Making up a new religion

[Nomaken]

I've been thinking about making up a new religion.  I like many of the lessons and values from the christian faith, but their stories suck.  The stories are inconsistant, vague, and poorly written.

One thing to consider is how much shit to include that speaks about how to live, and how much shit to include that speaks about the nature of the universe(like the afterlife).  Is it more important to create stories about the creator and the world, and shit like that, or is it more important to create illustrations about how to lead a good life?

Another thing to consider is that new religions, even if they are choc-fulla wisdom, are not often respected or induldged in.  The older texts get a lot more respect for probably a bunch of reasons.

Something I think people do is try to invent new religions using the respect of the older texts by totally reinterpreting the old texts.  If you read the koran without specifically trying to see it through rose colored glasses, a lot of it is like the movie Carrie.  And I think they're trying to reinterpret it with the intent of totally changing the values of those who follow the religion, but to give the illusion of following tradition and therefore aquire respect.

One idea I was toying with was to create a bunch of stories based on modern events and true stories intending to teach the lessons and values I want in the new religion.  And I was toying with the idea of talking about the origin of the world in terms of known history, except make it very basic and vague.

And another idea I was toying with was to somehow mask the concept that it is a new religion.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Scrapheap]

I've already proposed making Star Trek a religion. What do you think??

http://www.wrongplanet.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=14643

[Nomaken]

Too exclusive.  And I'd prefer to draw stories from real situations.

[DirtDawg]

Live your personal life in the Christian ideal, except for all that scary magic stuff, but include the Golden Rule and take to heart the lessons from Aesop's Fables. Nothing more needs to be done.

[Scrapheap]

Live your personal life in the Christian ideal, except for all that scary magic stuff, but include the Golden Rule and take to heart the lessons from Aesop's Fables. Nothing more needs to be done.

The only problem here is which version of christian teaching you are referring to. There are 33,000 different versions of christianity out there.

[odeon]

I watched National Geographic last night, and there was a documentary on Big Bang and whether or not the universe was expanding or if there was enough mass to start pulling all the matter back together. Turns out the universe is accelerating and in a hundred billion years or so, it's all going to be empty and dead. No galaxies, no stars, nothing producing anything. There won't be ANYTHING left.

Base a new religion on that. Great expectations, eh?

[DirtDawg]

Live your personal life in the Christian ideal, except for all that scary magic stuff, but include the Golden Rule and take to heart the lessons from Aesop's Fables. Nothing more needs to be done.

The only problem here is which version of christian teaching you are referring to. There are 33,000 different versions of christianity out there.

Choose one, get as close as you can to the ideals, personally, and don't brandish or aggrandize it to others.

[Scrapheap]

Live your personal life in the Christian ideal, except for all that scary magic stuff, but include the Golden Rule and take to heart the lessons from Aesop's Fables. Nothing more needs to be done.

The only problem here is which version of christian teaching you are referring to. There are 33,000 different versions of christianity out there.

Choose one, get as close as you can to the ideals, personally, and don't brandish or aggrandize it to others.

If you strip down where religions DISAGREE and concentrate on where they AGREE, they all teach about the same thing. 

[DirtDawg]

True, but the main problem I have with any religion is that little idea, common to most, that there is only one way to "salvation" (for lack of a better term). Judeo-Christian and Islamic variations, both, are sticklers for this point. Getting that detail out of the central modus will make any religion much more palpable to most of us.

[Scrapheap]

True, but the main problem I have with any religion is that little idea, common to most, that there is only one way to "salvation" (for lack of a better term). Judeo-Christian and Islamic variations, both, are sticklers for this point. Getting that detail out of the central modus will make any religion much more palpable to most of us.

Word up niggah!!!

[McGiver]

Live your personal life in the Christian ideal, except for all that scary magic stuff, but include the Golden Rule and take to heart the lessons from Aesop's Fables. Nothing more needs to be done.

ahhh the religion of respecting others.

does two wrongs make a right in this religion?

[DirtDawg]

Live your personal life in the Christian ideal, except for all that scary magic stuff, but include the Golden Rule and take to heart the lessons from Aesop's Fables. Nothing more needs to be done.

ahhh the religion of respecting others.

does two wrongs make a right in this religion?

Not really. I'm thinking of ignoring large parts of the Torah as scary magic and focussing on the areas that I have will power over. I certainly wouldn't want a religion that could not be understood. Giving the Golden Rule precedence would, mostly, prevent the occurrence you mentioned. Making any other "religious directives" conditional to the first, in Asimovian fashion, would also prevent us from fucking it up, too much, in the future. It's not a subject I am willing to put much thought into, right now, however.

[McGiver]

Live your personal life in the Christian ideal, except for all that scary magic stuff, but include the Golden Rule and take to heart the lessons from Aesop's Fables. Nothing more needs to be done.

ahhh the religion of respecting others.

does two wrongs make a right in this religion?

Not really. I'm thinking of ignoring large parts of the Torah as scary magic and focussing on the areas that I have will power over. I certainly wouldn't want a religion that could not be understood. Giving the Golden Rule precedence would, mostly, prevent the occurrence you mentioned. Making any other "religious directives" conditional to the first, in Asimovian fashion, would also prevent us from fucking it up, too much, in the future. It's not a subject I am willing to put much thought into, right now, however.

perhaps tomorrow?

[DirtDawg]

Live your personal life in the Christian ideal, except for all that scary magic stuff, but include the Golden Rule and take to heart the lessons from Aesop's Fables. Nothing more needs to be done.

ahhh the religion of respecting others.

does two wrongs make a right in this religion?

Not really. I'm thinking of ignoring large parts of the Torah as scary magic and focussing on the areas that I have will power over. I certainly wouldn't want a religion that could not be understood. Giving the Golden Rule precedence would, mostly, prevent the occurrence you mentioned. Making any other "religious directives" conditional to the first, in Asimovian fashion, would also prevent us from fucking it up, too much, in the future. It's not a subject I am willing to put much thought into, right now, however.

perhaps tomorrow?

... early next year, perhaps. Right now it takes me twenty minutes to post a smiley. (My kids are very high maintenance during this time of year. My son is sick with a cold, too and has thrown up twice in the last two hours that I've been sitting here, trying to postwhore. Now, you have too much information.)

[DirtDawg]

It's someone else's turn. Besides, I want to hear more about Odeon's Great Expectation, at this point. To me it seems as if most poeple are already following some version of religion which includes no accounting for their actions in the future.