Most people believe that gods exist. Many do not; this does not
trouble the gods, who know that if gods, in turn, were to not believe that
people exist, people would actually cease to exist. Mortal belief does make
gods stronger; it inflates their egos, which is good for the metabolism. Some
gods, in fact, chose long ago to sustain themselves on belief, to survive
on the prayers of their followers. Those gods are, alas, now dead. The
creations of the gods are made in their image, give or take a few heads; like
their gods, they are fickle.
Even those who believe most fervently in the gods, not caring that
their faith means nothing in particular to the omnipotent beings that rule
their lives, acknowledge that their gods are eccentric. The gods know this, and
this does not trouble them. The real problem, they would say, if they cared
enough to explain, is that their tiny creations are small-minded. It is not
their fault; creatures so tiny cannot be expected to see the big picture. They
are not supposed to perceive that the gods' allegedly whimsical behavior is in
fact all part of the mostly benevolent divine plan, which is rumored to be
about to exist as soon as the gods get around to it. Gods cannot be
expected to look into the details all the time. This is why they have a huge
supporting case; familiars, angels and the likes, who get the dirty work done,
while the gods make love, war, babies, games, interesting works of art and puns
that would have been terrible if made by beings less powerful.
The gods would, of course, acknowledge that the system is not
perfect. Whenever work of a certain scale is executed quickly – as most divine
work is (say, the BIG BANG, I mean, sheesh), because most gods are not renowned
for their patience – there is scope of error. For example, Lion, the king of
the jungle, a majestic creature, but neither is it quick to hunt on its own,
and neither can it survive on its own. The main work that it’s supposed to
handle is cub-sitting and teaching them the 101s.
Gods are beings of quicksilver, of dreams and half-thoughts and
portents. Impulsive, impertinent immortals. -_-
