I thought we were of similar minds, each of us creating a congregation of followers, devout in their worship of us. But whereas I created a space of warmth, color, and acceptance for all, you created something cold, gray, and narrow.
I welcome any and all to lay at my feet. The love and devotion shown to me, I reflect back to them. Regardless of background or status, all are welcome to find warmth and comfort with me. I freely give offerings of myself to those needing it most. Those I hold dear are ever-growing in number, and yet I never feel depleted as I continue to give them bits of myself.
You welcome all, you need all, you crave all. But where I warm many, you can only warm a few. So narrow in your love, you can only show it to the individuals you deem most worthy of your focus. Having had brief moments of your focus shone on me, I can see why so many fight for it, desperate for it even, not realizing how stifling it can be. But your focus comes with a price. A single false move and your interest freezes, fizzles, and fades away into the darkness our parishioners are so desperate to evade. Your focus then finds another lucky other to fill the space left, usually without warning, in an attempt to overwhelm them with your very presence, so you're given the prize that you eagerly seek.
Gods blind if we are not careful. We can leave the masses blinded by charm, intellect, beauty, lust, status, innocence, or experience. We wear masks to tailor this blinding effect to our own needs. You choose to blind individuals until they can no longer see any color unless you permit it. I choose to bathe those around me in a warm light that shields the darkness from them until they can make their own light. You strip their magic for your own gain; I nurture even the tiniest drop and reflect it back so it grows, forever increasing in warmth and love until they desire to forge their path as the magical creatures gods like you would deny them.
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