Preferred Religions For All Civilizations

Special thanks to Thorburne for pointing out the preferred religions are stored in the game's XML files.

Using XMLs in the game files, I have compiled this list of the religions that every civilization attempts to found when they are given a chance to found a religion. If their preferred religion has already been founded, they will choose randomly. I hope this helps you all.

America: Christianity
Arabia: Islam
Aztecs: Christianity
China: Taoism
Egypt: Islam
England: Christianity
France: Christianity
Germany: Christianity
Greece: Christianity
India: Hinduism
Iroquois: Christianity
Japan: Shinto
Ottomans: Islam
Persia: Zoroastrianism
Rome: Christianity
Russia: Christianity
Siam: Buddhism
Songhai: Islam

Austria: Christianity
Byzantium: Christianity
Carthage: Islam
Celts: Christianity
Ethiopia: Christianity
Huns: Tengriism
Maya: Christianity
Netherlands: Christianity
Sweden: Christianity
Spain: Christianity

Mongols: Tengriism
Inca: Christianity
Polynesia: Christianity
Denmark: Christianity
Korea: Confucianism
Babylon: Islam

Note: There are NO civs that prefer to found Judaism or Sikhism. China is the only civ that prefers Taoism, India is the only civ that prefers Hinduism, Japan is the only civ that prefers Shinto, Persia is the only civ that prefers Zoroastrianism, Siam is the only civ that prefers Buddhism, and Korea is the only civ that prefers Confucianism. Civilizations who do not have their native religion represented are given the modern religion of the majority of people in the location of the civilization.

Not sure why they made all of the civs that are not associated with any of the in-game religions favor Christianity. With the notable exception of Babylon: Islam.

noncognosco said:

Not sure why they made all of the civs that are not associated with any of the in-game religions favor Christianity. With the notable exception of Babylon: Islam.

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It goes by the modern majority religion in the country if their native religion is not present. This is how the American civilizations and Polynesians favor Christianity, and why Babylonians (Iraqi) and Carthaginians (Tunisians) favor Islam.

You notice none are Judaism I think Babylon should be Judaism due to when they conquered Jerusalem most Jews were transferred to babylon and converted a lot of Babylonions.

I see plenty of those which should be Judaism instead, yet are all Christianity.

I don't want to see Christianity every game. I might mod them so a few of them make more sense. No more Iroquois who found Christianity. Granted, lots of those countries make sense, since they didn't become empires until long after Christianity was well established and in their country, but why do the North/South Native America races all want CHRISTIANITY when that religion was FORCED upon them by foreigners? It feels so wrong.

Vidszhite said:

I see plenty of those which should be Judaism instead, yet are all Christianity.

I don't want to see Christianity every game. I might mod them so a few of them make more sense. No more Iroquois who found Christianity. Granted, lots of those countries make sense, since they didn't become empires until long after Christianity was well established and in their country, but why do the North/South Native America races all want CHRISTIANITY when that religion was FORCED upon them by foreigners?

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What are those Civs? I'm not good on history outside of Europe and Arabia, unfortunately.

And for your second part, since we have no form of Paganism for the Celts and Iroquois, or some sort of Sun God religion for The Aztecs and Maya, they get Christianity because that's the religion that's most prevalent in their modern countries today.

Perhaps the new DLC civ will be the Canaanites, simply because there is no Judaic civilization. They could have one unique unit that is like an upgraded missionary, perhaps called a "Prophet," that gets extra religion spread uses. They might have another unique unit that replaces Infantry, "Uzi Soldier," or there could be a unique building I cannot think of right now. Dicuss?

Me: Jews Jews Jews!

I did pick Islam on my current play through though. I like the Jewish and Islam symbol the most. I think they look cool :/
I'm agnostic though and wouldn't touch these 2 religions with a 100 foot pole.

Hunter7500 said:

Perhaps the new DLC civ will be the Canaanites, simply because there is no Judaic civilization. They could have one unique unit that is like an upgraded missionary, perhaps called a "Prophet," that gets extra religion spread uses. They might have another unique unit that replaces Infantry, "Uzi Soldier," or there could be a unique building I cannot think of right now. Dicuss?

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Or Israel. They'd be pretty easy to implement. Leader- Solomon? UB- Synagogue, etc.

But why does everyone keep complaining about the lack of a Jewish Civ and not the lack of a Sikh Civ?

Flying Mathias said:

Or Israel. They'd be pretty easy to implement. Leader- Solomon? UB- Synagogue, etc.

But why does everyone keep complaining about the lack of a Jewish Civ and not the lack of a Sikh Civ?

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Hah! I totally forgot about them! Poor Sikhs :c

Yeah, I derped and forgot about the Synagogue. Good idea for a UB.

About the Sikhs though...

Civ: Sikh Empire
Leader: Ranjit Singh

You united the Punjabi people under a unified empire... blah blah blah

UU: Nihang
UB: Gurdwara

Discuss?

Hunter7500 said:

Hah! I totally forgot about them! Poor Sikhs :c

Yeah, I derped and forgot about the Synagogue. Good idea for a UB.

About the Sikhs though...

Civ: Sikh Empire
Leader: Ranjit Singh

You united the Punjabi people under a unified empire... blah blah blah

UU: Nihang
UB: Gurdwara

Discuss?

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Hmm, perhaps a DLC giving us Israel and a Scenario focused around the Jews, like, The Rise of Judaism or the Birth of Israel of something?

Leader- Solomon/David

UA- Something faith related, of course

UB- Synagogue, replaces temple, extra food (kosher kitchens) perhaps?

UU- Israeli Defender, replaces mechanical infantry, bonus strength in home territory?

Hunter7500 said:

Hah! I totally forgot about them! Poor Sikhs :c

Yeah, I derped and forgot about the Synagogue. Good idea for a UB.

About the Sikhs though...

Civ: Sikh Empire
Leader: Ranjit Singh

You united the Punjabi people under a unified empire... blah blah blah

UU: Nihang
UB: Gurdwara

Discuss?

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Civ suggestion and discussion thread that way --> http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=433030

Nyanko said:

Civ suggestion and discussion thread that way --> http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=433030

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Right, getting off topic.

On topic, I do agree with fuzzatron717 that Babylon should be Judaism. I mean, if they had Hammurabi, no, but Nebuchadnezzar II? He sent the Jews into exile and conquered Jerusalem!

Flying Mathias said:

What are those Civs? I'm not good on history outside of Europe and Arabia, unfortunately.

And for your second part, since we have no form of Paganism for the Celts and Iroquois, or some sort of Sun God religion for The Aztecs and Maya, they get Christianity because that's the religion that's most prevalent in their modern countries today.

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Adjuvant said:

I thought about this. I don't know which civs are hard-coded to establish Judaism, but historically, likely options would be...

Nebuchadnezzar! - Disenfranchised the greater part of the Hebrews, and biblically had the "famous statue vision" imparted to him by the god of Abraham. Then he got stomped by Zoroastrianists, but if given time might he have converted?

Carthage - Were Semitic peoples, the founder originally from "Phoenecia", the "northern Levant" from which certainly semitic culture spread all over the Mediterranean.

Egypt - Altho famously (biblically) enslaved the Hebrews, contained all the necessary "sparks" to have "propagated" Judaism. Hyksos (semitic) occupation in the 15th dynasty (is this why Abraham traveled back and forth to Egypt?), Akhenaten's attempt at monotheism, and the Merneptah stele (chronicling dominance over "Israel") all play a part.

Arabia - Even though Harun, himself, of course wasn't "Jewish", thousands of years prior, the semitic people, of which a subset would become Hebrews, wandered north from the Arabian Peninsula to establish dominance in Mesopotamia.

Ethiopia - Solomonic dynasty. Enough said.

Really, tho, when it comes down to facts, the Hebrews (Habiru?) were a particularly violent group of desert bedouins and it's little wonder they had so much trouble "getting along" with neighbors. Maybe they should start off as a "barbarian religion" from a particularly prolific barbarian camp that spawns its own prophets and spreads like a plague. Mod anyone?

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Also, Iroquois and Celts weren't "pagan". That term (altho originally meant to mean "civilian" or "plebian") evolved to mean "worship of a deity (or lack thereof) than another's".

Iroquois were "animist" by definition, and I'd like to see more "animist options" instead of "Goddesses of the hunt for example", but other cultures (like Celts, Norse,Aztec) were polytheistic with arguably "animist elements"...

... alot like what religions are in G&K. You have a "pantheon" (elicits polytheism) and "flavor" of nature spirituality vs ancestor worship vs messiah narrows your specific religion's effects.

TL;DR : All religions in G&K consider "collective gods" in a pantheon. "Pagan" is a derogatory term for a religion "other than your own".

Adjuvant said:

Also, Iroquois and Celts weren't "pagan". That term (altho originally meant to mean "civilian" or "plebian") evolved to mean "worship of a deity (or lack thereof) than another's".

Iroquois were "animist" by definition, and I'd like to see more "animist options" instead of "Goddesses of the hunt for example", but other cultures (like Celts, Norse,Aztec) were polytheistic with arguably "animist elements"...

... alot like what religions are in G&K. You have a "pantheon" (elicits polytheism) and "flavor" of nature spirituality vs ancestor worship vs messiah narrows your specific religion's effects.

TL;DR : All religions in G&K consider "collective gods" in a pantheon. "Pagan" is a derogatory term for a religion "other than your own".

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I was always taught that Paganism was the worship of nature spirits, although that's also the definition of animism.

3/4 of those Civs all want to be Christians. Explains why its damn near impossible to get this religion as any other Civ other than the Celts.

Flying Mathias said:

I was always taught that Paganism was the worship of nature spirits, although that's also the definition of animism.

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Blame the romans. Anyone who wasn't christian by 500AD was pagan and subject to conversion or death.

A parallel connotation is found with the word "hippie". Originally it was a derogatory term for a "dirty, jobless political upstart with haggard fashion", but in spite, young people adopted the term as an identity. So, to have modern "pagans", probably from lack of education on the terms "animism", "totemism" and "pantheism".

all my civilizations found the eagle one.

Flying Mathias said:

Or Israel. They'd be pretty easy to implement. Leader- Solomon? UB- Synagogue, etc.

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Of course this would never happen, because of controversity