In the most basic sense, worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary world. It is used by authors, artists, game developers, movie directors, etc. to create a setting and context for the story/experience they are wanting to convey.

One of the biggest reasons to use this method is because it enables us to explore themes and ideas that we might not be able to without the aide of things that don’t exist in our known world. For example, Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore uses magical realism to explore themes of queerness, family, culture, and love. Sure, they would have been able to explore those themes if the novel had been set in our known world, but the addition of magic allowed for the plot to go places it wouldn’t have before, thus asking the characters to confront these themes in ways they couldn’t have otherwise.

When you create a religion in an unknown world, you are able to create context for the how’s and why’s of your lived experience. For example, if I lived my life strictly by the mantra “winter is coming”, creating context for that would help me understand why that would affect the way I make decisions and behave in specific ways.

And finally, because it’s fun! It can be a completely different way of thinking about religion and theology, unlike anything we’ve experienced before. We can let our creativity flow, unhindered by dogma or societal expectations or traditions - or even laws of physics or the constructs of time and space. And it’s inspiring - infusing our spiritual life with new energy and ideas.