Idea for religion, doubt it will be implemented

[Ninot]

Even tho I'm sure they'd never do it, I got an idea for religion.

After each religion is founded, the religion gets its own leader, with whom you can go "speak" with to get favor for a war, improve relations with cities of that religion, or just plain check how well that religion views your civ.

I dunno, like pick a popular historic Pope for Christianity (i know not all Christians are Catholics, just givin an example), a Dhali Lama for Buddhism, and so on.

Where I think this might be a un-PC or simply bad idea is that it would perhaps require the religions to have behaviors, like ones more peacefaring or whatever. Not to mention picking a Sunni leader for Islam and annoying all sorts of Shiites, and so on.

[GAZ082]

Perhaps if you declare war to a Religion Founder you will get bad reactions with the rest of the civs that have that religion.

[Solver]

You do anyway annoy all Christians if you declare war on a Christian civ, for instance. That's why I like religion in Civ4 - seems like it will add an extra dimension to diplomatic relations.

[Xineoph]

I agree.

Just imagine what would happen, if the US attacked Mecca or Medina.

Or if the arabs started destroying Christian holy sites.

and so on....there would be huge civil conflict, plus possibly population decrease, if that religion lives in it's nation.

So let's say the Chinese Hindu's atk and destroy the holy center of the Persian Christians.

The persians would start killing all Christians in the nation, while the Chinese Hindu's would in return most likely start attacking the Christians.

Thus creating a Hindu-Christian holy war, where there is a chance, that nations with either of those religions, might declare war.

It would probably be a formula based on religious tolerance and previous history or something.

[binTravkin]

In one other game there's such concept - Europe Universalis 2 (By Paradox).

The requirements are:
1.You must have a state religion who historically had a leader (Muslims, Christians, Buddhists etc)
2.You must pay 1000ducats (their money).

The results are:
1.You get increased relations with all your religion countries.
2.You get a lowered relations and a "Casus Belli" if soemeone attacks your-religion country (a reason of war which lowers stability and foreign relation hits when going to war)
3.you get a lowered techspeed (due to more heavy enforcement of the religion in your state)
4.you get a conversion bonus IIRC (in the newest versions increased chance to convert administrational unit to your religion)

Conditions to lose the status:
1.Lose a war against faction running different religion.

[VonSharma]

If they incorporate religion like you guys are describing with forced conversions and/or holy wars, that'll make Civ 14 times ultra sweeter than it already is.

It could also help the diplomacy situation by restraining other AI civs in some situations and also giving the AI legitimate reasons to attack you in others.

Of course all this hinges on the AI not sucking so badly in this version. Lettuce pray for an AI that rules!!! For SCOTLAND!!!!!!!

[The_Aussie_Lurker]

As I see it, they are giving us the Bare Bones religious model-for starters, for which I am personally very grateful. That said, though, I truly hope-and pray -that they have left room within this model for the introduction of such things as:

Multiple Religions to choose from per relevent tech (like Hellenistic or Ossirian Polytheism alongside Hinduism).

Traits that religions can acquire during the course of the game-based on the actions and leaders of the founding civ.

Related to traits, the ability for sects to appear within a nation (Religious Offshoots which cannot be directly gained via tech acquisition)-a sect can then either be Embraced by the nation it appears in (similar to Founding) or Supressed.
Some sects which can appear might be Blood Cult, Orthodox, Protestant, Sunni, Shi'ite, Sikh, Essene, Menonite, Catharist, Adventist, Mithraic etc etc.
I so very desperately hope that some, or all, of these things will end up in one or more of the game's future expansions.

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

[lajzar]

It seems the release version has religions as purely generic apart from teh names. For politically correct and sales reasons, this is probably the safe thing to do. However, I hope the game engine can be modified to make each religion unique. I understand that they cannot officially say "protestants work harder" or anything else, without causing serious repurcussions, but as long as mods and unofficial game sets can allow it, I am happy.