Buddha went to the woods, Jesus to the desert and Mohammed crouched down in a cave in order to carve a name to themselves. So, what does Adolf Holl do? At the hair dresser’s he links philosophy and literature with spiritual intellectual history only to find his way back to a profane lifestyle. With “How To Found A Religion” the freethinker Adolf Holl drew up a manifesto. An essential, profound and affectionate one. Intending to found a religion, Holl takes a wander through the history of religions, asking “why” – why a profession of faith? The present day has sent the founders of our religions back to the desert and now a solution it is, what we need: a new religion! Adolf Holl asks questions and searches for the answers. Only one thing he is sure of: The suitable religion is still to be found. Ironically, funny as well as rich in content he describes his longing for a denomination that works and thus can be lived.

Adolf Holl embarks on a journey into the spirit world. He's looking for passage between the real and the shadow world. He succeeds in India, the place of longing for so many trying to make sense of the world. One finds what the West has lost – but also the bloody, bloodthirsty, and even the ultimate evil: Lord Shiva, the goddess Kali and the reborn Hitler ... Like an explorer of foreign continents Holl explored the contact points of the visible and the invisible worlds of Western thought and Eastern wisdom, of rulers and prophets. An invitation to an expedition through the endless expanses of religions. Adolf Holl, born in 1930 in Vienna was ordained a priest in 1954. His book "Jesus in Bad Company" (1971) brought him into conflict with the Catholic Church. In 1976 he was suspended from the priesthood. He now works as a writer and freelance journalist. He’s won numerous awards, including the Austrian State Prize for Cultural Journalism (2003) and Axel Corti Prize (2006).

Adolf Holl has many professions: priest, scholar, prophet, heretic, writer, provocateur and eroticist. Born in Vienna in 1930 and ordained to priesthood in 1954, his international best-seller “Jesus in Bad Company” (1971, originally published in German as “Jesus in schlechter Gesellschaft”) brought him into conflict with the Catholic Church. As a result, his licence to teach was withdrawn and he was suspended from his priestly duties. His quick-witted questioning earned him rebuke from church authorities, but also great prominence. Harald Klauhs, a highly knowledgeable authority on Holl’s work, has now written a biography of this wayward thinker. Holl’s life as a tour de force through western intellectual history is at the same time a description of the Second Austrian Republic.