Faith Question - New Building

Still very new to the game so I've been trying a lot of different scenarios. I'll start a game and pursue a certain path to get a feeling on how it will play out (been playing on second level to get use to it).

I started a new game with the intent of getting religion, and great wonders, early on. Quite frankly I'm amazed at how it has panned out so far. I thought I'd be wiped out early on but not so.

For the question, I have hit this passage: "You have accumulated enough faith to purchase a unit or building. Buy one in a city following the appropriate religion". What is the best advice here? Can I build a building, in a city following my religion, for better expansion per se?

Thanks.

On a side note there is a lot to wrap your head around in the game but that's a good thing. The biggest thing I have to learn is how to slow down.

That is a a generic message that occurs when you cross a minimum faith level applicable to your current era and items eligible to buy with faith. I take from your question that you have not yet enhanced your religion.

If I am correct, your first decision point is -- do I (A) aim for a second Great Prophet to enhance, by continuing to accumulate faith to pass the 300 faith level, after which you have a chance every turn to spawn a Great Prophet, or (B) delay enhancing and buy a missionary now to spread my religion to two nearly citiies (either my own cities, a nearby CS or even another civ's city), which will help get my spread going more quickly. Both answers have their merits and players differ (sometimes strongly) in their views. I used to auto-select option (A) but I now often do (B), depending on context.

After you have enhanced and started spread, your may have the choice to buy a religious building in a city with a religion. There are three religious buildings -- cathedrals, mosques and pagodas, offering different amounts of faith, culture and happiness and, in the case of cathedrals, an artist specialist slot. But, you can only buy one of them if you selected it as a follower belief. Maybe you did, maybe you didn't -- the vast majority of the follower beliefs do not involve new buildings, but add benefiits to existing buildings (e.g., Feed the World gives you one additonal food for each shrine and temple).

In addition to buildings, if you selected the follower belief that allows you to buy pre-Industrial land units with faith, you can do just that - buy, e.g., a composite bow with faith, rather than gold.

Whatever you are able to purchase (missionaries, inquisitors, buildings or units), you can buy it by going to the Production/Purchase window in the city view and browsing the Purchase tab.

EDIT: There's a current thread discussing the merits of different religious buildings: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=479787

Thanks much for your help with this.