Do the gods of different nations talk to each other? Do the gods of Chinese cities speak to the ancestors of the Japanese? To the lords of Xibalba? To Allah? Yahweh? Vishnu?

Is there some annual get-together where they compare each other’s worshippers?

“Mine will bow their faces to the floor and trace woodgrain lines for me,” says one god.

“Mine will sacrifice animals,” says another.

“Mine will kill anyone who insults me,” says a third.

Here is the question I think of most often: “Are there any who can honestly boast, ‘My worshippers obey my good laws and treat each other kindly and live simple generous lives?’”