I think not, not in this world and not in Martin's either. And while it is true that Martin's world is different from ours, nothing that we've seen in it shows that its morality differs from ours. Parents still care for their children, incest is still bad, killing is still bad, desertion is still bad, there are still concepts of duty and honor and family, etc. So there is no reason for concepts of morality that apply in our world to not apply in Martin's.
As for your question, the Seven and the Drowned God are certainly not real in any shape or form. In particular, the Seven (and all the South, basically) seem to exist just to highlight how much better the northerners and the northern gods are. And the northern gods certainly are better, but not because of any divine influence, since we know now that the heart trees are simply filled with the collective minds of dead greenseers, who were all perfectly mortal and not divine in any way. But praying to a heart tree always seems to prompt the characters to be introspective and to really think things through, while the Seven don't seem to inspire their followers to spend their time thinking. So the old gods are successful, but only as an unintended side effect.
R'hllor is harder to puzzle out. I doubt he's real as well, since his followers just use magical powers to make themselves seem right, and so far we've seen no proof of any actual divine power. As for the God of Many Faces, his followers simply don't make any sense. They say it is not for them to kill, but then if someone prays hard enough they go out and do the job? Who decides when the prayer is strong enough to be answered? And why are they answering at all, when their god should be smiting down the offending party?
However, going by Bran's dream in the first book, there must be a god of some kind. Because he looked to the north and then even further north, and saw something that he could not bear to even look at or to think of. That fits strongly with the "Great Other" of R'hllor... But who knows, it could be any kind of devil figure. But if there is one, there most likely is his counterpart somewhere too, so I suppose a real god must exist somewhere.
As for your question, the Seven and the Drowned God are certainly not real in any shape or form. In particular, the Seven (and all the South, basically) seem to exist just to highlight how much better the northerners and the northern gods are. And the northern gods certainly are better, but not because of any divine influence, since we know now that the heart trees are simply filled with the collective minds of dead greenseers, who were all perfectly mortal and not divine in any way. But praying to a heart tree always seems to prompt the characters to be introspective and to really think things through, while the Seven don't seem to inspire their followers to spend their time thinking. So the old gods are successful, but only as an unintended side effect.
R'hllor is harder to puzzle out. I doubt he's real as well, since his followers just use magical powers to make themselves seem right, and so far we've seen no proof of any actual divine power. As for the God of Many Faces, his followers simply don't make any sense. They say it is not for them to kill, but then if someone prays hard enough they go out and do the job? Who decides when the prayer is strong enough to be answered? And why are they answering at all, when their god should be smiting down the offending party?
However, going by Bran's dream in the first book, there must be a god of some kind. Because he looked to the north and then even further north, and saw something that he could not bear to even look at or to think of. That fits strongly with the "Great Other" of R'hllor... But who knows, it could be any kind of devil figure. But if there is one, there most likely is his counterpart somewhere too, so I suppose a real god must exist somewhere.
A Dance with Dragons discussion thread
- 11/07/2011 10:48:23 PM
6724 Views
A general question to get the discussion started: will two more books be enough?
- 12/07/2011 02:22:52 PM
2466 Views
It'll be tight.
- 12/07/2011 04:32:39 PM
2472 Views
What does "resurrection-as-PWWP Jon" mean? Got it - Prince Who Was Promised!
- 18/08/2011 08:59:44 PM
2354 Views
No but I think 3 will be possible
- 26/07/2011 03:15:02 AM
2241 Views
Hero of the book?
- 12/07/2011 10:12:02 PM
2573 Views
Barristan should be renamed as Ser Grandfather, you do not mess with Ser Grandfather *NM*
- 26/07/2011 03:32:09 AM
1302 Views
Asshole of the book?
- 12/07/2011 10:46:10 PM
2448 Views
Agreed.
- 12/07/2011 11:18:07 PM
2401 Views
Seconded. He'd probably make my short list of Assholes of the Series to date. *NM*
- 12/07/2011 11:25:04 PM
1177 Views
Daenerys Targaryen & lifetime achievement award to Lord Rickard Stark
- 17/08/2011 12:38:40 AM
2169 Views
Idiot of the book.
- 12/07/2011 11:21:51 PM
2481 Views
I think readers are being too hard on Quentyn, If anything I think Doran derserves more mocking.
- 17/07/2011 01:09:35 AM
2640 Views
Is there any hot sex scenes? I won't be able to read it for a while *NM*
- 13/07/2011 02:35:49 PM
1309 Views
YES!
- 14/07/2011 02:38:48 AM
2032 Views
- 14/07/2011 02:38:48 AM
2032 Views
I don't know what to think... (spoiler)
- 14/07/2011 08:59:39 AM
2417 Views
Probably not.
- 14/07/2011 09:19:03 AM
2380 Views
Re: Probably not.
- 14/07/2011 03:57:55 PM
2233 Views
What made least sense for me as far as that is concerned...
- 14/07/2011 11:51:20 AM
2295 Views
Something I totally missed first time through
- 14/07/2011 09:40:33 AM
2610 Views
I'm still not fully done, but about the Reek chapters...
- 14/07/2011 04:05:29 PM
2337 Views
GRRM completely shit the bed on Jon's arc within this book. That's the truth.
- 16/07/2011 12:51:08 AM
2391 Views
Having finished the book, my thoughts. (Spoilers)
- 16/07/2011 08:11:30 AM
2325 Views
Personally, I felt 'A Feast for Crows' was not only better written but more condensed.
- 17/07/2011 11:15:58 AM
2336 Views
Summed up like that there is no way to disagree with what you said
- 17/07/2011 11:33:01 AM
2309 Views
It should be re-titled A Jump with Sharks
- 17/07/2011 06:00:37 PM
2421 Views
Publishers are more interested in the bottom line.
- 18/07/2011 12:31:56 AM
2191 Views
Sadly, I am likely overestimating the intelligence of the readers.
- 18/07/2011 03:05:12 AM
2421 Views
I felt bummed by Sanderson's new series.
- 18/07/2011 05:25:09 AM
2324 Views
You might like this quote from House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski.
- 11/08/2011 03:42:05 PM
2425 Views
I'm afraid I have to agree with what seems to be the majority opinion...
- 17/07/2011 07:35:47 PM
2299 Views
And on a different note entirely: is it me, or did the book need more proofreading?
- 17/07/2011 07:39:15 PM
2198 Views
Re: And on a different note entirely: is it me, or did the book need more proofreading?
- 18/07/2011 02:17:41 AM
2380 Views
The book really shows it is AFFC part 2
- 26/07/2011 03:00:07 AM
2233 Views
No doubt, much like readers would've been more forgiving of aFfC if it'd been two years after SoS.
- 26/07/2011 11:28:43 PM
2259 Views
Am I The Only One In Love With Arya's Chapters? *spoilers maybe*
- 18/07/2011 02:22:00 AM
2243 Views
Unlike others, I won't start a separate thread to express my thoughts
- 19/07/2011 11:21:17 AM
2407 Views
- 19/07/2011 11:21:17 AM
2407 Views
Yeah, I wished there was a way to move them in here!
- 19/07/2011 01:42:51 PM
2180 Views
Me too... but going and complaining about them seems so lame, too.
- 19/07/2011 07:34:47 PM
2162 Views
I think you let him off too easily.
- 20/07/2011 04:19:07 AM
2286 Views
It might be that I expected even more of a longeur than what happened
- 20/07/2011 05:24:50 PM
2252 Views
Am I the only one who really likes...
- 20/07/2011 06:04:00 PM
2386 Views
I have to disagree in regards to Penny, she's a plot device and an annoying one at that.
- 21/07/2011 01:15:33 AM
2354 Views
Re: I have to disagree in regards to Penny, she's a plot device and an annoying one at that.
- 21/07/2011 09:33:00 AM
2199 Views
The six bodies fired by the trebuchet
- 20/07/2011 10:36:16 PM
2229 Views
Yes, I was confused by that too.
- 20/07/2011 10:53:35 PM
2197 Views
Probably pale mare victims. Seige warfare via plague
- 20/07/2011 11:23:10 PM
2212 Views
It's not six bodies, it's six trebuchets throwing corpses instead of stones
- 27/07/2011 01:03:51 AM
2270 Views
Stannis
- 21/07/2011 08:43:40 AM
2190 Views
I highly doubt he's dead
- 21/07/2011 07:29:59 PM
2232 Views
The bluff makes the most sense: if the Boltons beat Stannis, why does he ask for Theon & Jeyne?
- 22/07/2011 12:01:30 AM
2274 Views
The letter sounded like the ravings of a psychopath loosing control
- 27/07/2011 02:56:21 AM
2326 Views
The Aegon Twist. Something about this doesn't add up.
- 21/07/2011 10:43:43 PM
2322 Views
Which gods do you think are "real" in Martin's world?
- 22/07/2011 04:32:39 PM
2241 Views
None of them.
- 22/07/2011 06:25:19 PM
2135 Views
Is that personal opinion or based on something Martin said? *NM*
- 22/07/2011 06:37:57 PM
1192 Views
Opinion
- 22/07/2011 07:43:16 PM
2178 Views
Regardless of whether or not they actually get involved, their existence (or not) is signficant.
- 23/07/2011 02:17:48 AM
2048 Views
I think there are some god's, just given different names. Same with the magic.
- 22/07/2011 09:24:51 PM
2158 Views
Lose the apostrophe in the subject line. Then: on what basis do you assume this?
- 23/07/2011 02:28:49 AM
2195 Views
You might want to stop wasting time correcting others typos. As for the gods...
- 23/07/2011 04:53:59 AM
2096 Views
You might want to stop wasting time correcting others typos. As for the gods...
- 23/07/2011 04:53:59 AM
2096 Views
You might want to stop making them. Particularly glaring ones like that.
- 23/07/2011 05:01:03 AM
2259 Views
Morality stems from god?
- 22/07/2011 10:47:59 PM
2150 Views
On second thought, let's address the issue directly.
- 23/07/2011 05:14:59 AM
2260 Views
Perhaps...
- 24/07/2011 07:03:24 PM
2167 Views
Its simple...
- 24/07/2011 07:37:11 PM
2167 Views
I disagree...
- 25/07/2011 04:10:04 AM
2228 Views
Bullshit.
- 25/07/2011 05:44:41 AM
2108 Views
The Seven probably has more power and influence than any other religion though.
- 25/07/2011 07:51:59 PM
2049 Views
In Westeros, but I always got the feeling the Free Cities and other places didn't much care for them
- 26/07/2011 10:53:45 PM
2187 Views
Westeros is the biggest coherent civilisation in the ASoIaF world.
- 27/07/2011 12:56:21 AM
2216 Views
Some thoughts...
- 25/07/2011 04:54:05 AM
2177 Views
It's not an objective morality.
- 25/07/2011 05:41:33 AM
2123 Views
Its not that simple...
- 25/07/2011 06:21:39 AM
2197 Views
I don't disagree with most of what you said. I just reach a different conclusion.
- 25/07/2011 01:57:31 PM
2101 Views
Whats the best new POV
- 26/07/2011 03:14:05 AM
2188 Views
Things you missed till they were pointed out via others or via a reread
- 26/07/2011 03:23:53 AM
2342 Views
A bit.
- 26/07/2011 12:32:32 PM
2290 Views
- 26/07/2011 03:46:54 PM
2221 Views
- 26/07/2011 03:46:54 PM
2221 Views
Re:
- 27/07/2011 12:43:43 AM
2225 Views
- 27/07/2011 12:43:43 AM
2225 Views
Martin doesn't have to do anything
- 27/07/2011 01:33:36 AM
2257 Views
Re: Martin doesn't have to do anything
- 27/07/2011 04:38:19 AM
2115 Views
The crone who prophesied the stallion who mounts the world saw the stallions face
- 27/07/2011 05:13:28 AM
2296 Views
Eh?
- 29/07/2011 04:44:17 PM
2259 Views
This is complicated.
- 31/07/2011 10:43:15 PM
2488 Views
Wait...a woman crowned for beauty was the victorious mystery knight?
- 01/08/2011 03:00:49 AM
2152 Views
It is believed the Knight of the Laughing Tree is one of two people
- 01/08/2011 04:47:21 AM
2246 Views
Hizdahr a Harpy? Innocent or Not?
- 26/07/2011 03:36:56 AM
2483 Views
What is happening with the Maesters subplot? Any new leads?
- 26/07/2011 04:13:27 PM
2191 Views
Re: A Dance with Dragons discussion thread
- 29/07/2011 01:42:57 AM
2369 Views
Jon Snow is definitely Azor Ahai.
- 29/07/2011 07:31:17 PM
2708 Views
Yup.
- 31/07/2011 10:49:34 PM
2050 Views
I'm uncertain about that
- 01/08/2011 05:35:18 AM
2170 Views
True, but I wouldn't read too much into that.
- 01/08/2011 11:42:29 PM
2452 Views
Am I the only one who thinks...
- 09/08/2011 05:16:46 PM
2285 Views
I think Martin's gonna stick to Bran being the only one who does that
- 10/08/2011 09:25:12 AM
2362 Views
It's possible, the problem is Jon's warging skill isn't all that well developed.
- 10/08/2011 10:53:32 PM
2154 Views
Anyone have any thoughts as to the purpose of Arya's storyline?
- 14/08/2011 06:28:09 PM
2203 Views
She's being trained as an assassin, so the question is who is she going to kill?
- 16/08/2011 01:43:12 AM
2124 Views

*NM*