forum Would a sort of hive mind species, have a religion?

Started June 21, 2018 by @kirailove

tune

I'm making a hive-like species, it isn't like they're all mind controlled by the queen, but they are sort of in a hive society underground. So would they need a religion? I kind of want to make them a hive-cult thing.

Not to be too edgy but really the only difference between a religion and a cult is how socially acceptable it is too worship it. Wether your hive would be a cult or just a in a dictatorship would depend, I imagine, on if they believe their queen is some kind of supernatural being or not. If not she is just political leader, but either way this queen could demand vows of loyalty or rituals and sacrifices which would surely make things much more disturbing. On the topic of not being mind controlled however, and again I don't mean to be edgy here, but people or any beings capable of complex thought conform much more than even they realize, even those who pride themselves on being nonconformists aren't that different from those in their niche. For example I feel safe in assuming that you as a real person generally adhere to the rules and morals of your society because it's what you've been taught and what you have seen is valued in your culture whatever if may be. What I mean mean is, if these creatures spend their lives inside a contained hive then many, and most likely all of them, will believe and follow this cult just because that's simply the way of life in their society. Monkey see Monkey do if you will.
Hope that helps.

Wow! that was a really good response and I like the way you worded it. Definitely not too edgy, thanks for your advice mate!

@kirailove Sure thing Jelly bean happy writing

I'm here now, and I want to add on to Azure?
I wouldn't say that the only thing is social acceptability. It's partly region. For example, the North Korean religion is a cult based around their leader (whoever it happens to be at the time, right now it's Kim Jong-Un), so it's a religion there (to not be part of it is illegal), but we see it as a cult. It's all region dependent.
Another qualifier for a cult is the quality of beliefs. If a "religion" has harmful beliefs, then it's usually referred to as a cult.
Generally, cults are small (in relative terms). A cult could have several hundred people, but compared to Christianity (which is estimated to be about 1/3 of the world's population), that cult of several hundred is small.

Well yeah I agree, I think in Kira's case obviously the members of her cult wouln't see their belifes as wrong, but we as the audience and outside observers with likely view it as such. But also consider more older polytheistic and especially ancient religions, they had many practices that we call horrifying (because they were) that to their followers were completely acceptable, like for the example the big one of human sacrifice. And that's probably going to be the beauty of your creepyhivecultreligionwhateverit'llbecalled is that no matter how wrong and terrifying their practices may or not be to us through our first world western eyes, they'll be common place to your characters. So basically, yeah, culture values are subjective and even our firmest held beliefs can mean nothing in a different place and that's all rather terrifying and that is why it will make your writing excellent. Cool beans.

it's kirai, lol,
but yeah, I like that idea. and actually, it's a game @Azuresbend !

An example of what a hive mind might worship was explored in the newest Wings of Fire book, where the wasp-based dragons were following the word of the Book of Clearsight, an ancient NightWing that escaped her magically-crazed husband and landed on another continent. She could see the future, and proved her worth by saving the dragons from multiple natural disasters and military coups. The HiveWings, of whom Clearsight helped foster, began taking all of her recorded visions as gospel (literally!) and took control of the continent.

Cue a whole bunch of political intrigue relating to fascism and a plot twist relating to the contents of the book, but I won't spoil it.

Goreadtheseriesit'ssupercool.

I'm sorry, got a little to nerdy for me on a series i don't even know, but i think i got the idea?

I have a hivemind species that was mostly wiped out, bar the sole survivor. They believed in a higher mind, an entity that connected them all, created the universe and will one day destroy it so a new one can be born. The concept is still a work in progress, but idk I just thought that might help?

Their "religion" would be there hive mind, I think. Whatever force controls the hive would be their ultimate authority, even to any higher-ups the hive might have.