animatronic swirls
Seven Steps to Starting a Religion
- State that you were "chosen" by a god(s).
This step does three things. First, it establishes what your future worshippers will be worshipping. Second, if anyone
asks you why something is the way it is, you can say that you don't know, that you are just the messenger, and
that you cannot possibly explain the god(s) actions since you are a mere mortal. Third, you will be seen as a better
person than the masses, which simultaneously gives the worshippers a physical link to the god(s) and gives you a nice
boost of self-esteem.
- Create a reason for worshipping
Normally, this will involve a punishment for not worshipping. Saying that a non-worshipper will go to a bad place
eternally after death is a very effective method. Create a doubt in someone's mind and he will fall easily.
- Create one or more holidays
Declare holy days, and say that anyone who does not recognize them is persecuting your people. Holidays serve two
purposes: one, they give your worshippers a reward for believing, and two, they reinforce said beliefs. Holidays remind
the worshippers what they are doing, and they will normally worship with renewed interest after one.
- Exclude someone
Forbidding certain groups of people from joining your religion will make the remaining feel elite and special, which will
make them feel even better about their choice to worship.
- Train your worshippers to recruit
The more worshippers you have, the better. With followers comes power, and you will eventually have enough clout
to topple governments. Recruiting can be as simple as having worshippers bring visitors/potential worshippers to a
meeting.
- Write a holy book
Eventually, your worshippers will demand that they see some concrete evidence of your god(s). At that time, you can
produce a holy book. Make sure to riddle it with inconsistencies and ambiguities so that it is open to many different
interpretations.
- Ignore scientific discoveries
At some point, science will dispute at least one teaching of your new religion. When this happens, just state that it is
the way you say it is, and that the new god(s) masked this behind scientific discoveries in order to test everybody's
faith.