Religion in a fantasy setting.

[Karlin]

Good post, Miles, but to elaborate on your third point: the explanation of how the world works isn’t limited to physical phenomena. It also extends to explaining how the spiritual plane operates with things like the afterlife, divine intervention, karma and so forth.
And that stuff usually informs the first point. A lot of the seemingly strange rules of Islam, for example, makes more sense when you understand how Muslims understand spiritualism and divinity and so forth.

To a Jew, the "strange rules" of Islam don't seem odd at all.

 

[WooHooMan]

To a Jew, the "strange rules" of Islam don't seem odd at all.

"Seemingly strange" to some people. Maybe some Hindus do find these rules odd, for example, as they'd have a different understanding of spirituality and divinity.

 

[Miles Lacey]

Good post, Miles, but to elaborate on your third point: the explanation of how the world works isn’t limited to physical phenomena. It also extends to explaining how the spiritual plane operates with things like the afterlife, divine intervention, karma and so forth.
And that stuff usually informs the first point. A lot of the seemingly strange rules of Islam, for example, makes more sense when you understand how Muslims understand spiritualism and divinity and so forth.

The third point was intended to include the way things are both physically and spiritually. That includes what happens when we die. But point taken.

 

[KC Trae Becker]

I love this suggestion! Letting the characters reveal stuff in a writing exercise like this is my favorite way to learn about the world. But I never thought of doing something like this to discover aspects of the religions. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[huscarl]

I would suggest that look at the stories of other "prophets" like Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad and others. And prophets in fiction like Anasûrimbor Kellhus from R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing Trology. All of these prophets did not create a religion their disciples, followers and descendants did. What happened after the people in your world became "civilized?" How did regional and language differences manifest in the practice of worship? How did tribal mythology inform the development of the religion? I also have to ask, Why Monotheism?

In my latest project, I began to write the mythology before starting on the religions. I think mythology holds humans deepest dreams and fears. It is from these tales that all religion and philosophy spring.

HOOS