what are some important things to watch out for when starting

>what are some important things to watch out for when starting a religion?
watching out for the inevitable schisms h happen preferably after your death
>what would be the differences between creating a system of believes today vs doing so 2000+ years ago?
Xenu's scientists would have an easy job disproving your creation theories to the public opinion

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this. One major thing about founding a religion is why you are doing it. If you are doing it consciously, you are acknowledging that it is built on lies and for your own personal gain. If you actually heard the voice of God, then you would probably have it based on another like Christianity or Islam did. Or He/She would hopefully be kind enough to tell you some background knowledge. Either way, you don't want to be a cult and do illegal/extremist stuff. People hate that with Scientology. Make your mythology believable so people don't find it a load of bs. Give your followers a good direction in life like helping other people or giving to charity. As a Christian, I cannot encourage that you do this. Unless you are trying to apply some Pascal's wager on atheists.

Make sure to target stupid, lonely, fearful, and/or "lost" people. Give them a sense of belonging and purpose.

Make sure your religion has control methods and room for mental gymnastics.

Claim the world will end soon so they should do what you say.

>>2731438
i dont really agree with pascal's wager, though.
it's still perfectly possible to go to hell only if you believe specificly in the christian god.

i made this thread for a thought experiment on the evolution of religion, which isnt supposed to give an indication on my personal believes though

File: tourism.jpg (597KB, 1600x1200px) Image search: [Google]

597KB, 1600x1200px

>>2731352
This is a subtle point, and I'm not sure how to best get it across, but: people didn't think of their religions as religions. There was no dividing line between theism and society/politics/life/whatever. You ploughed your field because it put weeds back into the soil and helped crops grow better, and you sacrificed a chicken to the gods because it would please Persephone and make crops go better. You wouldn't think "oh, this factoid's mundane but this one is a religious belief." In the same way, there was no dividing line between religious moral/legal systems and the "real" moral/legal systems you actually tried to follow.

If there is a modern equivalent to millennia-old religions, and you started one, you probably wouldn't be aware of it.

>>2731352
To find religious friends.

>>2731352
you must take advantage over memes

hail Hululu