I am not your bloody messiah!
— Big Sister Eleanor Lamb, BioShock 2
"The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?" says the LORD.
I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!
what are they to me?" says the LORD.
I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!
When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.
— Acts 14:11-15 (NIV)
Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
—Revelation 19:9-10 (NIV)
"So what the hell is [The Lady of Pain]? She is fucking fearsome, and there is another reason nobody fucks with her. It's because she — despite what I said about belief bestowing power and all that — she is not a goddess in that nobody worships her. Well, nobody who wants to live that long. If there's one thing that obviously pisses the Lady of Pain off, it's people who worship her. There have been people who have tried to build temples to her or preach her gospel on the street (she has no gospel, but), try to worship her or revere her or convert them to her religion; they end up dead. They end up dead FAST, and they usually end up dead in very, very messy and physically-impossible ways—usually turned into strips of quivering, bloody, sizzling bacon nailed to various aspects of the street — the lamppost and that place over there...yeah, they're pretty much turned into cube-diced bacon, and that's if you're lucky. They die horribly, messily, and in explosive ways. So, then you're like, 'Well, what does she want?' I don't know. Nobody knows. That's really what's great about the Lady of Pain: she is...She is."
—- Countermonkey, on the Lady of Pain
Being a cult figure in one's own lifetime, I am afraid, is not at all pleasant.
And then the greenblood sinks to his knees and lowers his torso until his forehead is touching the floor, and your mind goes oh fuck NO.
You hate zealots.
You hate zealots.
Merrill: [bows deeply] Andaran atish'an, Asha'bellanar.
Flemeth: One of the people. I see... So young and bright. Do you know who I am, beyond that title?
Merrill: [still bowing] I know only a little.
Flemeth: Then stand. The people bend their knee too quickly.
Flemeth: One of the people. I see... So young and bright. Do you know who I am, beyond that title?
Merrill: [still bowing] I know only a little.
Flemeth: Then stand. The people bend their knee too quickly.
— Long Way Home, Dragon Age II
"Please... Please, stop. I'm just a messenger. You can't worship the messenger... only the Source, which I most definitely am not. But I'm here to tell you how you can help. Instead of coming here, spending all your energies in worshipping me... I want you to channel all your zeal into helping each other. There's just one of me, but there are so many of you..."
— Supergirl, Supergirl
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Get up. You must not kneel to me.
Nuria: You do not wish it?
Picard: I do not deserve it.
Nuria: You do not wish it?
Picard: I do not deserve it.
That's your first problem. You think I want you kneeling before me? What's worse: that you think I'm a monster, or that you don't realize you think I'm a monster? Why would I want people worshipping me? Is that what you would want out of your lives? Do you prefer equal, loving relationships, or for people to grovel before you with fear and reverence? Because let me tell you, that gets old really fast. Every dictator who foolishly desired such power ended up being some of the loneliest people to ever live. Christians, Muslims, there's billions of you now. Billions! And you have so much fear. "God-fearing" is an actual phrase now, and it's supposed to be a good thing. Is that what you think I want? Fear? Sabrina, Marcus, both of you actually believed that I send people to Hell to be tortured. Tortured!
— God, DarkMatter2525, "The Greater Insult"
God: Arthur! Arthur, King of the Britons! [Arthur and his knights try to bow before him] Oh, don't grovel! If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people groveling...
Arthur: Sorry.
God: And don't apologize! Every time I try to talk to someone it's "sorry" this and "forgive me" that and "I'm not worthy"... What are you doing now!?
Arthur: I'm averting my eyes, O Lord.
God: Well, don't! It's like those miserable Psalms — they're so depressing. Now, knock it off!
Arthur: Sorry.
God: And don't apologize! Every time I try to talk to someone it's "sorry" this and "forgive me" that and "I'm not worthy"... What are you doing now!?
Arthur: I'm averting my eyes, O Lord.
God: Well, don't! It's like those miserable Psalms — they're so depressing. Now, knock it off!
"Unlike you, whelp, I once walked the same ground as your Idol. I breathed the same air as him. And I tell you this, without lie or artifice. He never wanted to become what you have made him! He did not wish to be your god-thing. He abhorred such ideals! The slavery of your crippled, blind Imperium would sicken him, if he had eyes to see it."
— Fabius Bile, Black Tide
Seriously! Stop! You're all fucking disgusting! I'm not even ready to settle down with a cult yet! I'm only, like, two hundred years old! I'm barely legal!
"And how may I call thee, Master?" I asked.
"I am called Aldur," he replied, smiling.
I'd heard the name before, of course, so I immediately fell on my face before him.
"Art thou ill, Belgarath?"
"Oh, great and most powerful God," I said, trembling, "forgive mine ignorance. I should have known thee at once."
"Don't do that!" he said irritably. "I require no obeisance. I am not my brother Torak. Rise to thy feet, Belgarath. Stand up, boy. Thine action is unseemly."
"I am called Aldur," he replied, smiling.
I'd heard the name before, of course, so I immediately fell on my face before him.
"Art thou ill, Belgarath?"
"Oh, great and most powerful God," I said, trembling, "forgive mine ignorance. I should have known thee at once."
"Don't do that!" he said irritably. "I require no obeisance. I am not my brother Torak. Rise to thy feet, Belgarath. Stand up, boy. Thine action is unseemly."
"Worship from mortals is a nuisance, not a boon."
— Obscurity, Hades
"Most temples that I've visted have been imbued with... something. A presence. But Nekromanteion has always felt... well, uninhabited. Even deserted... in spite of all the visitors and all who serve the god. Now I know why. He is never there."
— Melito, priestess of Hades, Nekyia
Jun repeated their names under her breath, looking between them several times. Nothing about them looked remarkable. They would have blended in with anyone else in Aquaria. Were these really the “divines” the cultists spoke of?
“I heard about you,” Jun finally said, pointing vaguely towards them. “I think. I mean, some weird cult-people were trying to find you! Do you know about them?”
“Oh, yes…” Salina sighed with a dramatic roll of her eyes.
The colorful Marina added, her voice high and chipper, “Those cultists are so annoying! Why do you think we’re hiding out in this old whale in the first place? Ugh, don’t ever get famous. It’s not worth it.”
— Looming Gaia, "Chains of Melody"
Lilith: Nevertheless. Let me shield you with my pitiful life, oh powerful-
King: Stop! I'm still King, King! Isn't this how you acted with the Emperor? I'm sensing a little bit of a pattern with you.
Steve: Hey, girl, I've been there! I can recommend a good therapist!
King: Stop! I'm still King, King! Isn't this how you acted with the Emperor? I'm sensing a little bit of a pattern with you.
Steve: Hey, girl, I've been there! I can recommend a good therapist!
— The Owl House, "O Titan, Where Art Thou",
"Find yourself a worthier god. And let...me...go! All those prayers, all those entreaties...to me! Too many hands clasped, that could more gainfully answer your prayers by effort and resolve! And what was I? Just a rather stupid woman when I was alive. But you believed I watched over you, and listened to you...and so I had to, I had to listen, knowing that there was no help...I wish people would not be so careless about what they believe. Go."
— The Duchess, Monstrous Regiment
