Holy City converted

[Lightbringer]

So, I founded a religion, but my holy city (and any other) got converted. All I can do there now is recruit is missionaries etc. of the enemy religion. So how do I get rid of this? Seems like a broken mechanic to me.

[reborn]

I'm in the same situation. I'm not sure what to do either.

[Chrisyou]

There is a project all the way at the bottom that should help convert your holy city back

[reborn]

Originally posted by Chrisyou:

There is a project all the way at the bottom that should help convert your holy city back

I looked down at the bottom and only found Holy Site Prayers. After I did that, it just gave me a faith boost, but didn't convert my city back to my founded religion. Is there something I am missing?

[Lightbringer]

From what I read in other forums, where people posed the same question, is that this means that you basically "lost the religious war", and there's no way to get your extinguished religion back. Basically, the game just does a poor job (not) explaining this.

[reborn]

Originally posted by Lightbringer:

From what I read in other forums, where people posed the same question, is that this means that you basically "lost the religious war", and there's no way to get your extinguished religion back. Basically, the game just does a poor job (not) explaining this.

I thought that could be the case. Thanks for helping to clarify. I guess I just have to have a domination victory instead.

[Roarak]

Killing religious units causes a decrease in religious pressure in every city within 10 tiles, so if you can kill enemy religious units near your capital you might be able to weaken their religion enough for yours to become dominant again

[brulis2]

I'm confused about this issue as well. Once your founding city is converted, you aren't able to produce units that can kill enemy religious units. In fact, enemy religious units are not interpreted as enemy if your founding city is converted.

[Exemplar]

You can kill religious units, as defenseless civilians, with your military units, if you are at war.

A converted holy city is a sad development. Depending on the amount of surrounding religious pressure, the holy city's religious pressure (which is very strong on its own) may or may not ever leverage back.

For the current game, I would consider your religion a loss, chalk it up to a learning experience, and try to not let it happen in the future. Next time, bank faith (after maybe one missionary) and beeline theology so you can get an apostle out asap to pop for "launch inqusition", buy a couple inquisitors. Protect these guys by stacking them on military units or cities, because they have charges which completely remove an opponent religion. They have decent holy combat defensive strength in your territory, but an opponent debater mixed in a wave of 3 or 4 opponent apostles will kill them quickly. If you're so overwhelmed, declare war to clear out opponent religious units with your military. Rinse/repeat until your religion can stand on its own two feet without needing to DoW.

[ambershee]

If you no longer have any cities that can produce religious units, you have lost the war. If you have another city that can produce religious units, you can try to get your city back.

[brulis2]

Hmm... good to know, I guess. I wasn't going for a religious victory, but it seems a shame that something like this can happen so easily. All it really took was a civilization sending in a couple of apostles to my fledgling civ and wiped me out with no way to stop them.

[Grzemek]

Train Apostles, Launch Inquisition, Keep 1 Inquisitor as a backup. Kill enemy missionaries and Apostles. Don't just watch enemy Translators and Proselytizers roll over your land. Promote 1 Apostle into Debater, park him at your Holy Site so he will be healing himself ridiculous amounts every turn. You can park an Inquisitor this way as well.

I believe Holy City will passively and VERY slowly convert back to its religion, but if your holy city is receiving religious pressure of foreign religion from both your other cities and foreign cities, that pressure might totally outweigh this process.

Saying it's easy to have one's religion wiped out is like saying it's unfair to lose your capital to AI because you built Monument and Builders instead of units.

There is no project that converts your city back. You need to actively maintain your religion if someone spreads to you.

[mickey]

I hope this does not get changed; it's a good way to also stop AI to spam their religion around.