Conreligion
From KneeQuickie
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A conreligion is simply a fictional religion, usually found in a conworld and practiced by one or more of the cultures in that world. The concept of religion itself remains quite hard to define, and indeed many consider it a meaningless category indistinguishable from philosophy or culture. Most agree, though, that what we call religion entails a distinctly non-materialist worldview that affirms sacred beings and realms beyond the physical world. Perhaps more importantly, it includes various rituals and observances that allow us to interact with the sacred. One may also suggest religion confers group identity as it usually reflects a cultural background and takes place in a communal context.
One may divide conreligions into those that concretely reflect the "true" cosmology of their respective conworlds and those that do not. Those in the former category typically show up in fantasy settings, where the gods may intervene in the physical world quite visibly and even frequently. The latter kind naturally show up in conworlds built on a more realist or scientific approach. As one might imagine, these two approaches entail some very different dynamics regarding the evolution of religion and its relation to society.
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Mythology
All religions (and arguably all belief systems in general) have some form of mythology, a body of sacred narratives and images that describe the divine. Myths serve a variety of functions, allowing believers to better comprehend the divine, imbuing the world with meaning and purpose, and explaining how things came to be. One should not interpret "myth" as necessarily refering to false stories, particularly in this context. Many fantasy settings feature literally true myths and myth admits to considerable allegorical interpretation.
Cosmology
Nearly all religions make reference to realms of existence and consciousness beyond the physical. Perennial concepts include heavenly realms and underworlds, where people go after death, and parallel planes of reality where spirits reside. Many traditions have developed elaborate metaphysical systems around such concepts.
Gods and other beings
Polytheism holds the existence of multiple, generally at least a dozen and often far more, gods and goddesses.
Monotheism, by contrast, holds that only one god exists and denies the possibility of all others. Henotheism resembles monotheism in worshipping only one god, but differs in that it does not deny the existence of other gods. Many believe that Jewish monotheism evolved out of an earlier henotheistic phase. Henotheism may appear in polytheistic religions when a devotee focuses their worship on one supreme god.
Pantheism considers the universe itself divine or (in what many call panentheism) an emanation of divinity. While not particularly common in mainstream religions, it has appeared frequently in philosophical and mystical schools of thought. Examples include the philosophy of Benedict Spinoza and some Hindu philosophies such as Advaita Vedanta.
- Atheism, deism, and alatry
Interpretation
Despite the seemingly clearcut meanings of many myths, adherents have long debated over the best way to interpret them. The study of hermeneutics addresses, among other things, the question of how best to interpret mythos.
The most naïve, and probably most common, interpretations have simply taken myths as literal accounts of reality. Creationists provide a familiar example, with their belief in a literal six-day creation, Tower of Babel, and world-wide flood. Similar cases include the ancient Greek belief that Atlas held up the heavens and the Chinese myth of Pangu creating the world.
The rise of philosophy in classical times sparked more critical examinations of mythology, including rationalist and esoteric exogesis. As early as 500 BC, the philosopher Xenophanes derided mainstream Greek religion, with its belief in anthropomorphic gods, while affirming an abstract singular god. Around the same time in India, writers of the Upanishads examined Hindu mythology to find the mystical core lying behind its literal meaning.
Ritual and ethics
Social structure
While today we generally think of religion as a private matter, historically religious practices have generally taken place in a communal context. As with most communal activities, religions entail various organizational structures that oversee and administer practices, ensure orthodoxy, and so forth. Historically they have formed a key part of ethnic and communal identity.
In practice it can prove difficult to separate religion from its surrounding culture.
Organization
Evolution
Like any other aspect of culture, religion changes with time, developing its doctrines, borrowing from neighbors, and otherwise reinventing itself.
The progress of science and philosophy inevitably threatens any literal reading of mythology (except perhaps in fantasy settings). In civilizations on the cusp of modernity, religion faces growing challenges from secular thought. In the course of their research, scientists confront old myths with new theories about the origin and nature of the cosmos. Philosophers bristle at the gross absurdity of anthropomorphic gods and question the coherence of ancient metaphysics and morality. Merchants and entrepeneurs chafe under ancient codes of conduct that restrict their activities.
- Religion and modernity
