What determines which religion the computer will found?

Solution 1:

Each civilization has a favored religion which it will try to found.

Because most of the civilizations favored Christanity in Gods & Kings, that religion was split into three "sub-religions" in Brave new world; Protestantism Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

So the chance of a religion being founded in a certain game depends on the civilizations you're facing.

In Gods and Kings these are the favored religions for each civilization:

  • America: Christianity
  • Arabia: Islam
  • Aztecs: Christianity
  • China: Taoism
  • Egypt: Islam
  • England: Christianity
  • France: Christianity
  • Germany: Christianity
  • Greece: Christianity
  • India: Hinduism
  • Iroquois: Christianity
  • Japan: Shinto
  • Ottomans: Islam
  • Persia: Zoroastrianism
  • Rome: Christianity
  • Russia: Christianity
  • Siam: Buddhism
  • Songhai: Islam
  • Austria: Christianity
  • Byzantium: Christianity
  • Carthage: Islam
  • Celts: Christianity
  • Ethiopia: Christianity
  • Huns: Tengriism
  • Maya: Christianity
  • Netherlands: Christianity
  • Sweden: Christianity
  • Spain: Christianity
  • Mongols: Tengriism
  • Inca: Christianity
  • Polynesia: Christianity
  • Denmark: Christianity
  • Korea: Confucianism
  • Babylon: Islam

Source: Civfanatics forums