Help me understand religion

[Wlauzon]

Even your own cities do not all convert automatically. One thing that seemed to work is to have one of the higher production cities do nothing but make missionairies for a while, and send them off to all possible cities - including your OWN if they don't show the little religion icon.

I was able to convert two other civs that would be otherwise hostile to me that way.

 

[Mewtarthio]

I think Free Religion (maybe pacifism too) nullifies these penalties, though...

Free Religion gives you +1 happiness for each religion, effectively converting a malus into a bonus. It also removes your State Religion, so all happiness modifiers connected with that are gone, too.

 

[Ruffin]

Free Religion gives you +1 happiness for each religion, effectively converting a malus into a bonus. It also removes your State Religion, so all happiness modifiers connected with that are gone, too.

So if you're strong in one, stay with a state religion. If you happen to have a lot of them, use it to your advantage with free religion. Okay.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Conflicting religions can create unhappiness.

Nope, doesn't happen, no unhappiness from multiple religions in a city. (seems like it might but it doesn't)

There are supposedly some reasons why you might not want a religion in your cities but that is not one of them (probably increased war weariness when attacking a civ with that as their official religion or something)

Good. Any way to A) Determine what my %s are, particularly for one city? And 2) Eradicate a religion from a city, even at the expense of unhappy citizens?

A) No because I don't believe those % exist a city either has it or they don't (I'm guessing for the 'world' % its assumed a city is split evenly among its religions)

2) No (unless you raze the city when you take it in which all the religions are 'eradicated from the city...but then so is the city

 

[Khaim]

Conflicting religions can create unhappiness.

I've never seen that. Not to say it isn't there, but if it is, it's rather minimal. I have four religions in all of my cities and no problems yet.

 

[ranathari]

I haven't gotten the game (I'm in the UK) and I was wondering what happens on the world stage if you use the Freedom of Religion civic - how does it affect the way other civs feel towards you?

 

[CrackedCrystal]

The general rule is to have all your cities have all the religions where you control the holy city. Then only spread your state religion to other players. And finally try not to let religions that other players own the holy city spread to your empire.

The last one is difficult to do and is not a hard and fast rule. The downside of letting a foriegn religion spread in your empire is you may be giving another civ GPT by having it, and they essentially get a "spy" in your city. the upside is you get to build more temples and thus get more happiness.

 

[Shillen]

One of the things I really don't get is when an AI switches to a religion other than the one that they founded. Why would they do that? Are they wanting to help out the other AI that founded that religion they switched to? I mean I know it adds strategy to the player. This way you can convert another civ to your religion. But it just doesn't make sense. It's not very "intelligent" of them to do.

 

[jar2574]

One of the things I really don't get is when an AI switches to a religion other than the one that they founded. Why would they do that? Are they wanting to help out the other AI that founded that religion they switched to? I mean I know it adds strategy to the player. This way you can convert another civ to your religion. But it just doesn't make sense. It's not very "intelligent" of them to do.

If all or most of their cities are worshipping a foreign religion, then converting to that religion will give those cities happiness. I do think that the AI converts too quickly, and thus adds to the spread of a foreign religion within its borders.

 

[Rellin]

The AI each have a preferred religion and switch to it if it is available and they feel it is safe or beneficial to do so.

 

[duxup]

If all or most of their cities are worshipping a foreign religion, then converting to that religion will give those cities happiness. I do think that the AI converts too quickly, and thus adds to the spread of a foreign religion within its borders.

I agree. I've seen the AI switch to my religion quite fast. Granted I send missionaries to their cities but they don't seem to do the same and early on it seems easy to get them to convert.

Anyway this topic is great as I've had some similar questions.

 

[cass1010]

I read that if you found a religion (and hold the holy city) you have read access to the city screen of every city which follows it. The indians founded hinduism and it spread to me. Somehow they were always one step ahead of me right until they beat me by 2 turns in the space race. After I lost I read about religion and on page 80 of the manual I realized they did know what I was doing. Next game I'll try to found my own.