What are the gods for?

[Tehmon]

Though doesn't that run counter to the whole theme of Endwalker with the sundered being special because they are stronger against despair but them needing fake religions to cope seems a bit off.

The theme of Endwalker is the inevitability of death and despair as a law of the universe that cannot be ignored, and trying to deny it as a constant companion to all life in existence will only hurt you in the end. That doesn't mean that to acknowledge despair is to lose faith and hope, but to hold onto them and value the good in life even amidst all the despair, and mankind will find tools to keep hope alive, whether it be through faith in gods or otherwise.

Sundered aren't innately special outside of having lower aetherical density, but the reality they live in makes it utterly impossible for them to deny the existence of senseless evil and despair. Thus they will come up with ways to not lose hope, and they do so because the world and reality they live in pushes them to appreciate life and all the good in it in the presence of an inevitable death and misery.

But that's my take on it. I don't care to discuss it further because the themes of Endwalker and sundered vs unsundered is a pointless topic that goes nowhere. I merely stated that the Twelve could just be there to create faith, which could be used as a tool against the adversities of mankind.