Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-24.177.35.35-20130905071358/@comment-6078851-20130910001654

the emperor despised being referred to as a god, and the chances are that his opinion on that is exactly what it always was despite the near god-like power he's gained from worship: the very last thing he wants humans doing is worshipping gods or god-like beings.

if he died then the astronomican would go out and then humans would be left very vulnerable, and emps believes that his presence, in the warp and powering the astronomican, is the only thing staving off humanity's extinction. now emps despises what has become of his imperium and thinks that our extinction may be for the best, but he can't let go of the hope he has for 'his children'.

this info is in the emperor's page.