The most important thing for you to do is to find a few people who are really talented and who you can work with and trust.
Concerning the gods, I have no means of knowing whether they exist or not or of what sort they may be. Many things prevent knowledge including the obscurity of the subject and the brevity of human life.
Education must, be not only a transmission of culture but also a provider of alternative views of the world and a strengthener of the will to explore.
The method of introspection must be rigorously controlled.