How do you form your own religion without it being considered a dangerous cult?

Question

I performed a search on Google and found humorous blogs or people ravenously defending their own religions. There was also a smattering of information on cults, the dangers of said cults, police raids on cults, how to avoid cults, how to know if you are in a cult, so on, so forth.
What there curiously was a lack of was serious information on how to institute a new religion. 
So, how would I go about establishing one? My gods are, as far as I know known only to myself. 
I was tasked with concluding my "quest" without being told what it was or how to do it. I felt a bit like Arthur Dent when he was tasked with finding the question to the answer "42."
Since then I have worked out that my purpose for the moment is to build a base of followers. This was done by spending every single night since then lonely with only the company of good Jack Daniels. Eventually, through mental breakdowns and fits of hysteria, alcohol abuse and hallucinations from dehydration, I realized it was necessary to end my loneliness and find some others to share my burden. Well, no time like the present, and so here I am asking you good people what the next step is.

taffygirl · Accepted Answer

You don't need religion, you need God, and there's a big difference.
There is only one true God.  Call on Him & He will hear you, but don't think He will answer when you expect Him to. God works on His time not on ours. 
Why do you want to create your own religion?  Find God. Religion is just what the world expects you to have.  I have no religion, I have Jesus Christ.  I belong to an affiliate of Calvary Chapel.  There must be a church near you that has what you are looking for. Talk to God, & listen to his casual reply.

Anonymous · Answer

Okay, the early Jews were driven out of Canaan forn their divergent beliefs. The various empires around them tried to suppress them. Early Christians were martyred and hounded because they were a dangerous cult. The history of the Crusades is Europe's attempt to quash the danger cult of Islam. The counter-reformation was dozens of wars fought to crush the deranged cults of protestantism. Adventists, Quakers and Mormons have all been driven out of towns and persecuted as dangerous cults. With the exceptions of Shintoism and Hinduism (which have been persecuted but differently) I know of no religion that exists that didn't start out as a dangerous cult for 100 years or more. Many still find the Mormon's terrifying.

My advice is that ANY religion goes through a dangerous cult phase, and the only way to avoid it is to not start one up.

Anonymous · Answer

write a book
amass a following
hold weekly meetings
create a nonprofit business
spread the message throughout the world
get a marvelous spokesperson
herald him as your media icon
run for president of the United States
win the nobel peace prize
Instill your religion upon the masses
Enjoy the kick backs
live long and propagate. 
Make a plan to invest your wealth 
Leave your inheritance in a will to your children so they can carry on your legacy for 1000 years. 

if you had the inclination to do such a thing.

Anonymous · Answer

I've thought about it a lot, 
read it often. I wrote a book about the Book of Mormon, 
partly just because I wanted my own conviction, 
my testimony, to be in print, even if only for my children's sake.
I dismiss out of hand the early criticism that somehow this was a book that Joseph Smith wrote. 

The only thing more miraculous than an angel providing him with those plates and him translating them by divine inspiration would be that he sat down and wrote it with a ballpoint pen and a spiral notebook.

enginerd · Answer

Why do you care if people think you are a dangerous cult?  All the best religions (Christianity, Islam, etc) started out as groups generally considered to be dangerous cults.

The standard method is to describe your theology, print some tracts, and hit the road, the internet, the neighbors, the park, etc with religious zeal.  Good luck.

Martin S · Answer

The next step is to walk in the truth instead of denial. Starting a "religion" of your own is to deny the Creator and His revelation of truth in the Bible.

If you are lonely and have a drinking problem then get converted to the only true religion because there is only one God and one Savior and He will give you his Holy Spirit so that you can live a new life with divine power and wisdom.

http://contenderministries.org/romanroad.php

The Roman Road to Salvation


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ROMANS ROAD....is a pathway you can walk.

 It is a group of Bible verses from the book of Romans in the New Testament.  If you walk down this road you will end up understanding how to be saved.

Anonymous · Answer

Forget it!  Religion is a dead and rotten thing with no life and subsists on doctrine, ritual, and performance.  It has no true life of any kind.

You need a relationship with the God that has been made available through Christ's death on Calvary.  It is the only hope for anyone on earth, and will bring peace to you soul that no religion can give.

Luke Obsidia · Answer

Do some research on how Scientology came to get so popular.  It's considered a religion, but also a cult.  But you might be able to get some new idea of your own to base such a religion on.

Then go preach in the streets, make fliers or business cards and pass them out.

Gotta network, dude!

? · Answer

Well, I don't know,but I can tell you how to receive free CD's and pamphlets. Go to www. familyradio.com. Ask them for free materials like CD"S and tracts you can hand out on sunday. Also go to www.ebiblefellowship and ask Christ what can you do about this. Maybe he can get You started. Pray for wisdom about this. I hope the Lord will guide you

GlooBoy · Answer

I really don't care what your beliefs are. But if you are interested these guys don't care either.

http://www.ulc.org/training/8-starting-a-congregation

Hope they help point you in the right direction.

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How do you form your own religion without it being considered a dangerous cult?

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