How do you start a religion?

[Adeli]

I was just wondering, what is necessary to start a religion?

I searched for this, and came up with a thread about religions that inspired Whemyfield to start his own Laanx worshippers... Besides that there was a lot of spam, not very helpful.

So, how would I go about creating a religion?
My religion would be independent from any guilds, so if the guild allowed it, its members could take up my religion.

Forum, if this is not the correct place for this thread, please move it mods. It would not be a guild so i didn\'t put it in the Guild

[hitancrias]

Well i\'d say:

Open up a site containing the believes / God(s) you worship, spread the word and start converting people.

In other words: religions are not formal implemented in MB. (Can say anything about CB ;-)) So do as you like.

[Adeli]

I was sort of hoping that was all that was needed.

I\'ll set about making my cult/religion/sect whatever after my exams, which start next week.

[Xordan]

bleh, I don\'t see the point in making religions... obviously Gods exist in the PS world, so obviously whatever God you make up to worship doesn\'t really exist, or it\'d be part of the PS history.

Edit: Unless it is related to an existing God. So a cult or sect would be fine.

[Moogie]

Not really, Xordan. The PS history lacks many things that even we know about Yliakum now. It wouldn\'t suprise me that there\'s other dieties that just havn\'t been discovered yet, so making up our own gods isn\'t a completely silly idea.

[Olig]

Well, you\'ll first need to be a successful person, then start acting and talking like that of a savior. Tell the uneducated people below you that if they do not do your bidding, that unforgiving gods will banish them to an eternity of pain. Then, if they don\'t beleive you (which is very likely), show off your amazing abilities until they do. It also helps to turn some friends into clergy members too.

[Moogie]

I guess that\'s one way of doing it, if your religion is going to be \'like that\'...

[Kuiper7986]

or you can just find good things about your \"so-called religion so you can gain followers. People always like things...

[leji]

Or you can wait for some newbies at the newbie spawning point and tell them : \"if you believe in this God i\'ll give you some hexas\" and once you get enough newbies (they will not stay newbies for long) you can have them spreading the word that you saw God etc...
After a while, you write a book with an easy to pronounce name (let\'s say ... the bible), make plenty of copies of them, and have the government aknowledge it as the law for a while.
After a short period, every good citizen will teach this way of behaving and thinking to the newbs (ie the children) and after a longer period, you can say that the law has been separated from the religion, once this is done, everyone have been brain washed and some of them will believe in your religion.
But if you really want your religion to be an important one, you need something to fight (invent something like sins and incarnate it within a people, as the christians did with the muslims etc...) this is good and cheap way to recruit people for your cult.
You will also need strong leaders who could harm any non believer in order to have your God respected.

The only problem is that I wont let you do that because I will fight against religions as much as I will be able to too bad for you ...

[Exuro Interficio]

helmora velsha has its own god, but no religion..yet. maybe we should make one....

From: The History of Helmora Velsha
...This is why Helmora Velsha is lead by a god who gives the Ducis instructions on what to do. The god does not come to the mortal realm and instead summons the leader of the guild to the realm of evil.

[Adeli]

Xordan, Moogie is right on this one. Oh and just because a deity is not documented, does mean it does not exist. Why would you assume this? Someone could go their entire life never hearing of a Platypus, and never seeing one, that does not mean it does not exist does it? Some live near my house actually.
Olig, I don\'t like the whole Messiah, Saviour deal... I detest religions like that...
Moogie, what do you mean \'like that\'?
Kuiper, I don\'t like this idea, it doesn\'t fit with my \'plan\'.
Leji, that amused me, but no, no preaching. I hate preaching. (I was raised as a Jehova\'s Witness) I can\'t stand organised religion, mine will be something a little different.
I have lots of ideas for my religion, I\'ll work them down to the most suitable and then begin preparations for my religion.
Exuro, do that... but make it interesting.

[Xordan]

I just don\'t think the players should create Gods outside of the game\'s history. What would happen if in the future game history it is said that there are no more Gods than the ones given? Your religion would become totally obsolete, and in conflict with the games own design, which is really bad for a game.

[Fish]

I think this is one of the few times I disagree with Xordan.  You could make it work something like this.  If one person makes up their own god they\'re a nut case.  If 10 people believe in the god then you have a puny cult.  If you can get 25 you have a cult.  If you get a 100 or more then you have a religion.  If you get let\'s say 250 they can apply to the developers for full blown religous status.  

It would work on the same principle as the guild.  However, you could be a member of this religion and any guild you would like too.  For a player based god or goddess there would have to be a website message board all the usual things a guild would need.  And then there would be all the required background work.

It should be possible just not easy.

[Draklar]

Creating religions, yes, well yesterday me and my friends created religion called \"Money Takers Company\", or Dantenism... really, all you need is a pint of beer and a nice tavern atmosphere...

...oh, you mean the PS religion
Create a set of morals/ethics that will be displayed by your deity. That\'s about the most important thing.

Xordan:
1) With current ToS history, PS setting can kiss my arse
2) Who said religion must be about existing god?

This was brought to you by one of leaders of the biggest PS religion organisation

- Swords

[Adeli]

Xordan, the god does not have to -exist- anyway as Fish pointed out, it could just be an avatar we have created for our beliefs...
Nobody knows for sure if the gods are real, but their beliefs were strong nonetheless.
Laanx and Talad are the exceptions to this I guess, as they have been seen by many.
I have my ideals mostly set out, I guess I just apply to them some some \'deity\' and then let people know.

Edit: I made alterations due to Tybalt\'s wisdom, and my lack of foresight.