How Many People To Start A Religion

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Have you ever felt dissatisfied with existing religions? Have you ever become fed upward with the lack of tolerance inside many existing religions? If you are inspired to create alter, you can start your ain religion. It may accept a lot of effort to organize your religion and get it officially recognized. If it is something you are moved to do, however, it volition be very rewarding to see your work lead to a thriving membership.

one
Write a plan. Starting a religion will require a pregnant corporeality of planning. Y'all can start by writing down your ideas about why you want to invent a new religion. Understanding the basic reason for your religion's existence volition be disquisitional if y'all want it to exist successful. You may want to beginning a faith:
- Because yous are dissatisfied with the ones that currently exist.
- Considering y'all are deeply inspired and/or have glimpsed secret knowledge that you would similar to share.
- To perform weddings and other ceremonies in your own manner.
- Every bit a joke.
- To be critical of other religions.
two

Develop a cosmology. If your organized religion intends to explain broad questions about the origin of the universe, the nature of reality, and the hereafter, you lot will want to develop a cosmology, which explains all of these things. Your religion'due south cosmology might describe things like a creation story and projections about the eventual terminate of things. Exist every bit creative or inspired equally your religion calls for.^[ane]

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three
Select a name for your faith. The name of your religion should reflect its purpose and foundation, so do non choose it carelessly. Think well-nigh the primal beliefs or letters of your religion, and endeavour to reflect these in the word or phrase that will serve every bit its name. Names for religions invented in the past include:
- Discordianism
- The Church of All Worlds
- The Church of the Flight Spaghetti Monster
- Scientology
- Eckankar
4
Develop a listing of your organized religion's cadre tenets. These might explain things like how it views relationships between people (Should you lot be charitable toward others? Deed on your ain interests?). These principles might also comprise philosophical arguments, which can explicate how your religion views the world differently than others. For instance, your organized religion's principles might contain arguments proving the being of its god(due south), if any.^[ii]
- If y'all want to, write a sacred text or holy book that explains all these things.
five

Talk to people about your faith. In one case your faith's core ideas are worked out, y'all can start inviting other people to join you. Many experts suggest working slowly at first. You might talk to some of your own acquaintances, and then build from there by word of mouth. When yous take a trusted and fairly stable group, you lot tin work with them to develop bylaws that explicate how your faith will exist organized and managed.
vi

Find a coming together place. Followers of your religion might first out by meeting at your home (or someone else's). As information technology grows, yous might wait for a identify that is more public, such equally a café, a park, or somewhere else that is convenient. Every bit your religion grows, y'all may look into a more permanent meeting place, such as a rented or purchased building.
vii
Read about historical examples. If you are looking for inspiration while planning your religion, you can look into the histories of other religions. Studying the world's major religions can requite y'all ideas, but you can also read about more contempo examples of invented religions, such as:^[3]
- L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology.
- The Church building of All Worlds, inspired by Robert Heinlein'south science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land.
- Discordianism, and its foundational text Principia Discorda.

1
Learn the benefits of official recognition. Churches that are recognized as nonprofit according to Internal Acquirement Code (IRC) 501(c)(3) are automatically considered tax-exempt. Y'all practise not have to apply for this protection if y'all meet the code's guidelines. This taxation exemption can provide financial and legal protection to your organized religion, allowing it to exercise freely according to its principles.^[4]
- Though tax exemption is automatic for recognized churches, y'all tin can however utilise formally for it. This might be a adept thought if you just desire to be sure your faith qualifies for this protection, or if you think that officially applying will give it some legitimacy.
- If y'all want to apply for tax-exempt condition for your faith, use IRS Form 1023-EZ.^[5]
2
Run into the guidelines for legally establishing a church. The IRS uses the term "church" broadly, taking it to hateful whatsoever recognized religious group. The master guidelines for recognition stipulate that any revenue the church earns may not be used to financially benefit an private or shareholders or to influence political controlling (lobbying). The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will consider whether or not a religious group officially qualifies equally a church if it meets some combination of features, including:
- It has a creed and worship practices
- It has a formal leadership
- It has a clear history
- Its membership is distinct from other religious groups
- There is a recognized course of report to ordain leaders in the religion
- The religion has some form of foundational texts or literary tradition
- There are recognized or regular places to worship
- The religion has a regular congregation and services
3

Apply for a certificate of formation. A certificate of formation (sometimes called articles of formation) is a certificate used in many locations to formally comprise a religion every bit a legally recognized entity. It describes what a nonprofit organization will do, how information technology will be managed, etc. Check your local laws to see if information technology is necessary to file this document.
4
Get an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Even if you authorize for taxation-exempt status, yous volition want to apply for an EIN number from the IRS. This number will be necessary if your religion ever has any employees.^[6]
- Even if your faith is taxation-exempt, you lot must withhold income tax on its employees.
5

Keep records. The tax-exempt status allows religious organizations to have special audit protection. All the same, information technology is very of import to keep first-class records of all your finances. These may include salaries, expenditures, money collected from members of your faith, etc.^[7]

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1

Hold frequent services or meetings. Studies have shown that the most successful religions take congregations that run across often. If your religion has services or worship procedures, consider holding them several times a week. You will be more likely to increase your religion's numbers if members and potential members take the flexibility to choose when to attend services.^[viii]
2

Increment your religion's visibility. It is more important than ever to get the discussion out about your religion if y'all desire to increase its members. Make certain that your religion has active representation on all social media, make flyers to distribute in your customs, give away T-shirts, etc.
iii

Create a welcoming feel. People are more likely to get regular members of your religion if you offer them a welcoming place to visit. Any your religious services entail, consider having them in a comfortable environment that is easily accessible. For instance, people that are intimidated by or turned off of traditional religious services might be more likely to nourish an informal, java-house-style service.
four
Offer lots of programs. Worshiping and increasing agreement of your religion's core tenets might be the virtually important aspects of your services. However, offering additional programs can increment the sense of community amongst your religion's members, while still keeping people close to the religion itself. Consider incorporating activities like:
- Music for services and entertainment
- Game nights
- Potlucks
- Sports
- Reading groups
- Social gatherings (youth groups, retiree meetings, etc.)
- Community service (beautification projects, prison house outreach, food drives, etc.)

Add together New Question

Question

How practice I invent good rituals and customs that serve my organized religion well?

Recall what would "fit." For case, the Pastafarians have Ramendan, where they consume nothing but pasta for a period of fourth dimension. This is due to their god being made of spaghetti and meatballs.
Question

Can my religion praise cats?

Your organized religion can worship/praise anything at all. The ancient Egyptians worshiped cats!
Question

How can I spread my religion to others without offending their religion?

You should just share your religion with others and effort to let them know why you believe it to be the right choice. If the person is rational and reasonable, that will not offend them or their religion. The but affair that'southward offensive is insulting someone else's religion or trying to strength them to follow yours without letting them decide for themselves.
Question

How would I go nigh starting a faith in a small town?

Make a spider web page or affiche for people to run across, maybe find some friends and have them bring together or at least spread the give-and-take of your new religion.
Question

What is the difference between starting a religion and starting a cult?

Cutegirlcorr

Community Answer

Technically speaking, religions and cults are the same thing. All major religions once started as a small, close-knit group - basically a cult.
Question

How exercise I think of a proper name for my religion?

Graci Chandler

Community Answer

You could wait at existing names and get one based of of that, or find one based off of your religion itself or your name.
Question

What are some ways to become funding for my faith exterior of its members?

You could practice fundraising like other non-profit organizations, or find yourself a wealthy patron.
Question

Can my religion praise a specific real life person without them knowing, or even without their consent?

Unless they're dead, I would probably get their consent first just to be on the safe side. Too, you might wan to take a look at the regal cults of Rome for examples.
Question

How many people do I need so I don't have to pay taxation for my place of worship?

You need at least 3 people to be considered a organized religion. I person is a thought, ii is a give-and-take, three is a belief.
Question

How old do I take to exist to apply for legal status and commencement a religion?

I believe in the US it would be 18-years-one-time since that's the legal definition of an adult.

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Commodity Summary X

If you believe y'all've discovered a truth near the universe or human life and want to share it with the world, y'all tin can offset your own organized religion by creating a list of central tenets that explicate how your followers should treat others. Choose a proper name that reflects the message or belief of your religion. Talk to friends and acquaintances nearly your organized religion and make up one's mind on a meeting identify to agree services. Keep reading for help becoming a legal, official church and how to increase membership for your new religion!

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