The Gods And Their Whimsical Natures.
As with Magic thanks to the wonders of warp energy the Gods are real.
However, the races of the Warhammer World have yet to understand that what they perceive as gods are largely the product of their own collective imaginations. For them the fact that a god can manifest itself in physical form and talk to them is quite enough proof that the gods exist. After all once a child has seen Santa Claus a lot of persuasion would be needed to convince that child that he didn't exist.
Because of the involvement of warp energy and its natural tendency to be stimulated by specific emotional energy most gods that manifest themselves to the mortals of the planet are linked to specific emotional themes, or activities that naturally generate strong emotions.
Therefore, as civilisations have evolved the various races have rationalised and developed religious theocracies and cults of worship surrounding the existence of these manifestations which have gradually become more formalised in both their role and imagery as a result.
Nevertheless, heretical beliefs or a poor grasp of local theology can sometimes lead to a god behaving out of character or deviating from their normal imagery. Thus most religious cults are careful to eradicate any heretical beliefs and insist on compliance to those strictures laid down by their cult for adherence by their followers.
We will discuss religion again in The Facts of Life(Overview) as it is a complex subject and very character specific. Suffice it to say that every race, nation and culture has its own beliefs and that they vary enormously according to the aspirations, needs and ambitions of the individual and the race or social class to which a character belongs.
Whole books have been written on this subject, but the one thing that is certain is that there are no atheists on planet Warhammer.
Therefore, when roleplaying your characters you are free to ignore the gods if you wish. But do not expect the gods to ignore your character. The general belief and recognition of their existence amongst the local population is usually sufficient to ensure that they have some influence over your characters fate whether you like it or not.
At best your character might hope that by ignoring the gods, they will reciprocate by ignoring them. But even this cannot be guaranteed and ‘The Wrath of the Gods’ (WFRPv1 Core Rules page 141) makes it clear that the gods can be both vengeful and vindictive. Not only to their own believers and followers who stray from the path, but to anyone who offends them even if they are not a follower and do not believe in their existence.
You have been warned.
A metaphysical explanation of The Birth of the Gods can be found in the World Building Notes category under Gods and Religion
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