[ WP ] A god makes their existence known to a staunch athiest . Instead of falling to the ground in worship , as the god expects , things go very differently .

Long ago I had decided not to meddle with My Creation, only to watch from afar. Since then I looked, kept My interference to a minimum, such that even the most vigilant of humans did not find a sign of My existence. 
 
 I was witness to a great many crimes, to humanity abandoning the teachings of My prophets, ignoring the wisdom I laid out for them. Patiently I waited for them to follow the path to heaven independently, without My help, so that they would emerge with stronger faith than ever before. 
 
 I waited, only for them to fail Me again. 
 
 So I decided to make My presence known once more, to lend a guiding hand and threaten a dooming fist. My first target was easily found – a heretic to the core, denying My existence whenever he could. I appeared before him, a growling thunder marking My arrival, shattering stone under My might. 
 
 `` KNEEL MORTAL, FOR I AM THE LORD!'' 
 
 The man stood motionless, for which I might have excused him. But even after he recovered, he did not lower himself, but frowned instead. 
 
 `` That,'' he said. `` was some very nice marble you just have blown up. That's not nice of you.'' 
 
 I was not prepared for this sheer impudence. 
 
 `` OBEY, OR FACE ETERNAL TORMENT IN HELL.'' 
 
 `` In fact, replacing it will probably cost me a fortune. You know how much these craftsmen want to get paid, right? I still say that the minimum wage was unjustified, if one were to consider the economical implications on...'' 
 
 I interrupted this nonsense. `` DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!'' 
 
 `` Some burglar with a serious inferiority complex and a volatile digestive tract?'' 
 
 `` I AM GOD. I AM THE CREATOR OF THIS UNIVERSE.'' 
 
 `` These are not necessarily mutually exclusive.'' 
 
 `` I AM OMNIPOTENT AND OMNISCIENT. I KNOW BOTH PAST AND FUTURE.'' 
 
 `` Yet you decide to visit *me*, and make a show out of it. That suggest you care about my opinion, but why should I care about yours?'' 
 
 `` CONTINUE THIS HERESY AND YOUR SOUL WILL BE LOST FOREVER.'' 
 
 This usually suffices to shut them up. At least it did two millenia ago. 
 
 `` For one I do n't believe in the concept of souls – it just has to many problematic implication when you consider animals and brain damage. And, if you would be so kind, what exactly am I being accused of?'' 
 
 In fact, he was right about souls – they were a concept that did not quite work out. But often the appereance was sufficient and has served humanity well. While I regretted lying a great deal, sometimes it was necessary. He had also unwisely strained my patience, but I was not one to give unfair judgement. 
 
 `` YOU HAVE DENIED MY NAME, CLAIMED ME NOT EXISTANT AGAINST YOUR KNOWLEDGE.'' 
 
 `` Wait a minute, what knowledge are you talking about? Anyone with half a brain could see that the existence of a god is borderline on the impossible.'' 
 
 `` CONVENIENTLY YOU IGNORE THE SIGNS I HAVE LEFT. BUT I KNOW YOU HAVE READ THE BOOK, YOU HAVE SEEN THE CHURCH I FOUNDED, YOU HAVE KNOWN OF THE BILLIONS OF FOLLOWERS I HAVE. YOU DO NOT HAVE AN EXCUSE.'' 
 
 `` The'book' as you call it appears to be written by humans, whatever angle you choose to look at it. Regarding your *followers*: there are millions of gods, the probability of any one to exist is simly neglegible.'' 
 
 `` I STAND BEFORE YOU, YET YOU STILL DENY ME.'' 
 
 `` Actually, I have updated that particular belief about a minute ago.'' 
 
 `` YOU KNOW YOU WERE WRONG, BUT YOU STILL CLAIM TO BE RIGHT. YOUR LOGIC IS FUTILE.'' 
 
 He was getting to the point of realizing his errors, although it was infuriatingly slow. 
 
 `` You do n't judge a decision based on hindsight, only on the information that was available when you made it. Buying a lotterie ticket is a bad idea, regardless if you happen to win afterwards. My logic was flawless, serving me well in the most probable scenario.'' 
 
 `` YOUR LOGIC FAILED YOU, HUMAN, IT CAN NOT EXPLAIN MY EXISTANCE. I STAND ABOVE YOUR PETTY LAWS.'' 
 
 This seemed to give him pause. He thought a while before giving his answer. 
 
 `` Let's see: The universe runs on mostly consistent laws, the physicists got that much figured out. *You* obviously do not obey them. But – you both ask me questions and try to convince me of something, which disproves both omnipotence and omniscience, despite your earlier claim. Knowing the future is just ridiculous, that is not even Turing-computable. You do seem to have a somewhat similar psychology to a human. The only solution I see here is a simulation, in which you partake at some kind of administrator level. The laws are modelled to be consistent, you are the exception. Tell me...'' 
 
 I crushed him with only a thought of Mine. Some people are not redeemable.
