Yes.
Pastafarianism.
Yes, if you think of Wiccan as a religion, and i could go as far as to say it is a good a religion as Christianity. Actually, it is WAY better than Christianity -- the only wars we would have might be a good ol' fashioned food fight!
The quality of weirdness is very subjective; what is normal to one person will seem weird to another, and that is particularly true of religions. Any religion in which you have been raised and indoctrinated since childhood will seem normal to you, even though to someone else it might appear completely weird. Nonetheless, I do have an answer for you. The religion of Pastafarianism is notably weird. That is not a typographical error, I do mean Pastafarianism, not Rastafarianism (although Rastafarianism is also weird). Trying looking it up on Google.
Pastafarianism
No there is not.
Yes, Jehovah's Witnesses is a recognized religion in the United States. They are considered a religious organization and enjoy the same legal protections and rights as other recognized religions.
ancient Persians
Islam, Scientology, Pastafarianism.
World War 2 spread Pastafarianism worldwide. The Crusades TRIED to spread religion. Most other conquests related to gaining power/land and not converts. Sorry, but pasta should not have reached screen. Who checks some of this stuff?
You could start a religion at any point in time and it'll be a religion right then and there. Religion is a very 'open' word.
No, and no.
In Europe during the Middle Ages the only recognized religion was Christianity, in the form of the Catholic religion.