WI: Major World Religion founded after Islam?

Chairwoman Roxelana

I was wondering if a Major World Religion could be founded after Islam has become the dominant religion of the middle east. It has to have at least 100,000,000 followers and a significant area where it's adherents are the majority.

Is this possible, and how extensive would it's effects be if there were another major religion in India, the Middle East, or Europe?
 
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Romana

Looking at OTL religions, the best candidate seems to be the Baha'i Faith. It's young for a religion (the Bab didn't officially declare its existence until 1844); but also one of the most progressive religions out there; its core tenements include equality between women and men, universal compulsory education, elimination of all forms of prejudice, and harmony between religion and science.

Probably one of the Faith's biggest strengths are its belief of Manifestations of God; that the Prophets of the major world religions that came before it (Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Abraham, ect.) all preached the truth of God in a sort of 'spiritual evolution'; each religion is the truth for its own time period, with the next Manifestation of God bringing an ever advanced revelation of the truth, and thus bringing the world closer to God. Converting to the Faith therefore wouldn't mean leaving Christianity or Islam behind and rejecting your friends and families as nonbelievers, but moving to the most recent revelation of truth, the Baha'i Faith.

As the Baha'i sprang up in Iran under a very oppressive regime, I doubt it could ever prosper in its homeland, but would do very well in developed regions (Europe, the Americas) jaded with the antiquated views of their old religions. Being a member of the Faith wouldn't mean denying science like evolution, but valuing it as a truth that brings them closer to God.

The Faith today has around 5 million followers, but those 5 million followers are spread over more than 200 countries and territories. Give the Baha'i Faith a POD that places more emphasis on proselytizing and it probably become very big very quickly.

I'm no expert on the Faith, so here's more info here if you want to take a closer look at its potentials for becoming a more major religion: http://info.bahai.org/.
 

Emperor Julian

Baha'i seems to have sprung too late to become a major religion; I feel sometime in the Medieval Era would probably be the latest such a major religion could spread.

Maybe a large Altaic empire, instead of being like the secular Mongol Empire of OTL, could be a religious empire founded by a Prophet like the Caliphate, and establish a major new religion in Central Asia?
 

Spelf

Emperor Julian said:
Baha'i seems to have sprung too late to become a major religion; I feel sometime in the Medieval Era would probably be the latest such a major religion could spread.

Maybe a large Altaic empire, instead of being like the secular Mongol Empire of OTL, could be a religious empire founded by a Prophet like the Caliphate, and establish a major new religion in Central Asia?
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Reformed Tengri!!

:D
 

stevecharb

Catharism succeeds.

(Protestantism and Catholicism might both be considered two sects of the same religion, but isn't Catharism significantly different enough that it would eventually produce Testament 3, repeating the Judaism-Christianity split?)

Pierre de Castelnau is never assassinated, and Pope Innocent III continues to send missionaries to southern France and other Catharist territories. It doesn't really work, and Catharism survives, spreads, and in a way fulfills early the historical role of Protestantism... except with a completely different Catholicism/Catharism map.
 

Chairwoman Roxelana

Emperor Norton I said:
Mormonism?
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How do you propose that Mormonism becomes a major religion?

stevecharb said:
Catharism succeeds.

(Protestantism and Catholicism might both be considered two sects of the same religion, but isn't Catharism significantly different enough that it would eventually produce Testament 3, repeating the Judaism-Christianity split?)

Pierre de Castelnau is never assassinated, and Pope Innocent III continues to send missionaries to southern France and other Catharist territories. It doesn't really work, and Catharism survives, spreads, and in a way fulfills early the historical role of Protestantism... except with a completely different Catholicism/Catharism map.
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I wonder how the Colonial Era would look if you had Catharism establish itself as a major religion in Western Europe along with Catholicism.
 

caliburdeath

Romana said:
Looking at OTL religions, the best candidate seems to be the Baha'i Faith. It's young for a religion (the Bab didn't officially declare its existence until 1844); but also one of the most progressive religions out there; its core tenements include equality between women and men, universal compulsory education, elimination of all forms of prejudice, and harmony between religion and science.

Probably one of the Faith's biggest strengths are its belief of Manifestations of God; that the Prophets of the major world religions that came before it (Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Abraham, ect.) all preached the truth of God in a sort of 'spiritual evolution'; each religion is the truth for its own time period, with the next Manifestation of God bringing an ever advanced revelation of the truth, and thus bringing the world closer to God. Converting to the Faith therefore wouldn't mean leaving Christianity or Islam behind and rejecting your friends and families as nonbelievers, but moving to the most recent revelation of truth, the Baha'i Faith.

As the Baha'i sprang up in Iran under a very oppressive regime, I doubt it could ever prosper in its homeland, but would do very well in developed regions (Europe, the Americas) jaded with the antiquated views of their old religions. Being a member of the Faith wouldn't mean denying science like evolution, but valuing it as a truth that brings them closer to God.

The Faith today has around 5 million followers, but those 5 million followers are spread over more than 200 countries and territories. Give the Baha'i Faith a POD that places more emphasis on proselytizing and it probably become very big very quickly.

I'm no expert on the Faith, so here's more info here if you want to take a closer look at its potentials for becoming a more major religion: http://info.bahai.org/.
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Bahai is Iranian too? I must have a lot of Iranians in my area, because I have a Bahai and a Zoroastrian temple within walking distance of my house. In America. In the south.
 

Mongo

Sikhism is already fairly close, with ~30 million adherents. It was founded in 1699 as a reaction to Islam, incorporating a number of Abrahamic tenets but remaining a Dharmic religion. It definitely has a reputation as being a "warrior religion", the Sikhs are not noted for being pacifists.

If it were slightly more popular, and its adherents had succeeded in fully holding back the tide of Islam, it could certainly have spread through much of Southern and Central Asia, meeting the requirements of the OP.
 
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Chrzęścimir

Chrzęścimir

Maybe Turkey-originated Bektashism ? It's very distant from "clear" Shia Islam, and its believers had a high influences in Ottoman army (also in military elites). This movement has many loans from Christianity.
 

jabberwoky

Mongo said:
Sikhism is already fairly close, with ~30 million adherents. It was founded in 1699 as a reaction to Islam, incorporating a number of Abrahamic tenets but remaining a Dharmic religion. It definitely has a reputation as being a "warrior religion", the Sikhs are not noted for being pacifists.

If it were slightly more popular, and its adherents had succeeded in fully holding back the tide of Islam, it could certainly have spread through much of Southern and Central Asia, meeting the requirements of the OP.
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So, Sikhism spreading to places like Kazakhstan and Mongolia? maby even China? Now that would be interesting.
 

The Oncoming Storm

What about Taiping? Perhaps if Hong Xiuquan hadn't been so batshit insane or if a pragmatist such as Hong Rengnam manages to curb the more extreme teachings it may have developed into a Fourth Abrahamic religion.
 

Ganesha

jabberwoky said:
So, Sikhism spreading to places like Kazakhstan and Mongolia? maby even China? Now that would be interesting.
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Sikhism does sound like a good candidate.

There's a problem, however, which it shares with the Baha'i faith.

Neither religion proselytizes. One of the main reasons Christianity and Islam were so phenomenally successful, and continue to be, is that they actively seek out new converts. Without that, growth is a much slower process.

How possible would it be for Baha'ism to be seen as the religion of "progress and modernity" throughout the Western and Latin world - in other words, Christianity is the anti-modernist, medieval faith and Baha'i is the new industrial order?

I could see that happening - but only for a few exalted intellectuals, not for the masses. Any way to change that?

Cheers,
Ganesha
 

Ganesha

Another interesting possibility is Din-e Ilahi, a syncretist faith created by Akbar the Great. Historically, although Akbar was a great proponent of the new faith, it never got off the ground and lasted only a few years after his death.

However, Akbar died relatively young (at only 63). If he lived longer and Jahangir, his son and successor, actively promoted Din-e Ilahi, it could become a religion of the elite throughout the Indian subcontinent.

Cheers,
Ganesha
 

Dathi THorfinnsson

Mongo said:
Sikhism is already fairly close, with ~30 million adherents. It was founded in 1699 as a reaction to Islam, incorporating a number of Abrahamic tenets but remaining a Dharmic religion. It definitely has a reputation as being a "warrior religion", the Sikhs are not noted for being pacifists.

If it were slightly more popular, and its adherents had succeeded in fully holding back the tide of Islam, it could certainly have spread through much of Southern and Central Asia, meeting the requirements of the OP.
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Ganesha said:
Sikhism does sound like a good candidate.

There's a problem, however, which it shares with the Baha'i faith.

Neither religion proselytizes. One of the main reasons Christianity and Islam were so phenomenally successful, and continue to be, is that they actively seek out new converts. Without that, growth is a much slower process.
.....

Cheers,
Ganesha
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Mormonism may only have 14 million atm, but its growing rapidly, in the US, and especially out of it. Already fewer than half of all mormons live in the states.

It clearly has great potential for continued growth, especially in Africa.

Unlike the Sikhs and Baha'i, they do proselytize. Agressively and stereotypically even.
 
Neoteros

Neoteros

Strategos' Risk said:
Maybe Mormonism will do to the United States and the West what Christianity did to the Roman Empire.
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I don't think it will happen, and I don't want it to happen... not because I have something against Mormonism itself, but because right now, Mormonism is quite conservative. If it became less conservative, maybe it could have a chance.
 
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