10a. "Is the pious being loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is being loved by the gods?"

The pious being loves the good.

If I am confused about the question, it is because it relates to gods. If you consider gods as _ goodness_truth_justice, then the question makes more sense to me. The person who acts justly, does so because they love justice. This may be because they themself have been treated unjustly. The favor of the the whimsical gods has nothing to do with it.

Sorry, the only honest answere that I can give you is_none of the above.

In matters of justice, I find the gods irrelevant. I do belive that the universe is based upon law. The law is as exacting as mathematics. Even the gods are subject to this divine law.