Claiming that imaginary beings are secretly conspiring what humans are doing by their own, an entertained manipulative delusion. That's like when someone reminds their boss about their promised unattained raise and gets in answer: I'll have to look again with them... Except that in this case the proxy doesn't exist, but is an excuse. Or only remain other mortal humans.
As for the "witness" of written tradition, it's claims in written tradition, compiled, translated, twisted, selected, reinterpreted, readapted... with every splinter group disagreeing. Why? Because noone has access to "truth", even if many claim to be the only ones who do.