My first college class was a survey course about world religions. This was the midterm. Papa Al wanted the class to create a new religion in the 21st century. This is what I wrote.
Papa Al,
This religion I create has no supreme beings such as Gods. Until now, no one knows how the university was created or where this earth, dinosaurs, animals, plants, ocean, and us humans are formed. Life is too short to think about every possibility that we couldn't prove. Instead, followers are to focus on the lives they are living and enjoy them and write their own stories.
First off, let's start with the very basic religion that all religions are built upon, Animism, the concept of souls. Every living being has a soul inside them. Plants and insects are scientifically proven to be living things: they perform respiration, reproduce, and grow. So, they too have souls. Objects, chemical compounds, metals, such things that do not perform respiration, etc, are non-living things, therefore have no soul.
The general idea of this religion is to be kind and be good people in life. To have a happy life is to be content with what we have and enjoy little things. Everyone must understand that there is no such thing as absolute happiness in life. After all, it is impossible for everyone to be equal. One must lose a race in order for another to win it. One side of the earth must be dark in order for another side to enjoy the light. One place must suffer in the storm for another to enjoy the sunshine. But that doesn't mean that your place will be stormy forever, after some time, there will be warm sunshine to shower you with warmth. But that sunshine can also burn you. But no matter what, we all must accept and face what we have in our life. Try learning from mistakes when you fail, try playing in the rain when it rains, and try stargazing when the dark comes. This is a general idea that the followers need to follow.
A country has its own laws that citizens must follow, and religion has its rules that believers must follow. Firstly, here are the restrictions: 1) no lying for own's selfishness 2) no killing unless for food 3) no taking other's belongings (including living things that are considered one's belonging, pet dogs, lovers) 4)no judging (judging on appearance, skin color, race, sex, family) 5) no sexual misconduct (forcing to sex or take nude pictures ... ). Violation of either one of these is considered a sin.
The practices are: 1) be benevolent to every living being 2) donate a thing every day ( even candy would do) 3) be healthful (do exercises, yoga, meditate, ..) 4) be content 5) be loyal ( leaking company's info, gossiping best friend's secrets, cheating, are considered betraying)
Afterlife is also something we must include when creating a religion. No one has scientifically proven reincarnation or the existence of heaven and hell. Instead of confusing this ideology, why don't we focus on the present life? Even if there is a chance that we can rebirth, it will be a different life. The newborn you will never be the same you now. It will have a different family, a different life where you live in a different situation and meet different people. The lives everyone lives in are unique. Splitting the fact, when we die, our body will decay or burn into ash and will unconditionally return to the ground. The only things we leave behind are the memories of what we do when we are alive. And this history we wrote in our lives, the events we partake in and the decisions we made in life, I wanna call it stories. We are the main character of our own movies, and we decide what we wanna display in them. As for the afterlife, we will think about it when a new movie starts.
So, who will spread this religion across the world? The missionaries, of course. As their main job is to spread beliefs, they are to be prohibited from doing business or any living apart from spreading beliefs. I don't want them to walk down the wrong path and follow after the money. They should not own houses, jewelry, or any valuables. Moreover, they shouldn't get attached to religious buildings (eg. churches, and temples). This might song strict but the missionaries are not to stay in the same religious building for over 4 months a year. This means they can come back next. The main idea is to prevent them from the idea that the building belongs to them and getting obsessed over it.
Going back to the general idea of religion, the main teaching is to realize there is no such thing as absolute black or white. A person who steals and robs money from others might be a bad guy in someone's story. But in his story, as someone who didn't graduate high school because his family is poor and cannot get a high-paying job, this may be the only way to save his mother in the hospital who is dying due to cancer. He might be a villain to some people but to his mother, he is the hero. Sometimes, we judge a person without knowing their full story. The world is gray, and to remind people of it, I wanna call my religion "Gray".
Ti Ti
PS: I have to leave behind some ideas because I realize if I keep going with my imagination, it will never end. I wonder if this religion comes true, how many people in this class are willing to follow it?