QUOTE : They believed the Emperor was a god. I knew how and why this had happened, even before she said another word. It happened as it always happens, as any scholar of their own species’ history can tell you: it happened because the helpless masses were fearful, and because the powerful wanted unchallenged control. Every religion rises for the same reasons – the lower tiers of a society crave answers and comfort, needing rewards in an afterlife to justify the harshness and grimness of their lives. And to prevent uprisings in search of better existences, their rulers institute a creed that keeps the masses obedient and compliant. Meekness, obedience, submission… These become virtues that the oppressed must embody in pursuit of a greater good or a later reward. To stand against the prevailing belief becomes not just philosophy but heresy. Heresy worthy of execution. And so control is maintained by the strong over the weak.