Creating Religion

[Bishop 172]

So....there has been a long and slow burn of a world being built not for well over two years and we're working on creating a religion. And like the one thing that we really can get right is how to suck at it, but I could so use some outside help.

 

What have you done to complete this task? What were your inspirations?

[Kit the Human 759]

I haven't tried to build a religion, but I've studied religions at uni and college (ten years ago mind you!) so I can come at it at that angle.

 

A religion commonly has the following:

 

Belief in supernatural beings or being

One or many? Why did belief in that being or beings become prevalent in your world? Are those beings omnipotent? Omniscient? Omnibenevolent? What is the relationship between the supernatural beings, if there is more than one? What is the relationship between those or that being and mortals? What stories are told about them and what do those stories teach?

 

Sacred Times

Times in the calendar that are sacred because they commemorate a special event. The birth of Christ, the return of Christ, the Exodus from Egypt, the first revelation of the sacred text. How is that time observed? Christian's give gifts on the day Christ was born in imitation of the three Wise Men. Eggs are symbolic of the resurrection. The Passover Seder is a ritualised meal ripe with symbolism. Are those sacred times a time of communion or solitude? Is it a celebration or atonement?

 

Sacred Places

Places that are sacred to that religion because it is a site of a sacred event. Mecca and Jerusalem, the first being the birthplace of Muhammed, the second being where God once presided. How are those places recognised? Hajj is a pillar of Islam, requiring all Muslims to make a pilgrimage to Mecca (or assist in someone else's journey where that journey is not practical) and both dictate the direction in where the Muslims and Jews respectively pray. Who is allowed to go to those places?

 

Sacred Text

Holy Bible, Tanakh, Quaran, etc etc. How did it come into being? How has it been translated? Are there any apocryphal texts? Are there any commentaries on the sacred text (example: tafsir), how is the text interpreted (example, pardes), expansions on the text (example hadith) and are they routinely critiqued and discarded as times change? Who is allowed to make commentaries on, expand upon, and judge the strength of those commentaries? Who is allowed to engage with the text?

 

Sacred Objects

Particular foods or drinks at particular times, particular candles, cups, clothing. They're often sacred because of what they symbolise.  Who is allowed to wear them? Has this changed over time? Are they used at any particular times?

 

A religion does not need to have all of those things present, but it's hopefully a useful paint by numbers template.

 

I've written like there is only one way to practice a religion, that is not true. Each religion has it's sects and those formed for different reasons, often they result in different practices and interpretations. Of course, people are different levels of devout and some practices and holidays have come to be observed because it's become cultural, not strictly religious. Christmas for example is celebrated by many atheists, not just Christians.

 

There will be regional differences as well. My very first lecture on Hinduism included my professor saying: "Everything I'm about to teach you will be wrong." That's because the regional differences were so extreme...or because it was a bit like trying to pretend the Abrahamic Religions are a single monolithic entity, which is far from true. These regional differences create an opportunity for your members to play a little within the bounds you create.

 

I think ultimately you should start with say three questions:

 

One God or Many?

What is their nature?

What are the base principles of the religion?

 

Examples of basic principles:

• The Five Pillars of Islam: Faith, prayer, charity, fasting, pilgrimage
• "Belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit. The death, descent into hell, resurrection and ascension of Christ. The holiness of the Church and the communion of saints. Christ's second coming, the Day of Judgement and salvation of the faithful."
• And see the 12 principles of Jewish faith (Shloshah Asar Ikkarim)

Hope that's a little bit helpful!

[Huskerdust 625]

Back in the day on my old Fire Emblem site, we had an original continent with its own religion. So we started out with the gods, we detailed who they were, what they were known for, etc. Then there were temples that celebrated the different gods, and they each had their own type of religion. Like there was the usual violent god of the barbarian types and then a more "catholic" based type with a cathedral and priests. We did use some real life religion for them with a mix of magic stuff.

 

I think the post just before mine is a GREAT place to start when asking yourself how to build a religion though. <3