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October 26, 2004 - How to Start a Religion - Part 1 The past few years of my life have been very "active" you could say. Not just in terms of my physical circumstances, but very much so concerning my spiritual and intellectual capacities. Transferring from my default Christian status in my late teens/early twenties has led me to an investigation of "other ways", as well a deeper understanding of my own faith. This a good thing. It not only drives me towards a more comprehensive grasp of historical, orthodox, Biblical Christianity which I follow, it has also allowed me to get a glimpse of what it looks like through the lenses of different religions and belief systems; something I was ignorant of in my default Christian days. In my pursuit of Truth though, I've come across many similar trends and commonalities concerning men, and women, who have claimed Truth in the past, and continue to today all over the world. This piece is meant to be a satirical outlook at what a lot of the trends are when it comes to "starting a religion". Make no mistake though; this satire has breath of truth to it. For if one were to investigate the various "sub" religions and cults of the world, especially American ones, one would see these trends emerge also I believe. Here is the first part of a two part exposition on the best ways and strategy to starting your very own religion. This has been on my mind the past year or so and I would even like to make these thoughts and idea into a longer piece one day, maybe even a book. I believe through exposing these sometimes nefarious, sometimes innocent movements in a satirical way, people will begin to see some of the utter preposterousness that millions of millions of people bank their souls on. I'm not here to bash or disparage one particular belief system or religion. I'm just here to show you some of the foundations that some of these successful sub-religions and cults are based in. Some misrepresentation and dramatization is sure to occur, but if it does, it isn't far from the truth. I apologize to individuals that may follow these beliefs; I do not apologize to their dead, or living, founders. Also, you may thinking I'm trying to marginalize persons' sacred beliefs with all this. Well that may be true, but at the same time I'd be marginalizing my own beliefs. Remember folks, Biblical Christianity was founded on some, not all though, of these very same ways. I just hold to them because the claims themselves, as well as the character of its founder, seem to hold more water when honesty and thoroughly tested. (Read 1 Thessalonians 5:21) Hijack established religions A "cult" by definition basically is an off-shoot of one major religion; or it can be a completely different, esoteric form of beliefs. But the most successful ones are ones based off of established religions. In America itself we have umpteen "sub-religions" and cults based off of Protestant Christianity. And though Christianity seems to be the most popular stepping stone to a "new" religion, cults and offshoots exist in other religions. For example, Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism (Buddha didn't like the caste system) and Islam is based in both Judaism and Christianity. Anyways, the key to starting a successful religion is take bits and pieces, or large portions, of an established renowned religion, and then add in your own little spices to make it unique enough to be considered "new". The Big 5: Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Biblical Christianity are your best bets. Personally though, I'd stay away from Judaism and Islam. If you start messing with Judaism, you'll quickly be labeled an anti-Semite, and that's not a good title to have, especially in the West. You start messing with Islam and you'll get killed in most parts of the world. Christianity like I said is your best bet because of it's influx in the relativistic, "open-minded" West, as well as the aforementioned Eastern religions because of their unfamiliarity within Western societies. Claim divine intervention Every religion has some form of divine revelation/appearance to an individual or individuals; something that cannot be empirically tested to be false or true. What better way to start a religion then to claim a personal visit from God himself? The best way to start is to claim you were alone when this encounter occurred. That way no one can falsify your claim absolutely. Being that this type of claim cannot be falsified, other measures must be taken by a bystander like considering the claimer's character and history. Just make sure you have a clean record or no one will believe you. Allow for family reunions A lot of people reject Biblical Christianity because of its exclusive claims of truth. Adding an element of pluralism, or salvation "loopholes" to the mix, allowing non-adherents or ex-members of the faith entry into the Pearly Gates somehow will go a long way in persuading persons into your faith based on the emotional attraction we have to loved ones. Some examples of this pluralistic approach to salvation exist in Catholicism (Purgatory) and Mormonism (Terrestrial Heaven). Emphasize prophecy Seventh-Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses have thrived with continued emphasis on prophecy. It doesn't matter that all of the major prophecies made by their major leaders of the past have never come to pass; their numbers have grown to the millions as people eat up those supposedly foreseen events. The key is to continually adjust your prophecies according to the current worldly circumstances and to downplay past false prophecies as "misintepreted". If the world is getting jumpy with wars, earthquakes, and hurricanes, start preaching Armageddon from the pulpit. The congregation will lend you their ears, and their wallets, if they're told 88 reasons why Jesus is coming back in 1988. Just be sure to tear out Deuteronomy 18:21-23 from all the Bibles in the pews. Part 2 |
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