Worldbuilding

Questions tagged [religion]

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For questions regarding the impact of religion in a given scenario or the creation of a religion for use in a fictional world.

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How can an unholy Trinity to be worshipped as one being? [closed]

Zoth-Ommog is an ancient and demonic god that exists outside reality and seeks to enter our world. To accomplish this, he took a virgin to be his "bride" in order to reincarnate a portion of himself ...
2
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1answer
53 views

How could religious institutions operate after losing their tax exempt status?

The United States of America were founded by a group of individuals on the principals of democracy and separating church and state. The core of this group of founding fathers, the Illuminati, ...
2
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2answers
66 views

How can two different creation stories be of two completely different religions yet be so similar

The way magic works in my world is runes. Some runes especially the basic variety have a story behind them. The culture my story starts off in is matriarchy and has a reverence to the rune of warmth/...
4
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5answers
896 views

How can I keep the Knights Templar alive throughout the medieval period? [closed]

The Adeptus Sororitas was an independent organization of exclusively Catholic women that focused on caring for the sick and dying in war-ravaged Europe during the medieval period. They were founded ...
4
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7answers
235 views

Is a Pantheon of Abstract Gods a Bad Idea? [closed]

I am currently working on a Homebrew setting for Dungeons and Dragons, and I wanted some feedback on how I was thinking about handling the pantheon in this setting. There are only six deities within ...
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3answers
233 views

A test of faith, or better said the lack of faith [closed]

Setting: An alternate reality during medieval times where Europe is divided by two factions. Faction1: A highly religious Christian (with Islamic/Jewish influences) VS Faction 2: a Mainly atheistic (...
4
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6answers
197 views

How could the Avignon papacy replace Rome as the center of power? [closed]

The medieval Popes ruled directly over the Papal States in Central Italy, and was an influential player in the affairs of European states. The Dark Emperor of France set in motion a master plan to ...
27
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13answers
7k views

How does a religion based around destroying the world attract followers

How would a religion centered around summoning a god of destrucion to destroy the world attract new members? What incentives or arguments would convince a mostly sane population to go along with ...
4
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3answers
137 views

Why would a religious organization allow independent cults to maintain demigod corpses?

A demigod is a mortal being infused with divine energy. This essence comes from a divine spark in their soul that activates due to some external traumatic event. The demigods ascend to the higher ...
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2answers
101 views

What exactly can I hinge the lack of rebellion of several conquered states on?

Culture and religion have always been a contributing factor in the mass control of humankind. Although, more so of the latter. I'm currently writing a novel wherein a particular nation arises with ...
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2answers
108 views

How close to the modern day can Scientology be established to make it a mainstream faith? [closed]

Ron Hubbard founded a religion in the 1950s called scientology. This faith celebrates individualism and mastery over one's own mind and will, establishing that all human beings are ultimately divine. ...
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2answers
86 views

Could a dystopian society control non-perishable foods to prevent escape / mutiny?

Here are some sub questions: Are there habitable earth environments where non- perishables (even raisins and honey) are hard to discover? Are there agents that could be added to make foods more ...
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5answers
156 views

What is the best format for a sacred text for easy readability and interpretation?

One odd thing about religion is that I'm supposed to accept the divine authority of figures who couldn't even author their own book. Most sacred text are, in fact littered with self-contradictions, ...
3
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2answers
212 views

what is the minimum level of inteligence for a species to theoretically have the concept of God and form a religion? [closed]

This might be hard to answer if we think about all other life on our planet, even with animals such as dolphins, octopi, chimpanzees and others that show relatively high levels of intelligence but as ...
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1answer
293 views

I killed baby Jesus - now what's the biggest religion is in modern age? [closed]

I'm a time traveler terrorist, I want back and murdered baby Jesus in his crib on the day of his birth, to his family it would seem like he just stopped breathing at the middle of the night (no one ...
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6answers
1k views

Forced Conversion of Majority

Say, that Nation A absolutely destroys Nation B in a battle and annexes them. Can Nation A realistically demand that the conquered people either convert to their religion or be expelled? If we assume ...
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13answers
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What secular civic space would pioneers build for small frontier towns?

I am thinking about a part of a world with a lot of small towns on a frontier, like the early colonial era in the Americas, or pioneer days in the American Midwest, and later the Great Plains and the ...
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7answers
167 views

How can eternal separation from God make me stronger? [closed]

My name is Malevolencia, and I am an evil mage on the path to godhood. Magic is a gift from the creator that was given to humanity as a sign of them being chosen. Magic works through a series of steps ...
2
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3answers
186 views

How can you make someone forget that he has superpowers and lock his powers?

How can you make someone forget that he has superpowers and lock his powers? My question is inspired by the Sanskrit epic of ancient India, Ramayana. In the story of Ramayana, Hanuman is a well-...
2
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4answers
299 views

How can I pinpoint the closest time period to the modern world to develop a religion?

I am an entrepreneurial religious leader on the path to god hood, and have been said to be able to heal individuals of illnesses incurable by science. It has even been claimed that I brought a dying ...
2
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2answers
147 views

How do I make my main character react realistically to the discovery of a Christian Bible, in a world where it is highly illegal? [closed]

So; I am working on a story that is inspired by my Christian faith to an extent, and I would like the main character to become a "redemptive hero" who becomes a hero by simply helping people to see ...
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16answers
14k views

What professions would a medieval village with a population of 100 need?

Let's say I have a small village with 100 people of which everyone is able to work, what kind of professions do these people need? Background to the society: they are as smart as medieval people, ...
4
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7answers
434 views

How can roman catholic doctrine justify celibacy if the world has a co-creator?

Roman Catholicism in this fictional world is similar to our world, with a few key differences. Asherah was a female deity that was worshiped in the ancient world. She appears in the bible as a false ...
24
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21answers
11k views

How can God warn people of the upcoming rapture without disrupting society?

A being known as Dea is the creator of all things in the mortal world. He created human beings as living batteries in order to fuel him and give him power. This god is in competition with other gods ...
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1answer
145 views

What would religious debates look like in a religion designed by a time-traveler to help mankind? [closed]

A time traveler, Roy, is marooned in the ancient era. Time and place are negotiable: ancient Greece, Roman Judea, ancient China, etc. There's no hope of getting back, but he's an intelligent fellow ...
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8answers
2k views

How can religions be structured in ways that allow inter-faith councils to work?

The people of this world follow what is called "The Faith of the Seven". These gods represent different aspects of creation. They are: Khorne: god of war Tzenteech: god of change & ambition ...
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8answers
435 views

Aborting Abrahamism [closed]

Let's imagine that some powerful evil eldritch abomination decided to hijack Roman Republic 45 BC, saving Caesar in the last moment and fashion itself as Mercurius (Hermes), who was sent by Olympus as ...
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1answer
115 views

Does that border on monotheism? [closed]

The world was created, directly and indirectly, by the sun goddess. Even for the bad guys she is indirectly responsible. If she wanted, she could destroy the world without the other gods being able to ...
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3answers
561 views

Islamic Perspective of AI Consciousness

Story Premise I am writing a short story in which the protagonist believes his android assistant is demonstrating signs of consciousness. The android's mind is based on deep-learning artificial ...
21
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8answers
6k views

What could a Medieval society do with excess animal blood?

In my fantasy project I have a vaguely medieval society (specifically the high period). However some of their religious practices are more along the lines of a iron age society. One of the biggest ...
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22answers
11k views

How can religions without a hell discourage evil-doing?

God in this verse is similar to a super-computer, a very large power source that continuously feeds on human souls to sustain itself. All human souls come from God, and remain connected to it through ...
3
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13answers
3k views

How could Catholicism have incorporated witchcraft into its dogma?

Most branches of Christianity has always associated witchcraft with the devil, or some form of demon worship. This has been used as an excuse for the persecution of innocent people who were seen as ...
3
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3answers
214 views

Why would a “chosen one” come from outside a religion? [closed]

The crawling chaos, Nyalathothep, has formed a cult on the mortal plane devoted to his cause which worships him as a god. This cult has been operating in secret for thousands of years, sowing ...
3
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3answers
245 views

Why would competing gods ignore an obvious power source? [closed]

Human souls are energy sources that gods feed upon in the aether realm. This pushes them to interfere with the mortal realm and gain followers through worship. Messiahs, prophets, and all manner of ...
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2answers
114 views

What happens to holidays as time passes? [closed]

As the answers in How can I create original holidays for my world? discuss, humans in the "early days" of humankind had no science, so for questions like "why is winter coming?", religious beliefs ...
3
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3answers
119 views

How can combining two ethereal substances that naturally repel amplify each others effects?

Angels and demons come from the ethereal realm, a plane of pure energy. The former is made up of pure ether while the latter is made up of a corrupted version. These forces naturally repel each other, ...
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11answers
4k views

How can I define good in a religion that claims no moral authority?

Faith is defined as a belief in God based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. Religion and science can be seen to oppose one another due to conflicts between people of those practices. In my ...
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6answers
465 views

What are the steps to making pantheons?

In a world where people worship different gods and have different principles, how does a government assimilate those gods (make them coexist without one god being superior)? Clarification: I'm asking ...
4
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6answers
286 views

Karma Calculation - How is it done for today's huge populations?

Various religions rely on a calculation of how good or bad you have been when deciding your fate after death. Depending on the religion it could be that the calculation determines whether you go to ...
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5answers
282 views

Is it possible to demonstrate being God without using any power? [closed]

God is on Earth and is trying to convince someone without using any power. How? A power is anything that no human can do.
5
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1answer
185 views

How can I ensure that Roman state religion dominates christianity? [duplicate]

I am Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, emperor of Rome and the last of my line in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. History remembers me as one of the greatest leaders of the ancient world, far ...
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15answers
7k views

If angels and devils are the same species, why would their mortal offspring appear physically different?

Angels were all originally part of the same race before the war in heaven, when the ones that rebelled were cast out and sent to hell. The humans on earth were similar to angels, but without the ...
2
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4answers
212 views

How could gods/deities have been on earth controlling natural phenomenon, and have remained nameless? [closed]

To extrapolate, these gods/deities can be seen and are in some kind of physical form or another (perhaps they possess living creatures or just create bodies of their own). They are essentially ...
6
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4answers
348 views

How can a god justify it's own worship if it claims no moral authority? [closed]

Pantheism is worship that admits or tolerates all interpretations of deities. The human race exists throughout the multiverse, which was created and designed by God. Some are worlds that are ...
1
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5answers
388 views

how can I replace the center of power in Christendom from Rome to Constantinople?

I, Emperor Lucifer the 1st, am the undisputed ruler of the Byzantine Empire, better known as the True Roman Empire. To secure my dominance, I plan to cement myself as the ruler of all Christendom in ...
5
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11answers
507 views

In a world without science, what would cause society to widely lose belief in the fundamentals of its religion?

Here's the intended situation: There's a religion based on the premise that the priests are protecting the general public from evil magic. Use of magic is taboo. What they call magic is actually ...
0
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3answers
202 views

How long would it take for a new religion to evolve?

How long from now would it take for a new religion—completely new, not based on any current religion—to evolve and become widespread? The religion would be as complex as any real religion, with its ...
3
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9answers
341 views

Can a religious order keep the peace between nations with sacrificial games? [duplicate]

This world takes place in a continent with advanced 20th century technology. The one key difference from our reality is that war does not exist in the way we would think of it. Disputes between states ...
30
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17answers
9k views

How can I frame human sacrifice as an honor without marketing it to the disadvantaged?

All living things possess a form of spiritual energy called reishi. This energy is used by humans to fuel their magical spells, but is also necessary for life to continue. There is a ritual that ...
14
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7answers
1k views

How can I prevent the Christian schism of 1054 in order to create a more unified church?

Schism of 1054, also called East-West Schism, event that precipitated the final separation between the Eastern Christian churches, led by the patriarch of Constantinople, and the Western church. ...

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