False 'gods'

[Anonymous No.4307598]

So, /lit/, what books would you recommend that feature false gods or similar. I mean that broadly, to emcompass any principal character perceived to have or claiming power or powers they don't (within the world of the book) actually have. So The Wizard of Oz, His Dark Materials, and Agatha Christie's The Pale Horse would all qualify.

Pic obviously related

[Anonymous No.4307614]

Stranger in Strangeland, I suppose, by Robert Heinlein.

[Anonymous No.4307624]

Also, if you wanna consider Scientology a work of fiction in the inspired medium of religion, (like an interactive story where you can become a real character that can become affected by (and maybe- if only- also affect) the ersatz god- the scientological entity that seems to exist as a mind virus, ubiquitous among their people, and- *living*- sorta- accessible through its nodes of existence- those poor scientologically afflicted chaps, who all say, think, and do the same things, because they are all the same person, the same fake god... Anyway, dunno if this is what you're talking about. But a work of fiction can exist, can, haha, even live and breathe in reality alongside us!

[Anonymous No.4307631]

>>4307624

I hadn't really thought about that possibility, but of course in some forms "Gnostic" thought there's the idea of the Demiurge as a creator figure who is unaware of true reality, and so assumes himself to be the supreme being.

[Anonymous No.4307664]

Just occurred to me that there's a historical example of sorts: António de Oliveira Salazar, de facto dictator of Portugal from 1932 to 1968, suffered a brain haemorrhage after a fall in 1968, as a result of which he was replaced by Marcello Caetano; and when Salazar regained lucidity, those around him did not tell him he had been replaced, but maintained the fiction that he was still in power until his death in 1970.

[Anonymous No.4307910]

>>4307664
that's neat! I'm going to bed but I'm leaving this window open to google my way to the promise of your poignantly interesting truth. Was nice to make your virtual acquaintance. :) 'night.

[Anonymous No.4307922]

You might like Age of Zeus, by James Lovegrove. He has written a series of them, involving various pantheons.

[Anonymous No.4307933]

The Bible

[« 零 » !Ry9ZOO5Ag. No.4308134]

"THE BIBLE".

"THE QUORAN".

"THE TORAH".

THE MAIN DEITY IN THOSE BOOKS IS THE SAME DEMIOURGOS.

[Anonymous No.4308156]

>>4307933
>>4308134

And I was wondering when this sort of post would turn up. I specifically asked for works with "any principal character perceived to have or claiming power or powers they don't (within the world of the book) actually have". I realize that neither of you has likely read any of the religious texts you're so keen to disparage; however, each treats its deity as a fact, and as in fact having the powers it says that deity has, so none qualifies as an answer to my question.

[Anonymous No.4308165]

>>4307933
*tips fedora*

[Anonymous No.4308170]

I feel like I'm overmentioning what isn't really all that spectacular a book, but in Mieville's Kraken there is a lot of confusion as to who or what is the real source of power. Also consider Zaphod Beeblebrox.

[Anonymous No.4308174]

>>4307598
Pic related is about a unique guy who slays all the demons that enslave individuals under the false premise of being sacred.

[Anonymous No.4308183]

This might help, OP
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheManBehindTheCurtain

[« 零 » !Ry9ZOO5Ag. No.4308188]

>>4308156
>"any principal character perceived to have or claiming power or powers they don't (within the world of the book) actually have".

YHWV/ALLAH IS A MAIN CHARACTER WHO IS PERCEIVED TO HAVE, AND CLAIMS TO HAVE POWERS THAT IT DOES NOT ACTUALLY HAVE, WITHIN THE WORLD OF THE BOOKS, WHICH IS THE WORLD IN WHICH YOU ARE LIVING NOW, BUT MANY YEARS INTO THE FUTURE.

[Anonymous No.4308221]

>>4308188
Oh do fuck off.

[Anonymous No.4308229]

>>4308221
Excellent retort. REI is right though. From any non-Abrahamic perspective those books meet your criteria.

[Anonymous No.4308482]

>>4308229

>>4308221 is not >>4307598 (me)

>From any non-Abrahamic perspective those books meet your criteria.

No, they don't, because the status of the deities is not in doubt *inside* the narrative. (And I'm not just saying this to save texts in which I'm invested: I'm a non-believer myself.) Perhaps my expression was unclear, but I'm looking for works in which a significant element is false perception of divinity or some analogous status. The "Gnostic" worldview mentioned above satisfies that criterion, because the Demiurge is mistaken about his own position; the biblical narrative, for example, doesn't, because it claims to present the truth about a deity who is real and really does have the claimed status and is not (within the narrative) mistaken or misperceived (even if I and many others seriously doubt that claim).

[Anonymous No.4308538]

>>4308482
Philip K Dick? He was a fantastic theological explorer, just throw a dart at any of his works and you'll have a fantastically rich, abstract God character (or maybe mechanism) inside. ^^ He's my favorite. Dick makes me see God.

[Anonymous No.4308539]

>>4308482
>>4308538
although the movies copied of Philip K Dick's works seriously downplay the stress of the archetypal divines in his works... Like, they favor *his* mindfucks over his attempts at expression of celestial mindfucks, you know? Like people don't know how to discern dark chocolate from the shit chocolate. Metaphorically speaking.

[Anonymous No.4308581]

>>4307598
A Voyage to Arcturus.
Crystalman a shit

[Anonymous No.4309137]

>>4308174
I don't think anyone with half a neuron who has read the actual book can reach this conclusion. I hope you're trolling or just have read some marxist's comment on it.

[AnalCrust !.nJC39MThs No.4309150]

>>4308221
Disliking monotheism as I do, I say this post is right.

[Anonymous No.4309154]

>>4307598
thanks for ruining the wizard of oz for me faggot

[Anonymous No.4309196]

>>4309154
Pssst! Hey, Snape is Dumbledore.