It recently occurred to me that powerful gods caring about humans is the baby version of the phenomenon being described in the OP.
“Sure, I cannot hope to ascend to power, but there is a deity that knows about me and cares about me and can do a lot of stuff and will move the heavens to rig the matters in my favor if I pray enough, sacrifice enough, and exercise virtue enough.”
E.g., the whole idea of the Last Judgment is quite reminiscent of many quotes in the OP.
It recently occurred to me that powerful gods caring about humans is the baby version of the phenomenon being described in the OP.
“Sure, I cannot hope to ascend to power, but there is a deity that knows about me and cares about me and can do a lot of stuff and will move the heavens to rig the matters in my favor if I pray enough, sacrifice enough, and exercise virtue enough.”
E.g., the whole idea of the Last Judgment is quite reminiscent of many quotes in the OP.