At least in my stories, MOST of the gods don’t need a religious order, sect, cult, or as large following of worshipers. They do have those things, but it isn’t truly needed for them, since their divinity has always been there and remains there. Like they’ll admire the praise and worship, but they don’t need it because they can do great without it. The only gods who would need that are the newer-starting out gods who stepped their whole body in the god realm.
Gods in my world have always just existed and it feels like a thing with most mythologies that gods gain power of sorts from worshipers and loyal followers.
None of mine need that, they’re absurd even for gods.
Are there any stories out there with deities that are like that?
Thoughts and feelings?
NOTE: If I am wrong about something, let me know and I apologize for offending you.
I like the concept of gods not needing worship from humans to thrive. They are (usually) ageless entities after all, and have probably existed for a millennia before humankind just fine.
There is a god in my story that’s really just a hive-mind of stars. “It” doesn’t need worship to exist, it always has. It’s also pretty indifferent to humans, and is just an emotionless observer of their affairs. It doesn’t care if people worship it or neglect it. Not out of any sort of malice, it just doesn’t have the capacity for empathy nor the will to intervene.
It does have a human proxy/puppet that’s been partially assimilated into the hive-mind that it speaks through, and sometimes that human’s mind breaks free from the hive-mind and intervenes in human affairs to save them. The proxy doesn’t need to be worshipped either, and very few people even know he exists. Which is why all he asks for in return is to be remembered, otherwise he gets sad.
There are two religious sects in my story, but both of them happen to worship humans instead of gods ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I always wondered if other people do this and I am unaware of it, because I don’t hear it. And because of the fact that gods need human worship to get strong and do what they needed to do, was more popular in fiction, I viewed myself as being a weirdo for being different.
Okay the terms “older” and “newer” are extremely relative in my case The oldest of them all don’t need to be worshipped but some of the relatively newer ones do
I think it’s a fun and interesting twist, and introduces perhaps a new relationship between people and religion. If Gods don’t need their worship, then what kind of relationship do they have? What kind of power do the Gods have, and how does it generate/come to them? What use are human-beings are to them? Are they benevolent–as an example, they desire nothing from the human being and love and cherish them? Are they neutral? So many good storylines could come from this sort of dynamic. I think it’s really cool
My own layout for Gods/Goddesses is that they do need worship, in fact, they rely on it to exist. Gods/Goddesses could also “change” dominion depending on certain worships, events, and perceptions of human beings. An example: One of my Gods was once the God of purity and justice, but after he committed a horrible act, he was cast out of their version of heaven and sent to guard the gates of death–thus, his dominion changed as peoples perception of his changed, and now he is the “father of sin” and “keeper of death”. However, they do not need constant worship. They won’t vanish if people don’t worship them for a decade, or even a century. They simply grow “weaker” and, after they are near forgotten, go to “sleep” and disappear (essentially "die) forever.
The “I am here whenever you need me, but don’t need me too much” relationship.
Whereas the Sovereign and the imperial court is more like “I am here to tackle the problems the planet faces and rule the world, just respect and accept that.” than the first one.
The power has always been there, it came into existence when they did.
Probably didn’t explain that properly, did I?
What use are the other beings to them? The other being live, thrive, and grow as a whole. They don’t really have any special meaning.
Some are benevolent, some are malicious, but MOST are neutral or indifferent in spades. Why? Because They distance themselves from the other beings to allow them to focus on themselves and each other, until problems arise outside of their control and will, then they need to have the Sovereign help. Those are the moments when the world is facing a huge threat.
The oldest of them all don’t need to be worshipped but some of the relatively newer ones do