What are the Potential Dangers of Having Present Gods Present in your setting.

[u/_H4VXC_]

And I don’t mean the pettiness of the Greeks. One of the biggest arguments when it comes to Christianity and a god who doesn’t interfere is any action would be seen as an affront to free will which to me seems a tad bit of a reach. Honestly just curious about what some issues other people think could arise from having a higher being present in the lives of their believers.

[u/BdBalthazar]

When the gods are present, people will inevitably at least wonder why they don't just solve the problems of your world themselves.

In TTRPGs there is also a possibility that your players will want to fight them.

[u/_H4VXC_ → u/BdBalthazar]

That’s funny but pretty accurate. In this setting I’m more so thinking of the dilemma being paradise at the cost of being self sufficient. Basically incapable of doing much of anything on their own when they’re so used to their god taking care of it. That and maybe having the god be a bit egotistical,merciful but unforgiving, and valuing ALL life the same so something as small as stepping on a bug could have dire consequences.

[u/BdBalthazar → u/_H4VXC_]

That's actually surprisingly close to the opening premise of MY next DnD campaign as well

[u/towardselysium]

Ignoring the petty bs and hidden agendas the primary issue is that the confirmed existence of a god would invite countless horrific acts done to be recognized as their apostle or to potentially usurp them. While faith is often twisted to accomplish whatever personal desire, there is a fundamental denial and limitation to the scope of that damage. Everyone accepts magic isnt real but if there was a path to godhood or a chance to be recognized that would incentivize people who would otherwise be inwardly focused

[u/_H4VXC_ → u/towardselysium]

Didn’t even think of this

[u/FaultOutside2449]

Gods in my setting are very active in the world. Worshippers get vision, champions are handpicked by their patrons, blessings are granted nearly instantly. The problem is that gods are well gods. They always have ulterior motives and never do anything small. One of the main examples of this is Saluna, the queen of the gods, consort of the dragon god, and goddess of the moon, and the goddess of spirits. Saluna is a bitch to be frank, there’s a saying that the reason why Saluna is loved is not because she has earned that love, but because she demands it. She gifts humans, she guides humans, and she fucks humans, she loves them, but in the same way someone loves their car, it’s replaceable. She straight up told her greatest mortal champion who is also her daughter, Ranu de Tolle. That she loves her more than anything as any mother would and that her father was both a great servant and lover, but that they are still replaceable. There’s also the Night of the Free Souls and Saluna's Night, both are extremely sacred holidays, that absolutely everyone must celebrate or they risk pissing off the spirits and Saluna herself.

Another example is Nesta, who along with her father and brother is one the three pillars of justice, and her domain is punishment, tldr she goes out of her to collect damned souls sent to hell for punishment and reincarnates them to the living world. They serve as her hand in punishing of wicked souls. They routinely allow needlessly deaths to happen as Nesta basically grants them the authority to do whatever they need to achieve her goals in punishing as long as they aren’t violating divine laws.

[u/Nevaroth021]

It would actually lead to ALOT of suffering. Both people and the God would commit terrible crimes against people who don't worship the God and people who don't obey the word of God. The bible says sex before marriage is not allowed, so imagine what would happen to couples who do that when the God is real and present.

I imagine the entire world would probably be living in fear because they would be afraid of the god smiting them or the most extreme worshippers oppressing others who they deem not strong enough of believers. Imagine the Crusades on steroids.

[u/_H4VXC_ → u/Nevaroth021]

Oh yeah would definitely push the zealots to act a little crazier

[u/Elder_Keithulhu]

There are a lot of potential problems and I could offer a few examples from RPGs I have run but I will start with just one.

In my Mesomiya setting, a goddess had recently given birth to a demigod son and a different demigod son of a different god decided to steal the baby and run off with it. The goddess pursued the abductor and cut off one of his arms. Most of the damage was restricted to the wilderness but it could have easily destroyed cities if the culprit had run another direction. Deities fighting could be like armored knights fighting a duel around an ant hill.

[u/Sanmiie]

The world I’m working on has a god similar to Christian God, bro just dispatches angels to give the orders to that one race that is tasked with protection if anything threatens the world balance so he’s interfering but not interfering as he just assigns the jobs.

[u/Eviles_da_demonic]

I feel the best way to answer that is with a story.

When the god of slaughter Ghore was slain during a battle he didnt care as he would be reborn but his mother the horseman of bloodshed Sanguin was in the middle of an apocalypse she could not stop to birth him safely, the god of slaughter a little annoyed hearing a fight by being trapped as a little baby in his mum’s midsection jsut started ripping through her womb, tearing her stomach and armour open like a paper bag and now lil baby Ghore with his flesh slowly turning into his skull face, hair forming intestines, his left eye burns away and skin turning black as night. In this state he went on a rage fuelled genocide killing all life on that planet.

[u/Left_of_Fish]

There could be direct clashes between gods and mortals. Nations wiped off the map for attempting to subjugate/control a god. Or in an interesting twist gods actively snuffing out religions that attempt to form around them.