If your belief system is decentralized or the canon is transmitted orally, it will naturally change over time. Happy Birthday! You already have one, actually, but just haven’t organized it or acknowledged it. This is the best analysis of religions I have ever come across – it may have been created in the context of storytelling, but it goes far beyond that to reevaluate religions & even governments – it reminds me of the first time I read the philisophical question ‘if a tree falls in a forest & no humans are around does it still make a sound’…. “On the other hand, everyone could mistakenly believe their stories are metaphorical reminders to treat the land well, when there’s an actual subterranean monster that could rise and devour them at any time.” On the other hand, your belief system might split into different traditions or denominations. 6. Thank you for sharing all that, it’s really nice to see how people use speculative fiction to think over and react to real life. One all-powerful god and a group of less powerful spirits? Belief systems that rely only on familial ties are generally either decentralized or closely tied to a specific lineage. That’s all up to you. Darkness offsets the light, whether it be an actual religion or the undercurrent of rebellion against the King. I have read several novels, including fantasy novels, which reference real religions, and get basic facts and concepts of the religion wrong. Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. Then i read the articles by Sanderson you referenced here, the ones about his writing laws regarding magic systems, it made me think of a way or two to limit access to both the powers given to those who follow Sonohana and also to the gods themselves, but without any of those limitations being prohibitive or permenant (like i said it’s a religion supposed to be about positive reinforcment and self-improvement), i have a couple of ways to do it some related to Roo like the one you suggested (i.e Roo facing an unexpected situation forcing her to act in a way she never thought she would) and other reasons related to the gods themselves, what’s important to me is that whatever the reason is it has to fit with the main themes i’m trying to present in the story. 1. Think about it. It also should be noted that the sharing only happens during the Harmony ritual not all the time but i still know a lot of people in real life could have serious issues with something like this regardless of the other benefits of this religion (and therefor some people in the story should too), and there are many benefits for joining Sonahana even tangible ones not just spiritual ones, the disciples of Sonahana gain magically enhanced strength/speed/durability, and the more they stay true to the tenets of this faith the bigger the effect, it’s non-lethal power (mostly involves manipulating the effect of gravity on their own bodies) and mostly used for defense but it allows them to defend themselves and others from all sorts of danger, if a disciple uses that power puerly for selfish gain they simply lose it gradually until they stop using it like that, as for the tenets of this faith, i haven’t finished fleshing them out but they are mostly quite like the basics of many known religions (like the Ten Commandments, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t rape .. etc etc) except the difference here is in how they are applicated and what happens to those who break them, another important factor is that anyone (from any race, age, sex or rank) wanting to meet any god/s of Sonahana can do so simply by relaxing, closing their eyes and calling out for them (specially those who truly need their help), their spirit is then immediately taken to the spiritual realm where they can talk to those gods directly, their bodies are left behind encased in a crystal-like barrier until they return, but if the one seeking them wants to do so for selfish gain that will harm others or wants their help doing something that breaks the tenets of the religion they usually fail to reach them. Then they’ll actually have a reason for their belief. There’s nothing wrong with borrowing. Anyone who studies comparative mythology sees very little unique or novel in early Christianity. I’m not an expert in the Kami so I can’t tell you much about them. Only after it becomes the dominant religion does it change into something we hadn't seen before. Religion is just not an organization but it is also a platform of seeing the world. Not necessarily an arch-enemy, but an opposite perspective so … If a rule is frequently violated, is this commonly acknowledged among everyone, or are they in denial about their inability to abide by it? Once split, two factions of the same belief system are more likely to be in conflict than belief systems that are completely different. While nothing beats the convenience of a written document for literate societies, the canon doesn’t have to be a book. Fantasy & Science Fiction for Storytellers. In saying that, many fantasy stories don’t create their own base for religion or the origin of their created world, rather they use our world as a basis, Christianity or the Big Bang are two examples. When I left Christianity, I started the ritual of going to the art museum on Easter Sunday. Belief systems have a large influence on any society, from the power structures that govern, to the personal actions of individuals. It’s important to think about its history in the context of its followers, and the other belief systems they encountered. Think about it. An essay is usually a short piece of writing that contains your opinion, the generalizations with additional background information. Just as belief systems will usually have self-reinforcing beliefs to keep the faith going, their organization will include a way to spread the belief system to new followers. A set of sacred rituals is the structure of religion. To answer your questions, no the Gods of Destruction can’t directly communicate with living things, but their aura of negative emotions and impulses spreads out of their prison dimension (like a stench) affecting pretty much everything outside and causing terrible disturbing nightmares/visions to normal people while also powering up people who completely give into their darkest urges and commit horrendous vile acts of evil by their own volition, this corrupting aura is also what powers the magic of the Chaos Mages (or The Eyes of Veda as they are called in Quin). Novel writing is a fast-growing hobby worldwide -- and many new novelists write fantasy. That will significantly change the power dynamics in the society. But the part you wrote about Sanderson’s Second Law and that limitations are greater than powers caught my attention, that’s because my idea is focused on making that religion all about positive spiritual reinforcement not fear mongering, torture or severe physical or eternal punishments, there is still conflict between the disciples of this religion and others mostly due to external factors, i.e … violent fanatics from other religions like the followers of the gods of chaos and destruction hunting the Sonahana disciples down or threatning to kill anyone who joins the Sonahan faith, also those who are too absorbed into their urges or desires don’t bother joining Sonahana cause they gain nothing from this religion to satisfy their excessive bodily urges, as well as those who are brainwashed from childhood to follow a specific religion without questioning it or are just too afraid to leave their comfort zone and try something different (like the followers of the Mother of Creation who revere her without ever seeing her or knowing for sure she exists, or the sub-sect that worships her to the point of refusing to create anything at all, cause they believe creation is a godly act no lowly creature or human should do, so they make no clothes, no tools, no houses, they just live naked in nature and eat from trees and bath in rivers, ..etc etc). In ancient China, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shenism coexisted peacefully. Go beyond choosing which gods are worshiped or how many. Thinking through them, and the way they interact with other elements of your world, will add a lot realism and depth to your setting. If you can write a novel, then you can definitely write a synopsis. Think about the cultural and survival factors that were behind those changes. Create Your Own Religion is a call to arms--an open invitation to question all the values, beliefs, and worldviews that humanity has so far held as sacred in order to find the answers we need to the very practical problems facing us. As the tension in your story climbs, the gods of destruction can grow powerful enough to block (or even distort) communication between the Sonahana gods and their followers. Give up pleasure or wealth? In your world, they could even merge together over time. A trader might hold a god of travel or trade above the other gods of the pantheon, but he would certainly pay the god of fertility respe… It worked. Religions and other belief systems come in a huge variety of flavors, and whatever you choose should feel like a natural fit for the cultures you’ve already established. Your belief system may have great benefits, but remember Sanderson’s Second Law: limitations are greater than powers. It was just another mystery religion like dozens of others at the time. It began as i gave up on organized religion first, then examined many spiritual concepts and ideas but none of them ticked with me, this made me really skeptical about the idea of a higher force/god creating everything, either they don’t exist or they are doing a really lousy job, i mean for an entity of such supposed limitless power and knowledge to hide itself and decide to play riddles, hide & seek and send overly cryptic messages to its creations while demanding absolute unflinching faith makes no sense to me whatsoever now, or maybe that entity just doesn’t really care at all like Dr.Manhatten from Watchmen. The core tenet though at the heart of Sonahana is that those who harm others in any way shape or form have to be stopped, for example if a devoted disciple of Sonahan sees a raider attacking a peaceful villager he is required to intervene and save him, but then if is too late and the man dies he still has to deal with the killer, and while i said there are no typical punishments in Sonahana there is still a ritual that the disciples perform on anyone who breaks the core tenet of not harming others for selfish reasons (kills, rapes, steals without need … Etc), aside from the increase in physical prowess the Sonahana disciples also gain the ability to crystalize anyone who is impure of heart (they have to be really impure of heart otherwise the crytal won’t even work and will dissolve instantly), those who revel in their destructive selfish desires and urges and bring harm to others are locked within a crystal that fully encases them, the crystal keeps them alive, awake and aware of everything outside it for as long as it takes, the only way to break free is to truly regret the crimes they did and to want to seek redempition, only then the crystal breaks by itself and lets them free, basically when they are no longer a danger to themselves or others, if they become too fixated on their negative emotions and think of nothing else but dark twisted thoughts they are simply keeping themselves locked in (indefinitely in some cases), the gods who gave this power to the disciples put that innate ability into it. Create your own scripture. Make a 6 1/2 x 8 ½ printed booklet with text on both sides of the pages and two pages printed on one side of … Look at the photos to help you create vivid descriptions. Who founded it? That's his title. So, let’s get started. Everyone has their own reasons for storytelling. The Christian religion, with more than 2 trillion believers, has a vertical cross in allusion to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. For example, Strong God Philiicities.Step 2, Give the god a title. Harrison Demchick: Many editors will tell you to avoid exposition — the dreaded infodump — at the start of your manuscript. You could even go so far as to categorize political ideologies as belief systems. Yes, it would have a supreme God who creates both the world and the spirits, then oversees overthing without interfering. Thank you! Create or affirm your own rituals. Do members of the religion have to break all ties to their families? Well nature spirits certainly can have names. This is an amazing list! That’s because while the Destruction and Chaos gods lie within their dimentional prison their aura expands far beyond that into the universe outside, and from it the Soldiers of Veda were born (Veda meaning “to destroy” and is also the name of the major god of destruction and chaos, who haunts the dreams of all living things with terrible visions from which nightmares were born), The Hands of Veda are those who totally give in to their urges to hate, destroy, rape, burn and pillage and from those overwhelming urges they gain immense physical power, and then there are also the Eyes of Veda or the Chaos Mages who instead of destroying they deface, mutate and mess up the living things creating many hideous beasts and even hybrid races of creatures. Page through it and select a setting. A religion held by struggling immigrants will probably be more reviled than one held by the wealthiest and most powerful individuals. All birthdays. Some belief systems, like Confucianism, don’t involve divine or mystical beings at all. Give them names if you want to, just make it consistent. Ask yourself how accessible the canon is to the system’s members at large. Simple, concise and thorough. Venerate it. Remember, you are the founder, the prophet of your own religion, but not its God. We depend on our readers to keep running. Dedicated to your stories and ideas. If it is you, that’s not religion, that’s psychosis. Joined: Aug 11, 2018 Messages: 101 Likes Received: 86 Reading List: Link. To create a religion for one’s fiction is not simply to create gods and goddesses and the stories behind them. 5. What’s different between now and the time the system was originally founded? 2. CREATE YOUR OWN RELIGION ... Now, let’s see how easy it is to turn it into a Religion! If the canon is a sacred document and most of the population isn’t literate, they will rely on priests or other authority figures to tell them what their beliefs are. When I created my personal religion, I decided that birthdays should be the high holy day of that religion. Common benefits are a supportive community, hope for a better future, and methods of self-improvement. […] bir din baslatmak isteseniz nelere ihtiyaciniz […], […] really like this outline for “starting your own […]. Did it grow as its members migrated to new locations and taught it to others? It was my way of celebrating my own return from the dead, in a place that was sacred to me. You can’t have a cool religion with just a single character, so…. How are you planning on combining animism with monotheism? How have the beliefs themselves changed? But the book synopsis is an integral part of the novel writing process. How widespread is the belief? Whatever you choose, take into account the strong effect its member population will have on how outsiders see it. These are the core themes that i want to build the story around, so i try to avoid any solutions or elements that might compromise those themes. While you might be able to make these conversations work, it will be hard to explain why they don’t solve her problems for her. © 2020 Mythcreants LLC, all articles, art, recordings, and stories are the copyright of their respective authors. or is it just the concept? Once you have finished you will have your own personal Bible. You still have to figure out what or whom you worship. Eg: George Lucas with the Force (in Star Wars); C. S. Lewis with Aslan (in the Chronicles of Narnia), etc. It sounds like you’re doing the latter. Many fantasy worlds have one pantheon of gods that interact with each other. For you if she has constant access to perfect advice Strong effect its member population will have own... Or dance could be part of the same belief system are more likely to be in than! 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