[Discuss] anti-state-religion

[Matt Runyon]

Lyman Stone wrote:
>
>> Here's an idea I just had:
>>
>> How about we make it so that religions that limit themselves to one 
>> realm suffer some penalties? Or better, the other way around, 
>> religions profit from having followers in many different realms? That 
>> would make multi-realm religions more powerful than state-religions 
>> and give the religion leaders incentive to ignore the ruler's "stay 
>> out of our realm, you evil enemy priests" cries. 
First you have to make it so that religions who ignore said ruler's 
orders aren't destroyed. 

However, one thing which I think needs to start happening is something 
like this.  Realm A has a state religion.  Realm A is kicking Realm B 
into the Stone Age.  Realm A says "we'll stop killing you if you convert 
to our religion, and build temples to it in all of your cities, and 
allow our priests in".  Over time, the religion grows more and more 
powerful, and eventually breaks free of the founding realm.  But all of 
this is dependent on religion being much more powerful.  Religions at 
this point cannot defy a realm without another realm's backing, which is 
a problem.  Religions just don't have any way to incentivize people into 
defying a realm for them.