Gods

Gods are generally viewed as vastly powerful beings command respect and worship by their very nature, and followers often consider their own gods to be morally perfect. However, most gods are not as powerful as they are assumed to be. While a god with many worshippers may be quite powerful, those with few or none — and there are plenty of these, for gods are fertile creatures — are not necessarily much more powerful than ordinary mortals. Furthermore, gods actually have virtually no sense of ethics at all (as a discerning individual might conclude from observing typical divine behaviors which must be at best regarded as highly questionable, such as the striking down of firstborn or the sending of plagues). Gods will often adopt mortal concepts (such as alignment) in order to acquire worshippers and they may well believe their own hype. However, few god spend much time thinking about ethics, and even those who do would never take seriously the possibility that mortals are worthy of moral consideration. In fact, if it were not for the uniquely mortal abilty to generate worship, gods would undoubtedly disregard mortals entirely.

Deities are almost universally obsessed with power, no matter how much or how little of it they may currently have. A typical god will sacrifice nearly anything or commit practically any atrocity in pursuit of power; she is utterly calculating in her pursuit of it. However, gods have no goals toward which they direct this power (other than the acquisition of more power), and would find the suggestion that additional goals are needed to be rather incomprehensible. This kind of thinking is not considered unpleasant in divine culture; indeed, to the extent it is pondered at all, it is assumed to be a good and benevolent process that benefits everyone.

Many gods actually are extraordinarily powerful, but even they are subject to the beliefs of mortals, which means that they must compete with each other in order to acquire worship. This leads to an extremely diverse range of worship-acquiring strategies. The most common of these are bribery (such as with an eternal reward, spellcasting power, or in some cases even large cash bonuses) and threats (such as of an eternal punishment, being persecuted by other followers, or even just having the god descend from on-high to beat the crap out of you). In order to acquire new worshippers, lesser gods must be either very creative, or they must offer a better deal. However, for weaker gods, fighting the more powerful gods is exceptionally difficult without employing deception. As with most deals, the old saying of caveat cultor — “let the worshipper beware” — applies. Most special offers come with a catch, such as belief in some especially ludicrous idea, a monthly human sacrifice requirement, or a commitment to worship the god for at least a six month period.

Despite all the dangers inherent to the worship of gods, most people continue to do it anyway — partly for the benefits involved and the hope of continued existence after death, but perhaps mostly because of the cultural momentum. Gods devote their existences to ensuring that mortals continue to worship them. Their response to any perceived threat to this system tends to be quick and lethal.

Previous: Religion Next: Death