Creating a Religion

Here is a rough outline of some things to think about when creating a religion in a fantasy world. It includes a lot of things that people often forget.

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• Number of gods:
  • Is there one god?
  • One god with multiple aspects / personalities / avatars?
  • Multiple gods?
  • No gods at all? A religion can be based on a philosophy.
• How much power do the gods have?
  • All-powerful, all-knowing (like western religions on Earth).
  • Highly limited in power and knowledge (like the Olympian pantheon).
  • Are some gods more powerful than others?
• What form do the gods take?
  • Are they basically human, like in the Greek and Roman pantheon?
  • Are they benevolent beings looking down from above?
  • Are they abstract concepts?
• How do they interact with followers?
  • Do they come down in person?
  • Do they talk to people through dreams or prophesy?
  • Do they grant requests?
  • Do they make deals?
• Do people get power from gods? Do gods get power from people?

• Are there notable good or evil beings (angels/devils)?
• Are there powers that fight the gods?
• Are there other creatures or powers that followers believe in?
• Is some particular species special to the gods?

• How did the world begin?
• How will the world end?
• Origins of the religion:
  • Is there an historical basis?
  • Is it purely philosophical?
  • Is it based on demonstrable reality?
• When did the religion start?
• Where did it start? Is any special significance attributed to that place?
• Anything special happen in its past?
  • Persecution of or by other religions.
  • Mass exedus, exiles, dispersions or migrations.
  • Times when the religion was dominant in a region or the world.

• How popular is this religion?
• Where are its centers of operation?
• How spread out is it?
• Does it control local or national governments?
  • Openly?
  • Insidiously?

• On war and conquest.
• On secular government.
• On alcohol and drugs.
• On magic.
• On animals and plants.
• On natural landmarks and bodies of water.
• On its own power.
• On key world issues.
• On other races.
• On other religions.
  • Apathetic.
  • Tolerant.
  • Dominating.
  • Subjugated.
  • Required to kill members of some other religion on sight.

• Do followers or leaders act or dress in a way that makes them stand out?
  • Do they sing a lot?
  • Eat a lot?
  • Wear a funny hat?
  • Modesty rules for men and/or women.
  • Make-up, jewelry or face/body paint.
  • Tattoos, piercings or body mutilation.
  • How much clothing do followers wear?
  • Any special clothing worn by followers or leaders?
• Is it a war-mongering religion?
• A mercantile religion?
• Who are the worshippers?
  • Residents of a certain place.
  • Residents of a certain terrain.
  • Members of a certain species.
  • Members of a certain social class.
  • Members of a secret society.
• Are followers or priests known for a particular type of behavior?
  • Focused on omens.
  • Proselytizing.
  • Forcing conversion.
  • Close-mindedness.
  • Open-mindedness.
  • Extremist.
  • Insular.
  • Secretive.
  • Outgoing and open.
  • Eager to help.
  • Power-hungry.

• Are some members more powerful/important than others?
• Is there a complex caste system?
• Is there a single person or group of people who are above all?
• Are only certain members allowed to:
  • Talk to the gods.
  • Talk about the gods.
  • Speak a particular language.
  • Read and write.
  • Own land.

• Dietary restrictions
  • Limits on the amount of food consumed.
  • Vegetarian? Vegan? Carnivorous? Cannibalistic?
  • Foods that cannot be eaten.
    • Specific animals or plants.
    • Types of animals or plants.
      • General example: Can't eat anything with two legs.
      • Specific example: Can only eat animals that have a wart on their left kidney.
    • Foods that must be eaten.
    • Food used in ritual.
  • Rules about food prepared or touched by an impure person, or someone who's not a member of the religion.
• Languages that followers or leaders must speak.
• Charity
  • Required?
  • How much?
  • In what forms?
    • Money?
    • Food?
    • A tithe of everything you own or produce?
  • Is charity given:
    • Directly to the poor?
    • To the priests?
    • What do the priests do with it?
    • Only to members of this religion?
• Sex
  • Polygamy/Polygany allowed?
  • Pre-marital sex allowed? Encouraged?
  • Marriage required/allowed?
  • Relations with priests, heretics, cripples, widows, whatever.
  • Are certain people or people of certain ages required to be chaste?
  • Rituals involving sex.
  • Limitations on when or how one may have sex.
• Ritual purity
  • Do certain activities or conditions make someone impure?
  • Do priests just declare someone impure?
  • Are there rituals to become pure?
• Conduct of followers.
• Conduct of priests.
• Extra rules and regulations for priests.
• Extra powers and privileges for priests.
• Education:
  • Encouraged or discouraged? Why?
  • Encouraged or discouraged for certain types of followers (priests, etc).
  • Literacy of followers.
• Wealth
  • Limited in how much wealth one can posess?
  • Required to seek out wealth?
  • Wealth limited to a certain social or religious caste?

• Dates
  • Seasonal.
  • Historically based.
  • Monthly.
  • Weekly.
  • Tied to a natural occurrence, like the first rain of spring.
  • Tied to a man-made occurrence, like the sending off of the fishing boats.
  • Only when specifically declared by the priesthood.
• Reasons for a holiday.
  • Historical event.
  • Current event.
  • Tribute to a god, spirit or person.
• How important is it? Why?
• Observences, Rites and Rituals:
  • Sacrifices - Animal? Human? Food? Gold?
  • Fasts.
  • Feasts.
  • Dances.
  • Pilgrimage.
• Requirements or restrictions during the holiday.

• Ceremony for birth or death.
• Marriage.
• Coming of age.
• Responses to special events:
  • Natural disasters.
  • Successful journey at sea.
  • Rainbows.

• Holy cities.
• Seats of religious rulers.
• Shrines.
• Places of worship.
  • What is the place called? A temple? A church? A grove? A house?
  • What does it look like?
  • Restrictions on where it can be located.
  • How do you construct it? Special rituals required? Certain architectural styles?
  • Are common people required/allowed to enter? Under what conditions?

• Titles of religious officials.
• Names of the most important officials.
• What are followers called?
• Are there popular baby names, for religious or historical reasons?
• Are names used at all?

• Holy symbols, holy items and talismans.
  • Where are they seen? Worn? Built as monuments? Carved into doors? Visualized mentally as a meditation focus?
  • What do they look like? Why?
  • Any special materials or gemstones?
• Books.
• Idols.
• Art.

• Is magic good or evil?
• Are certain spells forbidden?
• Can priests cast spells?
• Is spellcasting required for or forbidden to certain castes?
• Is magic ritualistic or straightforward?
• Do gods control or grant magic? Does magic control the gods?
• Any attachment to particular magical creatures?

Creating God: Religion in Fantasy.

Worldbuilding: Fantasy Religion Design Guide. An excellent guide to creating a religion, and a lot more fleshed-out than my simple outline.