How do I instate a state religion?

[theskibum]

Title says it all.
I am currently in a game where all religions except Christianity and Islam are founded. When I go into my religious advisor screen, it tells me I cannot set any of the founded religions as my state religion. There is a list of my cities, but no info listed with them. Under each religion heading there are 3 rows, the last row has a percentage, none are higher than 8% right now. I am playing the Romans as Julius Cesar if this makes any difference. The game is also on the 2nd difficulty (my first Civ4 game).

If anyone knows what I need to do please let me know. It doesn't seem I have any way to build missionaries or any religious buildings at all in my cities. The AI is picking religions are making allies, and I cannot because I do not have a religion. I want to see this aspect of the game since in my opinion it seems to be the only major change from Civ3. Thanks for the help. (by the way, I tried searching, but nothing struck on what I am after, so I am assuming this is something really easy I am missin)

 

[Blackclove]

You need to have one of your own cities be converted to a religion first. If none of your cities has a religion, you can't declare a state religion. Usually, you'll get a pop-up when the first city converts saying something like, "Hinduism has spread in your lands!" and you'll have a choice to covert your civ to it or to dismiss it as hokey incense-burning claptrap.

Try getting open borders with someone who has a state religion. They should eventually send a missionary over to convert your people, and then you can start spreading it yourself.

 

[Blackclove]

Oh, and you can also always conquer a city with a religion

That works, too I recently discovered Judaism had been founded next to my "friendly" Mongol empire. Pretty soon it was our religion... after we swallowed the city that founded it.

 

[theskibum]

So is there any way to direct my people toward a religion (aside from open boarders or conquest)? Would I need to be the first to discover it?

 

[icemanjsg]

So is there any way to direct my people toward a religion (aside from open boarders or conquest)? Would I need to be the first to discover it?

Bingo.

 

[AncientPlayer]

..next to my "friendly" Mongol empire...

The word friendly does NOT belog in the same sentence as Mongol

 

[Point13]

Oh, and you can also always conquer a city with a religion

That works, too I recently discovered Judaism had been founded next to my "friendly" Mongol empire. Pretty soon it was our religion... after we swallowed the city that founded it.

Friendly Mongols? Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure whatever you say.

 

[Blackclove]

We were *VERY* friendly. We gave our neighbors lots of friendly gestures, like shooting arrows at them and stabbing swords in their direction. These are classical gestures of friendliness in Mongol culture.

 

[paperchase417]

Ironically, I'm in a game where the Mongols and I are very friendly. They are just below me in score, and science, but they have a stronger military. The key is that they share our relgion. They even went to world war with me, and Carthage against the Ottomans, Russia, Germany, and France. The Ottomans didn't make it out alive. I eventually made peace with the other nations, while Carthage and Mongolia were at it a while longer with them. I had to regroup cause I had an Aztec Celt alliance breathing down my neck. Those bastards will pay tomorrow.