XPost: sci.med.psychobiology, bionet.neuroscience   
   From: dalton@nfld.com   
      
   There may be several types of founders of religions:   
      
   1.  cult leader types (charismatic sociopaths),   
   2.  prophet types who do channeling and/or receive revelation,   
         who might be diagnosed as schizophrenic or schizoaffective   
         if interviewed by a modern psychiatrist, (e.g. Mohammed),   
   3.  avatar types/Openers of the Way, similar to me, who   
         probably do not intend to start a religion, and   
         who would be diagnosed as bipolar or schizoaffective   
         if interviewed by a modern psychiatrist,   
         (e.g. Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Taliesin),   
   4.  rebels against existing abusive religions,   
   5.  scholars/gurus, maybe like Nanak and Baha'u'llah.   
   6.  celebrities who are worshipped by their fans   
   7.  (maybe) aliens who visited Earth long ago   
      
   Sometimes any of the above do not found a religion   
   but bring about a significant update in an   
   existing religion.   
      
   Can you list any more types in addition to the above seven?   
      
   Also I guess some figures might fall into more than   
   one of the seven categories.   
      
   I discuss #3 above on my Salmon on the Thorns web page   
   http://www.nfld.com/~dalton/dtales.html  though much   
   research remains to be done.   
      
   --   
   David Dalton  dalton@nfld.com   http://www.nfld.com/~dalton (home page)   
   http://www.nfld.com/~dalton/nf.html Newfoundland&Labrador Music & Travel   
   "Now, mama, dance with me; I want my arms about you   
   The charms about you; Will carry me through"  (Irving Berlin)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)