Purging Religions?

[Allah Akbar]

I was wondering if there was a way to purge other religions already spread in your country.

[Skanky Burns]

No.

[Mace]

Not without a mod. There is a "remove religion from city" mod though.

[Enigma_Nova]

Gift some ICBMs to your nearest AI then declare war on them.

[djpsychonaut]

I'm not fully sure why you would want to purge another religion. Granted, it does give your opponent line of sight into one of your cities and an additional gold unit of gold, if the religion is from a foreign civ. There are some benefits to multiple religions like the ability to build more temples, monasteries, and catherdals.

Also, if you ever adopt Free Religion, it helps to have more than one religion in ever city. This way, you completely replace the happiness bonus from having a state religion (+1 per religion).

In CTP1/2, you could get rid of a religion with any military unit, but those were nameless religions. I think that Firaxis probably debated and shot down the idea of religious persecution, especially if you look at all the disclaimers in the manual on the addition of religion to the game.

[Odin]

Re: Purging Religions?

Originally posted by Allah Akbar
I was wondering if there was a way to purge other religions already spread in your country.

No, it wouldn't be politically correct (but razing a city you've conquered isn't? WTF?).

[_BuRjaCi_]

Genocide dosen't seem to be a problem as well.

[GeoModder]

Originally posted by Enigma_Nova
Gift some ICBMs to your nearest AI then declare war on them.

Would you give a city away just to gift them a nuke?

[Enigma_Nova]

Alternatively, you could gift them the cities to be purged then declare war on them and raze the cities.

[Son of David]

Isn't the whole concept of 'barbarians' (and now with their own cities and culture!) and the lack of conscience involved in routinely killing them a bit 'politically incorrect' in this crazy day and age, too?

[djpsychonaut]

Originally posted by Son of David
Isn't the whole concept of 'barbarians' (and now with their own cities and culture!) and the lack of conscience involved in routinely killing them a bit 'politically incorrect' in this crazy day and age, too?

Very true... even calling native peoples "barbarians" is not PC. I think they should give us at least the option to purge religions.

[Shaka II]

Maybe there could be a unit called an Atheist that allows removal of religious influences on cities.

Or perhaps a national or world wonder that allows no religion. Probably a world wonder would be best to limit the number of Civs that could attain this status. It wouldn't be fair to those founding religions otherwise.

Or it could be a technological advance, such as cosmology, which allows religion free civilization. But to make having no religion attractive, I think it should increase the science rate +20%, vs. the +10%, and +1 culture per religion in a city. So, it would be good timing at the beginning of the modern era as a science boost. Biology and physics could be prerequisites.

[djpsychonaut]

Originally posted by Shaka II
Or it could be a technological advance, such as cosmology, which allows religion free civilization. But to make having no religion attractive, I think it should increase the science rate +20%, vs. the +10%, and +1 culture per religion in a city. So, it would be good timing at the beginning of the modern era as a science boost. Biology and physics could be prerequisites.

Interesting proposal, but I'm not sure it's very realistic since, to date, only communists regimes have dared to question religious institutions wholesale with only marginal success. Look at the Russian Orthodox Church which has endured. It even managed to operate during the communist years within the USSR.

Inquistions/persecutions and the like are common in history, but they were definitely not "athiest movements." I'm not sure that aside from the failed communist approach that athiesm has ever had a significant, unified front.

For the game, the best option is probably to be able to push back an enemy's religion in order to get rid of the line of site and additional gold they gain. I do agree with you that it should be difficult since an inquistion is no casual affair. It should also generate a negative diplomatic effect with the corresponding civ(s) that builds the more times you "remove" a religion.

[djpsychonaut]

FYI, someone modded an Inquistor unit:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=143895

[Shaka II]

Originally posted by djpsychonaut
Interesting proposal, but I'm not sure it's very realistic since, to date, only communists regimes have dared to question religious institutions wholesale with only marginal success. Look at the Russian Orthodox Church which has endured. It even managed to operate during the communist years within the USSR.

Maybe it could be a wonder that became available after discovery of communism? Russia is the least religious country on Earth, but China and Japan are also pretty nonreligious , as are places like Scandanavia, and even France and Scotland to a lesser degree.

But I think it should be coupled with science somehow, as in providing a higher science rate.

On the other hand, free religion adds a humongous amount of culture. In the present game with about 25 cities, each with four religions, the +4 culture was probably as good as founding a religion. Plus the 10% science boost. I've never founded a religion, so I can't really compare.