Anyone know of any cool obscure/dead religions?

"Anon" (tjsielsistneb) 04/12/2014 at 14:51 • Filed to: None

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I am currently working on a story that involves different countries uniting under a banner of religions. The story centers around the main character traveling around these different regions and experiencing the different cultures of each. I would like to use some obscure or dead religions to make it interesting. So if you know any it would be a big help!

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Anon 04/12/2014 at 14:55

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Gozer Worshipers.

Anon > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/12/2014 at 14:56

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I ain't afraid of no ghost...evil deity...ugly woman?

Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:00

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The disturbing ways of the Carthaginians may be a good thing to read up on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_…

Anon > Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) 04/12/2014 at 15:03

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This is perfect! A good major of the story takes place in Northern Africa and Southern Europe!

Anima > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:05

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Tutankhamun's dad changed the entire religious system when he was a pharaoh.

Don't know if this is the kind of thing you are looking for?

Jane, you ignorant slut. > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:11

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How about Manichaeism ? It focused on the struggle between good and evil, and was briefly a major rival to Christianity in Roman Empire. St. Augustine spends a good deal of time refuting it in some of his surviving works. Manichaeist ideas still influence a lot of modern storytelling.

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:16

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Zoroastrians are interesting. Very very few left in Iran I think.

Singhjr96 > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:19

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these aren't too bad for a story:

http://listverse.com/2008/07/08/top…

Anon > Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents 04/12/2014 at 15:20

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That seems really interesting! I wonder if that's where Mazda got its name!

In Zoroastrianism, the creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil originates from him.

neisseria > Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents 04/12/2014 at 15:24

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But must be a decent number worldwide? Had two separate families who were Zoroastrian from my high school.

ETA: I would be careful about using elements from an active religion. Especially one with a history of persecution.

Remedios Varo > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:27

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Raelism! You can't make this shit up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%ABl…

Anon > Singhjr96 04/12/2014 at 15:27

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Jainism sounds really interesting!

Singhjr96 > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:29

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I've heard of it a few times to, so it's not the most obscure, but i'll bet you a majority of readers will never have heard of it. It's also a religion that wont be to hard to research on either. There seems to be lots of articles on it floating around.

Anon > Singhjr96 04/12/2014 at 15:31

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Yeah, I'm definitely adding it to the list, thanks again dude!

Singhjr96 > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:32

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No prob.

zuludaddy (says Bravo Zulu) > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:38

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The name translates to "Lord Wisdom."

zuludaddy (says Bravo Zulu) > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:40

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Mithraism

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > Singhjr96 04/12/2014 at 15:44

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Jains aren't obscure though.

St. Borg de Chupacabras ¯\_()_/¯ (  ) > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:59

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jainism seems obscure in thewestern world but on the other side of the world It is A major religion.

Jonny Edge (@thejonnyedge) > Anon 04/12/2014 at 15:59

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High five from England! I hope this helps a little. Carthaginian history is very interesting.

I assume you've heard of Hannibal? Dido?

St. Borg de Chupacabras ¯\_()_/¯ (  ) > Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents 04/12/2014 at 16:00

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they spreaD to other parts of the world. In india there are quite a few of them.

mrsfinch > Anon 04/12/2014 at 16:39

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Here's one I'd never heard of before I started my most recent research project:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandaeism

Pretty cool! They are also connected to Sabians http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabians

Dsscats > Anon 04/12/2014 at 16:51

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No, but I know a metric shit ton about Judaism

#jewishhighschool

The Compromiser > Anon 04/12/2014 at 19:14

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Christianity in a few years?

procrasty > Anon 04/12/2014 at 19:46

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Tricky to pick between obscure and out and out dead, as one you risk offence if you mess things up, and the other you can't help but mess up as so little is known about them. The Druids are an interesting lot for example but they were so thoroughly wiped out by the Romans that we know next to nothing (although they were more of a priestly class than a religion per say afaik).

The cult of Antinous is an interesting one, it has a handful of adherents but is basically dead now, but in its hay day it was neck and neck with Chritianity in terms of its popularity...if not for Contantine this might even have been the major religion of today.

Anima > Anon 04/12/2014 at 19:55

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Jainisme just reminds me of the Jaynestown episode of Firefly. :)

PhateWasHere > Anon 04/12/2014 at 20:52

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Look into the phibionites an early christian sect.

FrankN.Stein > Remedios Varo 04/13/2014 at 06:00

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You can't make this shit up

Well, someboy did... That said, a religion about free sex and aliens is pretty much my first choice if I ever become religious.

fishkill > Anon 04/14/2014 at 23:31

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"The company website states that its name is derived from Ahura Mazda , a god of wisdom, intelligence and harmony of the earliest civilizations in West Asia (Persia). Ahura Mazda (Persian :  -Sanskrit:   (Asura-Medh)), is the name of God to Zoroastrians . The company website also notes that the name also derives from the name of the company's founder, Jujiro Matsuda " - mazda wiki

SamfaKenessal > Anon 04/19/2014 at 19:10

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1. Uh, Mithranism?
2. Obscure and Dead Religions Info