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During Thanksgiving, while everyone said thank-you God for our lives, I had said thank-you god-Emperor (as any faithful human would), during the meal, my father said the Emperor wasn't real (which I know), and then how it would be like palpatine and he would betray everyone and chaos was really under His command.(it disgusts me to write such heretical dogma) I then said the Emperor was real and not some old guy making up the story of so evil enemy known as chaos, to keep himself in power, and that all of his workon the golden throne, which he said was a made up story, and such things, as commissar Yarrick and ability to wield a storm bolter with a single hand, the Astronicum, and Saint Celestine, who was reborn thanks to the Emperor. This lead me to wonder, to the average citizen, since Chaos isn't invading most worlds, and Holy Terra is so far away, what proof does the average citizen have of the Emperor, besides the priest and commissar. Take someone on an unimporant world, (not cadia), what proof do they have the Emperor is real, and not a legend? For the record, of course the Emperor is real, and is the only truth in the galaxy.

First is, the average citizen doesn't know anything about Chaos and never will. Second is, the case is very similar to North Korea, propaganda heard from as soon as you are able to understang language will catch on you, no matter how smart you are, if you're not exposed to anything else. And the anything else in the Imperium is usually heretical and executed as soon as possible.

Well, first off, not everything heretical,m the Imperium tries, but it's massive making it hard to get everything, but they are quite effective.

Anyway, getting back to the topic, in other words, propeganda is the only proof( as well as the bolter of a commissar), as I thought.

For the average person - just propaganda.

Somewhere on any given world of importance, though, will almost certainly be an astropath, who will have undergone soulbinding at the Palace itself.

Emperor in 40k=God today.

It's a bit off topic to talk about IRL religion like that I think.

The Emperor provably does exist in 40k, in some form or other-- even if you insist he is nothing but a constantly-rotting corpse, regardless of what the person on any given planet might believe.

Your father said that? Heresy! Report him to your local commissar.

I pray to the Emperor often, and He has brought nothin but happiness to my life. The Emperor Protects!

Astropaths and navigators are probably common enough for real life encounters with the emperor to filter through to a lot of people but for most it's blind faith and adherence to dogma.

In the gaunts ghosts series the soldiers witness the odd miracle to reinforce their faiths.