I'm afraid I've been ignoring the general discussion in favor of thinking about the theological implications of life in a world where the gods go about breaking people's windows (as Toady and Threetoe have stated as a goal.)
If the system is run by a god of both Life and Death spheres... well, stuff like Lazarus and Jesus will happen.
This bit here is particularly interesting to me, since it does open up new interpretations of how things work in a given world. If we assume that a god adopts multiple spheres that are somewhat related or otherwise of interest to them, then in the broader philosophical/theological sense there must also be a connection between the two. In worlds where the spheres of life and death are largely dissociated, then it would make sense for them to be viewed as more or less discrete ideas, whereas worlds where those spheres are linked would see the prevailing view be that life and death are a continuum, a cycle, a single path or axis.
And lets not restrict ourselves to life and death here! One of my favorite deities I found in fortress mode was a skeletal god of death, war, and marriage- what does that imply about the way marriage is treated in that world? For that matter, the way war and death are viewed?
Can multiple gods adopt a sphere in DF? That could lead to Ares/Athena situations. For those rusty on their Greek Mythology, Ares is the god of battle, physical valor, and war, while Athena is the goddess of wisdom, strategy, and war (among other things, for both of them.) In DF terms, they both have war as a sphere, but because of their other associations the type of war they conduct is very different. Ares is the go-to guy for your classic "battle hero" (ignoring for the moment that Ares kinda sucked at his job,) while Athena's blessing is sought by the generals and leaders on the battlefield. That kind of competition/overlap could make for some very interesting dogma in the religions of the world, not to mention the way it influences the relationships and politics of the gods themselves.
Something tells me I'll have to wait a long time (likely after the magic arc) until I get to bandy about philosophy/theology with the priest giving me a quest, let alone analyze the world-view of random peasants, but then again, half the fun is the anticipation!
I now return you to the debate in progress