Religion and Belief Systems in Worldbuilding
Last month we spent some time discussing worldbuilding, specifically how having an overall theme can tie our worldbuilding concepts together and looking at how including specific details can provide depth. Today we’re looking at worldbuilding a bit more as we focus on religion and belief systems. We’ll go over the importance of belief systems, strategies for including them in our worldbuilding, and common pitfalls to watch out for. But first: What is a belief system? A belief system is defined as “a set of principles or tenets which together form the basis of a religion, philosophy, or moral code.” Sound simple enough? Basically, it’s whatever point of view a person is coming from and how they see the world. Beyond any individual’s personal beliefs, most cultures contain several established religions or widespread systems of philosophy. These include beliefs and stories surrounding the start of life/creation, concepts of good and evil, and how people understa...