In the Beginning, there were gods. Gods of the sky, gods of the mountain, gods of fire, gods of water, and man said "it is good." He went about his ceaseless work of placating this god and that, offering sacrifice, the best that he had. Until one day man said, "what a bother this is--this is too much work!" And then one day man realized a way to prosper, to be received and fed at various houses--to never have to work again. So he met with his powerful friends and they conspired. They added to a book of myths one borrowed Mithras story, and then they said, "there is only one god, and he is the only way, and for him and in his name you must give sacrifice to WE who speak in his stead, all the best of your crops, the smallest coin you might still have. And then these fine men, grown fat on another's labor, looked around and they said, "it is good!"