Question about temples, monasteries, and cathedrals.

[Sero Sed Serio]

Do these buildings spread your religion as well, or is it only the shrine you build in your holy cities?

I'm playing a game as the Indians and I got Buddhism and Hinduism, but I've lost Christianity and Confucianism to Mansa Mansu and Elizabeth. I think I have Taoism in the bag (4 turns left).

The reason this is important is because Mansa Musa in the lead for points, and has a huge army, but I am in second place for points and 5 out of the 7 civs, including mine, follow Hinduism very devoutly. I wasn't intending a culture victory but Mansa is just so good expanding, then amassing a huge army, and then teching, and I may have to focus on culture to win and keep this guy at bay.

 

[slobberinbear]

My best guess here, based on experience:

My understanding is that there is a random chance for religion to spread to a city without any religion. That chance is greatly increased by building the holy shrine. There also seems to be some kind of continent or intercontinental trade route restriction (which explains why the "other" continent is always some other religion, which is not found at all on your continent).

Open borders and religious buildings apparently have no effect on spread. Trade routes (between your own cities, for instance) seem to help the spread, but are not required.

The best ways to get religion to spread is to get open borders and send missionaries in. Then, with diplomacy or spies, get the target to convert to your faith. After that, the new convert will (depending on personality) actively spread the faith itself.

Good luck on the culture win. You can also try a holy war with the AP if you want to take Mansa out before he gets to space.

 

[Tennyson]

IIRC, religion travels with trade. With open borders, you get trade routes to neighbors, and that is when your religion has a better (only?) chance of spreading to them automatically. If you gain more trade routes via civics, your religion should have a better chance of spreading, under this theory.

Of course, this was many patches and expansions ago I last saw this dissected.

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

Do these buildings spread your religion as well, or is it only the shrine you build in your holy cities?

Only the shrine in the unmodded game. More details.

 

[civman21]

trade routes help but religions will spread without a shrine or treade routes to other civs, I've seen it happen. I play vanilla so I can't speak for BTS.