Paranoia Fuel/Oral Tradition


 * The paranoia fuel is part on what makes the concept of Hell so potent, by playing on the fear of what comes after death. Just because you transgressed this one small rule, you are condemned into eternal punishment. And you don't even know when you will die or be able to repent.
 * This idea is also why many atheists and skeptics write off such an idea as preposterous.
 * There's also the idea that god can see everything you do including your own thoughts.
 * According to Greek Mythology, the world is ruled by a pantheon of Jerkass Gods who will utterly screw over mortals for the most petty of reasons, or no reason at all. Yes, yes, if you managed to piss off the gods knowingly or unknowingly, get ready for a very hard life, if not worse. Being Properly Paranoid won't even help: there's a reason why cruel Irony is a major theme in Greek drama. Oh, and by the way, destiny rules everything and you have no control over your life. As a bonus: The ancient Greek word for "safe" translates to English as "free from fear". Their word for "safe" meant that they weren't in danger. It's a negative. To them, the default state of existence was "not safe". The Greeks basically lived in this trope.