuals whose actions actually align with or are consistent with professed values in more than a post hoc rationalization but that is very much not the default.