Mostly, parents don’t abandon children, unless they die, or unless the survival of the parents or other children depend on abandoning some. If gods are just big metaphorical parents, then you wouldn’t be afraid of your god turning its back on you, as much as afraid that your god will die or be overwhelmed by some greater power. Of course, you’d probably never admit that; the external evidence of this fear would probably exist only in the vehemence with which you denied the possibility.
I had considered that someone might respond that way, and still believe what I said is true enough to be worth saying.
I understand that your response above is partly this same “Yes, I’d thought of that” message.
(Updated because my comment above is currently at −1: I don’t think the tendency not to abandon one’s children unless forced to is uniquely “modern”, although of course the modern world sharply limits the number of situations in which the choices are abandoning a child or risking death.)
Mostly, parents don’t abandon children, unless they die, or unless the survival of the parents or other children depend on abandoning some. If gods are just big metaphorical parents, then you wouldn’t be afraid of your god turning its back on you, as much as afraid that your god will die or be overwhelmed by some greater power. Of course, you’d probably never admit that; the external evidence of this fear would probably exist only in the vehemence with which you denied the possibility.
I think you’re projecting a modern sensibility about parents and morality. I have some qualms about what I wrote, but not for that particular reason.
I had considered that someone might respond that way, and still believe what I said is true enough to be worth saying.
I understand that your response above is partly this same “Yes, I’d thought of that” message.
(Updated because my comment above is currently at −1: I don’t think the tendency not to abandon one’s children unless forced to is uniquely “modern”, although of course the modern world sharply limits the number of situations in which the choices are abandoning a child or risking death.)