Religion question

[SkinzRool]

Is there a way to block other opponents missionaries from spreading their religion into your cities? I am currently playing a game against three AI opponents (Chinese, Egyptians, and Romans) and I was able to spread my religion in only one of them; the Chinese. I sent missionaries into the Roman and Egyptian cities as well, but I wasn't given the option to spread my religion in their cities eventhough they didn't have it. I would also like to find out how to block other Civs from spreading their religion into my cities if it is true that you can block this from happening. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[GiantRaven]

Theocracy, one of the religious civics

 

[_alphaBeta_]

The Theocracy civic prevents the spread of any non-state religion. This includes passive and well as active spread with missionaries.

 

[SkinzRool]

Thanks. I knew there had to be a way. Unfortunately it's one of the most expensive civics.

 

[Willem]

I would also like to find out how to block other Civs from spreading their religion into my cities if it is true that you can block this from happening.

It's not really an advantage to block a religion from spreading, that's considered more of a penalty of using Theocracy. More religions means more Temples you can build for more happiness and culture. Once you get to Free Religion, having more than 1 religion in a city is a real advantage. Just having it there gives you 1 happy citizen and 2 culture. Unless you really want the extra XP for your military units, which is the main reason for using it, I wouldn't bother with Theocracy. Organized Religion is going to be much more beneficial to you.

 

[SkinzRool]

It's not really an advantage to block a religion from spreading, that's considered more of a penalty of using Theocracy. More religions means more Temples you can build for more happiness and culture. Once you get to Free Religion, having more than 1 religion in a city is a real advantage. Just having it there gives you 1 happy citizen and 2 culture. Unless you really want the extra XP for your military units, which is the main reason for using it, I wouldn't bother with Theocracy. Organized Religion is going to be much more beneficial to you.

I disagree with this completely. I find that the only real advantage for using religion is to infiltrate enemy cities and to collect the gold from the buildings for the religion I found. And as far as the culture goes, I have been head and shoulders above the AI in culture thus far. However, once Scientific Method has been researched it nullifies the effects of having the missionary in the city. That's when I don't mind having other religions in my city.

 

[5cats]

You can cancel "open borders" and keep their missionaries out...

 

[SkinzRool]

You can cancel "open borders" and keep their missionaries out...

Yea, I knew that. I like keeping the AI happy until I'm ready to demolish them though. That only gets them mad at you.

 

[Willem]

I find that the only real advantage for using religion is to infiltrate enemy cities and to collect the gold from the buildings for the religion I found. And as far as the culture goes, I have been head and shoulders above the AI in culture thus far.

If you can build two Cathedrals of just two different religions, that boosts the culture rate of a city by 100%. With all 7, that becomes a 350% increase. I'd say that's a rather substantial benefit of having multiple religions, especially if you're going for a cultural victory.

However, once Scientific Method has been researched it nullifies the effects of having the missionary in the city. That's when I don't mind having other religions in my city.

I don't understand what you mean here. All Scientific Method does is make the Monastery obsolete. However you can still build Missionaries in cities that already have it built.

 

[Crighton]

Religion can be used subtley for warfare. If you have the holy shrine for the religion you get 1gpt for every city with that particular religion. More $$$ = More millitary you can afford. Plus if it's your state religion you can get the line of site into every city which has it, usefull for scoping things out. In games with many many cities you can conceivably (and yes I have done it) pull in more $ than you can spen at a 100% rate. Having the same state religion as other civs can be a huge benefit (and detriment if they have a different religion).

You can also close your borders to keep missionaries out but it doesn't prevent religions spreading via trade routes.

 

[SkinzRool]

I don't understand what you mean here. All Scientific Method does is make the Monastery obsolete. However you can still build Missionaries in cities that already have it built.

What I mean is, when Scientific Method has been researched you lose the ability to lift the fog of war off of the city that your missionary has spread his religion to. Early on in the games I find it very useful to always be able to see what is in other Civs cities.

If you can build two Cathedrals of just two different religions, that boosts the culture rate of a city by 100%. With all 7, that becomes a 350% increase. I'd say that's a rather substantial benefit of having multiple religions, especially if you're going for a cultural victory.

First off, I will never play for a cultural victory. Secondly, if I am so much higher than every other Civ in culture, why would I want to waste my time building cathedrals when I could be building tanks?

 

[BrutalusMaximus]

What I mean is, when Scientific Method has been researched you lose the ability to lift the fog of war off of the city that your missionary has spread his religion to.

I am fairly certain this statement is incorrect.

 

[Willem]

I am fairly certain this statement is incorrect.

Yes it is. You don't lose that ability until you adopt the Free Religion civic which has nothing to do with Scientific Method, and can be delayed until near the end of the game, when the UN resolution forces you to adopt it. If you disable diplomatic victory, you never have to adopt it.

 

[Olleus]

Religion can be used subtley for warfare. If you have the holy shrine for the religion you get 1gpt for every city with that particular religion. More $$$ = More millitary you can afford. Plus if it's your state religion you can get the line of site into every city which has it, usefull for scoping things out. In games with many many cities you can conceivably (and yes I have done it) pull in more $ than you can spen at a 100% rate. Having the same state religion as other civs can be a huge benefit (and detriment if they have a different religion).

You can also close your borders to keep missionaries out but it doesn't prevent religions spreading via trade routes.

I am currently at war with 2 people, have 90% science and 10% culture and about 1 rioter per city. However having 2 shrines in the same city + bank + market + grocer + wall street means that i still have +70 gpt

 

[Willem]

First off, I will never play for a cultural victory. Secondly, if I am so much higher than every other Civ in culture, why would I want to waste my time building cathedrals when I could be building tanks?

Just because you don't play for cultural victory doesn't mean that other people don't. Not everyone's a warmonger. Even as a warmonger, being able to keep 7 people happy by building a Temple from every religion can be helpful when War Weariness starts kicking in. No matter which way you play, it's an advantage to have more than 1 religion in your empire.

 

[SkinzRool]

Just because you don't play for cultural victory doesn't mean that other people don't. Not everyone's a warmonger. Even as a warmonger, being able to keep 7 people happy by building a Temple from every religion can be helpful when War Weariness starts kicking in. No matter which way you play, it's an advantage to have more than 1 religion in your empire.

As in real life, science and engineering is far more important than religion. If in the game I'm playing now I chose to have a cultural victory, it would have been over long ago. There are many very effective ways to spread culture without using religion.

 

[Sisiutil]

I'm also a proponent of the more-religions-is-better approach.

In addition to the cultural benefit, if you adopt Free Religion in mid-to-late game, each additional religion in a city increases its happiness, which is very helpful when your cities are getting huge and the risk of losing production to angry citizens increases accordingly.

The only disadvantage to religion I've come across is if you convert to another Civ's religion, since as it spreads and you build its temples and such, they're getting additional gold.

The only time I've done this is when playing for domination victory, when I don't care much about religion, and I want to keep at least one Civ happy with me while I take out everybody else. Their time will come, and that's when I'll get back all that gold I've sent them...

 

[Willem]

There are many very effective ways to spread culture without using religion.

True, but being able to build 7 Cathedrals in a high culture city is a very good one. And once you get Free Religion, you'll get 14 culture points just for having those religions in a city. Plus 7 happy people as Sisiutil points out, with another 7 if you build all the Temples. Just building religious structures can get you 73 culture points in a city.

 

[Yzman]

As in real life, science and engineering is far more important than religion. If in the game I'm playing now I chose to have a cultural victory, it would have been over long ago. There are many very effective ways to spread culture without using religion.

Show me a cultural win game where you have one or less religion in each city, it can't happen in the game.