"EACH nation has created a god, and the god has always resembled his creators.
 He hated and loved what they hated and loved, and he was invariably found on
 the side of those in power.  Each god was intensely patriotic, and detested
 all nations but his own. All these gods demanded praise, flattery, and
 worship. Most of them were pleased with sacrifice, and the smell of innocent
 blood has ever been considered a divine perfume. All these gods have insisted
 upon having a vast number of priests, and the priests have always insisted
 upon being supported by the people, and the principal business of these
 priests has been to boast about their god, and to insist that he could easily
 vanquish all the other gods put together."
              [Robert G. Ingersoll, "The Gods", 1872]