Back a few hundred years, the Church was pretty big on that omniscient, omnipresent state that must control everything
No, no, it wasn't. (And I'm no fan of the Catholic Church.)
It did like a powerful state, but pretty clearly most individuals lived their lives outside the influence of the King/Queen and even out of the influence of the aristocracy. That cannot be said for the modern omnipresent state.
That is not to say people were left alone, but rarely did a king, prince, baron, or lord make stipulations about the day to day life of the peasantry. Try to spend one hour outside of the influence of the state, today.
(Has your horse crossed state lines? Did it get its vaccinations? Did you coffee pot pass government safety inspections? Even those of your out west cannot get beyond the omnipresent state.)