Whether the religion you are creating for your cultures and worlds slips into becoming a cult or not will depend on how they treat those who question aspects of the faith, as well as outright doubt. Where do different places lie in relation to others? Are there a lot of formalized customs/traditions with the religion, or do people practice on their own? Developing an imaginary setting with coherent qualities such as a history, geography, and ecology is a key task for many science fiction or fantasy writers. Basics ; What are the physical characteristics of this race? Religion and Game Rules. A: How does magic fit in? You could have a technologically advanced society that scoffs at the idea of traditional mysticism, but their reverence of technology is something that borders on the spiritual, so talk about that. Worldbuilding religion is an important thing when you’re creating a fantasy world. Where are we? How large is the population? Worldbuilding Religion In Your Story; Rules For Your God(s) Worldbuilding Religion and Your Character; 1 – Creating Your Religion. Average life span? How can a eugenics program be the most preferable option to create a demonhost? Posted on January 15, 2018 January 18, 2018 by Anne Miles. Bad people of all types end ... Worldbuilding Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, Learn more about hiring developers or posting ads with us. why would gods allow give their mortals significant control over them? Back to Worldbuilding Stack Exchange Return to the main site ... Help Center Detailed answers to any questions you might have ... My world is heavily religious. Does the religion have real power/forces behind it, or is its only power through the people who believe it? [closed]. Although, the people of the world believe in this pantheon, and major events have been shaped by religion. The most serious sins? Is there tectonic activity? This question is not at risk of being deleted. usage of 'L' in colloquial cantonese utterances. Are there continents and seas? (If any) 2. This question is not at risk of being deleted. While many of these questions may be helpful or … For questions regarding the impact of religion in a given scenario or the creation of a religion for use in a fictional world. 4. She lives in Tulsa, OK with her husband, dog, two formerly feral cats, a small flock of feathered dragons (…ok, ok, they’re chickens), and an extensive tea collection. Most religions have something in common, they tend to answer three fundamental questions of human existence (shown below). You might only want a handful of things, or you might find it beneficial to go through the whole list. If it’s a gas giant, what’s the atmospheric pressure like in the inhabited … What are the different religions in your world? Who are the gods of your world? No worldbuilding is remotely complete without mention of religion, and how it’s practiced. Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions: By Patricia C. Wrede. Active today. Great authors can create a living, breathing environment for their stories, invite readers into another world, and make us homesick for a place we’ve never been. Does your religion allow questions of any sort that are contradictory to doctrine? [closed], How would a group find convincing divine proof that their bigoted/sexist/racist/etc views are justified? Religion/Spirituality. This is a religion i am creating for a possible book in progress. [closed]. [closed], Keeping souls happy for eternity [closed], How would the god of ever-changing have followers? When she is not writing, she can be found battling the elements in an effort to create a productive, permaculture urban homestead. Questions I ask myself: Monotheistic or polytheistic? If the response to questions about faith and the existence of deities (especially in a world where your deities do not walk amongst the people) is hostility, then your character’s instinctive reaction will be to pull away, especially for new converts or for those who are already jaded against religion anyway. How diverse is it? How seriously does the culture take the responsibilities of host and guest? Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. There are at least two ways to use saints in your religion worldbuilding—one very simple way is that all who convert and participate into a specific religion are considered to be ‘saints.’ This may be especially true in a religion where they believe they are the One True Way to heaven, etc. I've been working on a religion-based (pagan vs. monotheism) fantasy series for about two years now, and while my notes on the regional pagan/nature-based religion are pretty thorough, I found a number of questions that dive even deeper. Worldbuilding help chat. There they have everything they want. In this post, I have written a list of questions pertaining to religion and the supernatural. Are there questions that must be asked or avoided (how’s the family, how’s the business, never talk politics or religion, etc.)? A downloadable book. Average family size? It may be the death of a loved one, or the betrayal of someone in a position of authority within a religious institution. … Matthew has a lot of other things to say about writing and worldbuilding. Worldbuilding Religion In Your Story; Rules For Your God(s) Worldbuilding Religion and Your Character; 1 – Creating Your Religion. Are we in the past, present or future? I think to create a religion, and before that, beliefs (which then develop into a "proper" religion (or not)) it is very important to consider how they would develop, not just what they would be. Morin shares twenty questions authors must ask themselves when world building. See a recent post on Tumblr from @daringthepen about worldbuilding-questions. ), and what these beings believe about everything from religion to politics to pineapple on pizza to medicine and everything else under the sun(s). While many of these questions may be helpful or crucial to certain stories, they will not all apply to every story. I got in a discussion yesterday about Christianity in fantasy. It takes place in a world created by gods. Since Norwescon had several worldbuilding panels dedicated to religion, I’m dedicating an entire section of this checklist to this important component. While people may follow one god they believe all the others exist as well. I’m not saying you need it 100%—there are loads of wonderful fantasies out there that don’t have a religion—but religion can add a wonderfully rich layer to your worldbuilding. How can I redirect Great Britain back to Catholicism after the English Reformation? Do you have some sort of loose map of it in your head? As for religion, belief is a powerful thing and can shape a culture immensely. Rebekah Loper began creating epic worlds and stories as a child and never stopped. Would references to Earth in prayers in space be replaced? 1. Would France and other EU countries have been able to block freight traffic from the UK if the UK was still in the EU? Q is for Questions – Worldbuilding Religions, Rebekah Loper, Author of A-Zs of Worldbuilding. You should consider them prompts with which to write a short essay. Describe the sacrifices and what they represent. A: Is this generally an earth-like world? Closed questions are still available on the site, can be voted on and linked to, and provide knowledge. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Service. Who leads the religion? It was exhausting to write, but it is not exhaustive. Most of the questions are aimed at fleshing out a made-up religion, but there's a bit at the end about real-world people and the implications a fictional religion can make, by accident or by design. Religion and Worldbuilding: 50 Questions For Creatives (The Way With Worlds Series) - Kindle edition by Savage, Steven, McCormick, Jessica. Worldbuilding is the process of creating a fictional world within your novel that can be as complex as designing an entirely new and unique location with exotic creatures, societies, religions, and governments. Are the rules considered fair, or is society opposed to them? Creating Religions – A great list of articles that discuss the different aspects of creating a religion. A: How does magic fit in? Are we on Earth or another planet? Worldbuilding Exercises. Almost everyone has some sort of prominent religious pantheon that the people in your world believe in, but here's where I become kind of indecisive on mine. Does the religion have anything to do with marriage? Worldbuilding Questions - Religion. Can I create a world without religion? The Weltenbau Wissen List of Worldbuilding Questions offers a step-by-step approach to develop a fantasy world, a science-ficional universe, or anything in between. Expression to replace characters in Attribute table. Questions to ask when you’re world-building. Has there, in the history of your world/culture/religion ever been a faith question/doubt that was dealt with so poorly that it resulted in either a mass exit of believers from that faith, or a schism that branched off into a new sect of that faith, or even an entirely new religion altogether? If you have any questions, or suggestions, feel free to reach out! Do average people believe old tales, or do they dismiss some that have a basis in fact (e.g., Troy)? Religion and Worldbuilding: 50 Questions For Creatives (The Way With Worlds Series) - Kindle edition by Savage, Steven, McCormick, Jessica. Now that you have some notes for a given god in your religion you can turn your attention to possibly tweaking your fantasy game’s rules for the followers of that god or religion. She lives in Tulsa, OK with her husband, dog, two formerly feral cats, a small flock of feathered dragons (...ok, ok, they're chickens), and an extensive tea collection. General . Worldbuilding is the part of the writing process that sets up where your story takes place. Customs. Religion can create conflict, solve a conflict, and create different kinds of laws the people in your fantasy world must live by. … Matthew has a lot of other things to say about writing and worldbuilding. If you think Worldbuilding is complicated, wait until gods, demons, sages, and philosophers get drawn into the mix! 4. Being closed prevents additional answers to this one and also signals that future questions should be scoped more narrowly. Who holds the most power? I'm having difficultly in thinking ways of how could this type of god gain worshipers. 3. A: Is it an “alternate Earth”? Do wild and rebellious young people dress any differently from anyone else? Life expectancy? [closed], How might a future society interpret Harambe in a religious context? I grew up in luxury as a member of the valiant Tudor family. Gods are real, why is there still corruption within the Church then? 5. Worldbuilding religion is an important thing when you’re creating a fantasy world. How organized is it? 1 Pings/Trackbacks for "Worldbuilding: Fantasy Religion Design Example" religion in fantasy novels « helluo librorum says: 24 September 2009 at 3:32 pm […] Ideas has a great article with Worldbuilding: Fantasy Religion Design Guide, and a subsequent post, Worldbuilding: Fantasy Religion Design Example. Followers of a religion with a pantheon of gods would hold one god whose domain most directly impacted their lives in higher esteem, but they would also pay respect to the other gods especially as circumstances merited the respect. Are they allowed to? Volume 1: Building a Fictional World From Scratch. These are fairly standard questions, but I love how SFWA has the elements organized. The following list of questions is meant to aid authors of fantasy fiction who are seeking to create believable imaginary settings for their stories. Does the religion have anything to say about property rights and theft? and use them as you see fit. What deity does the religion revolve around? Even though evil is ... A young man receives a message from "God", and has been told to procreate as fast as possible in order that his descendants can outnumber all the heathens (everyone who isn't his descendants)... Heaven/Paradise is divided up so that each religion believes they are the only ones who got there. Log in ... but it is not exhaustive. What is the relation between a priori and tautologies? ...What about non-deific but religiously important beings? A: Is this generally an earth-like world? (If any) 2. Can I create a world without religion? How about rivers, mountains, volcanoes, impact craters? 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