History Main / IncrediblyInconvenientDeity

** In ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment'', Nuggan is essentially a divine ObstructiveBureaucrat who prohibits a huge and ever-growing list of "Abominations" for no other reason than they're things people like or need, from garlic and chocolate to babies and the colour blue. He doesn't bother to tell the faithful how they ''should'' live, so Nugganite religion mostly consists of being afraid of breaking some as-yet unknown Abomination.

* The premise of ''[[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' is that GodIsFlawed and largely relies on humans to give her purpose and entertainment. (Many characters don't consider her sacred at all, just a human who happened to be born a powerful RealityWarper.) Sometimes this means comforting her when she has an existential crisis. Sometimes it means winning a tournament of a sport you've never played before. She's not a predictable person.

** "Hey [[Literature/BookOfJob Job]]? Yeah, so, I'm going to completely ruin your life in particular [[CosmicPlaything just to prove a point]]. You're going to lose ''everything'': your family, your career, the people you consider to be your friends, your health, your home, your standing in the community."
** "[[Literature/TheFourGospels Mary]], wazzup? Hey, so I want to [[MysticalPregnancy make you pregnant with My Son]]. Oh, I know, I know. You're unmarried in an honor-shame culture, where the laws I handed down to your ancestors specifically say the men of your community can stone you to death if you're pregnant out of wedlock. And I know you're living under the rule of the Roman Empire, and you and your fiance are poor AF. You'll have to travel many miles from your home to participate in a census while heavily pregnant, and give birth in a dirty stable. And...oh, yeah...you're going to have to eventually watch our Son die a horrible death. Whaddaya say?"
** "[[Literature/BookOfEzekiel Ezekiel]], hi. So, I want you to make bread using these specific ingredients...and I want you to cook it over literal human shit. Oh, I know it's against the rules, that's exactly the point I'm trying to make. You won't do it? Fine, you don't have to use human shit. You can use cow shit."

** "[[Literature/ActsOfTheApostles Saul]] ([[NamesTheSame no, not the other one]]), you know those people you were killing because they worship me? Change your name to Paul, then go tell them all about me."

->''"Lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel. After you have finished this, you shall lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. ... I will tie you up with ropes, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege."''

* Yui Kusanagi in ''VisualNovel/KamigamiNoAsobi'' is summoned by Zeus to [[HaremGenre "teach the gods about the human heart"]] for a year, in a school in a magical realm. She ends up getting along with them, but, as Apollo notices, all of the gods were brought there with companions from their [[CrossoverCosmology respective countries]], but Yui was brought there alone. All of them recognize that it was a pretty nasty move on Zeus' part (not that it's out of character for Zeus).

* [[LargeHam Excalibur]] in ''Manga/SoulEater'' isn't exactly a god, but he is a Great Old One on the level of [[TheGrimReaper Death himself]]. And he's the single most annoying character in the entire series. The reason nobody's been able to partner with him for longer than a few minutes is his abrasive personality and hundreds of arbitrary rules for anyone wanting to wield him.

** ...which, of course, is a sequel to ''Film/BruceAlmighty'', where the same God simply dumped all his powers into one guy just to show him how tough God had it.

* Depending on your views of ''Literature/TheBible'', it has stories very much like this - especially if you consider that many of the Christian values lots of cultures have now were novel - to say the least - to the people of that culture. [[InMysteriousWays Tended to work out in the end, though, at least when people listened]].

** "Noah, build a boat. A reeeeaaaally big one. You'll thank me later."

** "Hey, Rebecca! Guess what? I'm bringing you a husband...well, okay, a messenger on his behalf. After you water the entire herd of camels he has with him, you're going to have to migrate all the way to the other side of the Fertile Crescent where you don't know anyone to marry a man you've never actually met. You'll struggle with infertility for a while, but then you're going to have twins...who won't get along. And one of them is going to marry three Pagan women you're not going to like. The other, who will be your favorite, you'll have him trick his brother out of his inheritance for a bowl of lentil soup (yes, I know, just work with me here), and you'll have to send him off to where you came from for his safety, and never see him again."

** "Mrs. Lot? Your city is so awful, I'm going to destroy it. Per your husband's uncle's request, I am going to spare your and your husband's life, as well as those of your daughters. (Their fiances don't seem so willing to cooperate, though. Sucks to be them.) You'll have to leave the only life you've ever known, and even as you hear the screams of your friends and neighbors dying, you are not to look back, no matter what, okay?"

** "[[Literature/BookOfHosea Hosea]], I want you to go marry a prostitute. Name all of your kids after my disappointment in Israel."

* Thalia, Muse of Comedy in ''Literature/ThaliasMusings''. In exchange for comic inspiration, she orders a playwright to perform a series of tasks designed to annoy her [[HeIsNotMyBoyfriend totally-not-love-interest]] Apollo.

* Depending on your views of ''Literature/TheBible'', it has stories very much like this - especially if you consider that many of the Christian values lots of cultures have now were novel - to say the least - to the people of that culture.
** "Adam, don't eat that fruit. No, not that one, that one is fine, that one ''right there''."

** "Moses, could you leave the family you've spent the last forty years raising, and go cause trouble for the people who chased you away as a murderer? Thanks, I appreciate it."
** "Joshua, go conquer that big citadel over there. No, no, don't try to lay siege or anything, just hold a parade every day for the next week."
** "Those are some very nice spoils of war, Saul, but no, you don't get to keep them."
** "Samuel, go wander around the hills for a while. I want you to appoint one of the people you meet there as the next king. I'll let you know when you find him."
** "Hosea, I want you to go marry a prostitute. Name all of your kids after my disappointment in Israel."
** "[[NamesTheSame Saul]], you know those people you were killing because they worship me? Change your name to Paul, then go tell them all about me."
** "Hey Job? Yeah, so, I'm going to completely ruin your life in particular [[CosmicPlaything just to prove a point]]. You're going to lose ''everything'': your family, your career, the people you consider to be your friends, your health, your home, your standing in the community."
** "Mary, wazzup? Hey, so I want to [[MysticalPregnancy make you pregnant with My Son]]. Oh, I know, I know. You're unmarried in an honor-shame culture, where the laws I handed down to your ancestors specifically say the men of your community can stone you to death if you're pregnant out of wedlock. And I know you're living under the rule of the Roman Empire, and you and your fiance are poor AF. You'll have to travel many miles from your home to participate in a census while heavily pregnant, and give birth in a dirty stable. And...oh, yeah...you're going to have to eventually watch our Son die a horrible death. Whaddaya say?"
** "Hey, David...I know you're sorry for ogling and taking advantage of Bathsheba, knocking her up, killing her husband, and marrying her to save face. But I can't let that go unpunished; I'm going to kill that baby to punish you. And in the coming generations, the kingdom you worked so hard to build up is going to splinter something horrible."

** "Ezekiel, hi. So, I want you to make bread using these specific ingredients...and I want you to cook it over literal human shit. Oh, I know it's against the rules, that's exactly the point I'm trying to make. You won't do it? Fine, you don't have to use human shit. You can use cow shit."
** "Mrs. Lot? Your city is so awful, I'm going to destroy it. Per your husband's uncle's request, I am going to spare your and your husband's life, as well as those of your daughters. (Their fiances don't seem so willing to cooperate, though. Sucks to be them.) You'll have to leave the only life you've ever known, and even as you hear the screams of your friends and neighbors dying, you are not to look back, no matter what, okay?"

** ...Yes. It's kind of a thing. [[InMysteriousWays Tended to work out in the end, though, at least when people listened]].

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''Literature/SmallGods'', where the Great God Om lacks the power to do things in a way that would be at all convenient for TheChosenOne, Brutha, because GodsNeedPrayerBadly and it's gotten to the point where Brutha is the ''only'' one who actually believes in him.

* ''Literature/WheelOfTime'': In theory, the Friends of the Dark are an ApocalypseCult devoted to the service of the local GodOfEvil and to helping him tear reality to shreds and [[VillainWorld recreate it in his image]]. In practice, the Darkfriends are more of a massive international crime syndicate, with the vast majority of the members having joined for the extra-legal contacts and other perks the cult offers and with no expectation of the Dark One escaping his prison in their lifetime. When he ''does'' escape, more than a few Darkfriends react with absolute horror at realizing their oaths were about to actually be called due.

* The premise of ''LightNovel/TheMelancholyOfHaruhiSuzumiya'' is that GodIsFlawed and largely relies on humans to give her purpose and entertainment. (Many characters don't consider her sacred at all, just a human who happened to be born a powerful RealityWarper.) Sometimes this means comforting her when she has an existential crisis. Sometimes it means winning a tournament of a sport you've never played before. She's not a predictable person.

** "Ah, Leah! How are you doing? You know your distant cousin, Jacob? And how he's in love with your sister? Yeah...I'm gonna let your dad trick him into marrying you instead...and then he'll get to marry her. He'll be stuck with you, even though she's his true love. And you'll be forever grateful, because let's face it, [[HollywoodHomely you ain't much to look at]]. You'll have seven sons and a daughter, though, and when you die, you'll be buried next to him, so he won't ''completely'' hate you...but he won't ''really'' love you either, and he'll ''definitely'' drive a wedge between you and your sis. You could do worse, though. How's that sound?"

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''Discworld/SmallGods'', where the Great God Om lacks the power to do things in a way that would be at all convenient for TheChosenOne, Brutha, because GodsNeedPrayerBadly and it's gotten to the point where Brutha is the ''only'' one who actually believes in him.

-->-- '''{{God}}''', ''[[Literature/BookOfEzekiel Ezekiel 4:4-8]], Literature/TheBible''

* Daedric quests in ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series of games can get this way. Kill a bull netch with a fork to please Sheogorath! Fake the apocalypse for Sheogorath! Cast a spell of mass disrobing at a dinner party for Sanguine. Commune with Boethia at his shrine (on the sea floor). Kill and soul-trap one member of every sapient race for Hermaeus Mora. You are not repulsive enough to worship Namira. Kill your daughter with an axe to free her from being a werewolf as a part of a bargin for Clavicus Vile. The Shivering Isles expansion to Oblivion takes this to the next level as you travel to the plane of Sheogorath (where attempting to grow a beard attracts divine punishment).

* Daedric quests in ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series of games can get this way. Kill a bull netch with a fork to please Sheogorath! Fake the apocalypse for Sheogorath! Cast a spell of mass disrobing at a dinner party for Sanguine. Commune with Boethia at his shrine (on the sea floor). Kill and soul-trap one member of every sapient race for Hermaeus Mora. You are not repulsive enough to worship Namira. The Shivering Isles expansion to Oblivion takes this to the next level as you travel to the plane of Sheogorath (where attempting to grow a beard attracts divine punishment).

* Depending on your views of Literature/TheBible, Literature/TheBible has stories very much like this - especially if you consider that many of the Christian values lots of cultures have now were novel - to say the least - to the people of that culture.

* PeterPaysTribute has a god sending Peter on a quest for the incarnation for sickness. With no directions, clues, or hints, either. Good luck on that one, Peter.

* ''{{Journeyman}}'' hinted that the character's time jumps were for a purpose. They were seriously inconvenient, and he could disappear when driving down the road, end up without clothes in snow, etc.

* God ''and'' the devil in WesternAnimation/GodTheDevilAndBob.

* Thalia, Muse of Comedy in ''ThaliasMusings''. In exchange for comic inspiration, she orders a playwright to perform a series of tasks designed to annoy her [[HeIsNotMyBoyfriend totally-not-love-interest]] Apollo.