Who starts religions?

[Findarto]

Okay, no L. Ron Hubbard jokes yet :lol:.

But, since a lot of religions discredit others as being 'fake' who starts religions? What dude just came along and created Christianity or Judiasm (Ia or Ai?)/Islam/Findartoism/Discordianism/the unmanly amounts of Xtian subsects/?

What's your theory? And are the original creators lost through time? In a thousand years will everyone be Scientologist and not know about LRH?

How can I make my own religion and get mass amounts of sheople to convert?

[Tadrith]

Someone who is very charismatic, knows how to manipulate people, and who has a motive, hidden or otherwise.

[Arion]

Well there are those religions centred around worshipping the Gods of nature that arose naturally, then you have the religions that contain a whole bunch of dogmatic lies that were written by humans. The latter type would be created intellectually my humans instead of through intuiton and experience.

[Xentor]

I created mine, and I chose the internet as my publication medium. As for converting sheoples, I don't even care.

[Darakash]

Okay, no L. Ron Hubbard jokes yet :lol:.

But, since a lot of religions discredit others as being 'fake' who starts religions? What dude just came along and created Christianity or Judiasm (Ia or Ai?)/Islam/Findartoism/Discordianism/the unmanly amounts of Xtian subsects/?

What's your theory? And are the original creators lost through time? In a thousand years will everyone be Scientologist and not know about LRH?

How can I make my own religion and get mass amounts of sheople to convert?

It seems to me that religions have always grown out of the desire/need to explain what to the humans of that particular time period and region found to be inexplicable. Then, when questions arise about the explinations inherent in the given religion, a new sect arises that attempts to explain the answers to those questions....

[Brightshores]

But, since a lot of religions discredit others as being 'fake' who starts religions? What dude just came along and created Christianity or Judiasm (Ia or Ai?)/Islam/Findartoism/Discordianism/the unmanly amounts of Xtian subsects/?


It depends on who you ask. According to Christians, Jesus created Christianity. According to Muslims, Allah created Islam through Mohammad. I believe Jews would say that their God created Judaism through Moses and the Prophets. Many would say that religions, or at least some religions, are created or at least inspired by the Gods.

Skeptics of all stripes would say that people created all these religions to serve some contemporary sociopolitical need.

I also agree with Darakash - religions have sprung up to enable people to explain the world around them.



In a thousand years will everyone be Scientologist and not know about LRH?

I certainly hope not. :lookaroun (Nothing against Scientologists, but I feel that diversity of faiths is a good thing...)



How can I make my own religion and get mass amounts of sheople to convert?

Fill a sociological niche that is empty. Be charismatic, have good PR, and be smarter than the people you're trying to convert. :muwaha:

[Findarto]

It depends on who you ask. According to Christians, Jesus created Christianity. According to Muslims, Allah created Islam through Mohammad. I believe Jews would say that their God created Judaism through Moses and the Prophets. Many would say that religions, or at least some religions, are created or at least inspired by the Gods.

Skeptics of all stripes would say that people created all these religions to serve some contemporary sociopolitical need.

I also agree with Darakash - religions have sprung up to enable people to explain the world around them.


I certainly hope not. :lookaroun (Nothing against Scientologists, but I feel that diversity of faiths is a good thing...)



Fill a sociological niche that is empty. Be charismatic, have good PR, and be smarter than the people you're trying to convert. :muwaha:
Do I start my own political party before or after this? :D

[Darakash]

How can I make my own religion and get mass amounts of sheople to convert?

1. Figure out the top 3 things that people find the most inexplicable about existence.

2. Have (or state you have had) a mystical experience/interaction involving a higher being/intelligence/source in which this entitiy gives you the answers to those 3 things.

3. Define what humans must do in order to get right with this entity and join in its "great knowledge" of all things mysterious.

4. Give people an "out" from death....that is always a great seller...

5. If all else fails, give away free cookies and brownies:boquet:

[Cain]

Whoever said Charismatic people was on the money. Even in non-religious ideologies, a charismatic figurehead can change a group into a para-religious structure and every major religion has had a Charismatic (in the true Max Weber sense) founder.

[Psycmoe]

Find a bible.

Open it to Genesis 15:1

Read to Genesis 18:15

Open to Genesis 21:1

Read to Genesis 25:34

That is the short story of Issac and Ishmael... from them came Judaism and Arab/Islam.

[Findarto]

Find a bible.

Open it to Genesis 15:1

Read to Genesis 18:15

Open to Genesis 21:1

Read to Genesis 25:34

That is the short story of Issac and Ishmael... from them came Judaism and Arab/Islam.
"Call me Ishmael..."

I read Moby Dick today :).

[WiccanGoddess]

I believe man starts religion.

Man started religion, in my mind, no help from any diety or higher power.

Religion is a state, in opinion, of explaining what normally couldn't be explained by any form of common sense or science.

To me, religion is all false. I have beliefs, but I don't have Faith in said beliefs. I believe in Gaia, Mother Nature, only because I choose to. There's no proof that could prove her wrong or right, same with any God or Goddess. I choose to believe because I choose the path of: How can there not be something more to this life?

Man makes, promotes, writes, and breaks religion.

[Philosophia]

Okay, no L. Ron Hubbard jokes yet :lol:.
But, since a lot of religions discredit others as being 'fake' who starts religions? What dude just came along and created Christianity or Judiasm (Ia or Ai?)/Islam/Findartoism/Discordianism/the unmanly amounts of Xtian subsects/?
What's your theory? And are the original creators lost through time? In a thousand years will everyone be Scientologist and not know about LRH?
How can I make my own religion and get mass amounts of sheople to convert?

People create religions and their own spirituality. If you want to convert people, become charismatic and charm the sheep into oblivion.

[Darakash]

I believe man starts religion.

Man started religion, in my mind, no help from any diety or higher power.

Religion is a state, in opinion, of explaining what normally couldn't be explained by any form of common sense or science.

To me, religion is all false. I have beliefs, but I don't have Faith in said beliefs. I believe in Gaia, Mother Nature, only because I choose to. There's no proof that could prove her wrong or right, same with any God or Goddess. I choose to believe because I choose the path of: How can there not be something more to this life?

Man makes, promotes, writes, and breaks religion.

interesting...isn't it odd how our very own beliefs on some level can be contradictions in and of themselves? I agree with you that we (man/human) create religion (who else would do it? But...couldn't there just as easily be no "more" to this existence than be more to it? especially if you have no faith in any belief?

[Amelserru_halqu]

all religions are founded by people either on drugs or who are very charismatic, no exceptions, though I don't know how charismatic Lao Tzu was.

[WiccanGoddess]

interesting...isn't it odd how our very own beliefs on some level can be contradictions in and of themselves? I agree with you that we (man/human) create religion (who else would do it? But...couldn't there just as easily be no "more" to this existence than be more to it? especially if you have no faith in any belief?

My belief is that religion is man made to explain what occurs post death, pre life, so on and so forth. My religion is more a set of morals and beliefs than a faith.

Beliefs are going to contradict themselves, as there is no set truth, no pure proof.

Just because I believe that religion is made up doesn't mean I follow that belief. ;)

[Psycmoe]

Just a point...

Spirituality does not = religion.

K.

[Amelserru_halqu]

absolutely, religion is a set of rituals performed by a number of people, spirtuallity is what should be behind religion but seldom is.

[Shanti]

people, just plain old people. No gods/goddesses write the rules or guidelines. People do. And other people follow them. Go figure.

[ViolinGoddess]

Well, if you've read the stories....A man named Jesus of Nazereth started christianity. And a man named Abraham started Judaism. Joseph Smith started Mormonism (or maybe it was Jehovahs Witnesses, I can never remember)

But if you are one of their faithful...then the answer is the deity(s) started the religions.

Violin Goddess

[Veritas]

people, just plain old people. No gods/goddesses write the rules or guidelines. People do. And other people follow them. Go figure.

imo.
and their not the kind of people you want to meet.

[ravenhecate999]

simple answer...fanatics and humans with close ties to the gods.

[River]

People with questions and the time to create their own answers.

[cheddarsox]

people start religions. New ones are started every day by people who think they found an answer to one of life's great questions. Most of them don't "take" and never amount to much, but sometimes, the times, the energy of the leader, etc, all come together to make one catch on like wildfire, or at least a flash in the pan.

Good marketing helps spread the word to likely followers. But there has to be more than marketing, you have to give people something that fills a hole in their lives, or is so amazing it blasts a new space for itself.

cheddar

[Infinite Grey]

Well there are those religions centred around worshipping the Gods of nature that arose naturally, then you have the religions that contain a whole bunch of dogmatic lies that were written by humans. The latter type would be created intellectually my humans instead of through intuiton and experience.

I was wondering who had a monopoly on the truth... share some out dammit!


Oh yeah, I'm sure someone thought religion was a good idea, be it the worship of nature, ancestors, or a bunch of "dogmatic lies". I bet originally it was a bunch of cavemen sitting there picking lice out of each other body hair and suddenly their was a bolt of lightening that cause them to soil their loin cloths. Thus religion was born!