If you could create your own religion, what would you want?

[Tarragon]

A religion doesn't have to include anything that's non-empirical. Some say, "people can be religious about anything, even football." So, choice of super- or preternatural beliefs is up to you. Of course some people might think it requires some sort of higher power. But must that be a god? Maybe it could be something slightly more scientific, like a hope that the universe is a simulation and we are virtual, or the simulation is a matrix we can eventually wake up from.

Would it be as simple as Bill & Ted's "Be Excellent to each other"? Or would you like to include lots of fun, esoteric or tribal rituals full of meaning? A lot of religions have ceremonies that are re-enactments of historic events that are miraculous or simply foundational.

Would you have symbolic food or purity ceremonies full of symbolism? Maybe you'd claim Doritos are the ultimate symbol of the three-way relationship between mother, father, and child, or something.

I might include the Scrambling of the Egg (with tarragon). The Egg represents the world, and the 'erb's meaning is that Terra is gone, destroyed by heat and violent mixing. Sic Transit Gloria Ovum.

[vendic]

Oddly I had a similar thought recently based on the idea that it seems some people really need to believe in something because what this world offers isn't enough. The idea was to formulate a set of rules that people can't corrupt seeing as no matter what rule/law we come up with someone decides to interpret it in a way to give them the power to do what they want and justify it by the rules/laws that others want to respect. IOW, corrupting the message regardless of the intent of the message. For example, there was wording in the Bible that stated that as it was written by God (or by someone under his influence) that it cannot be corrupted. Or some such thing. We see how that worked out!

My initial ideas were something like defining what constitutes harm, then setting up rules that stop anyone from doing harm.
Of course that causes problems with simple thought experiments where a person has to decide which is greater and which is lesser harm when both do harm. I remember discussing this a long time ago with TSC (The Supreme Canuck) which I found a great discussion but he doesn't post here anymore. He does lurk though. So I'm hoping to entice him...

In that discussion iirc the core principle was to make rules for life but provide no guarantee who you will be in life. I've probably fucked that up (maybe even on purpose) and TSC can correct me on it.

So in answer to your question, I've tried to come up with something but failed. What I would like is for people to stop thinking others are the enemy and if anyone wants them to think that way that they should realise that the person telling them is the real enemy or being played. Maybe that should be a core principle to abide by. Of course, sociopaths could have a field day with that one unless another clause is put in.

Maybe I'm just not wise enough to make idiot and sociopath proof rules for life because idiots are so ingenious and sociopaths are so damned determined to bypass anything that hinders them.