Discordianism
From SkepticWiki
A religion founded in 1959 by Greg Hill and Kerry Thornley in Southern California. Literally, Discordianism is a modern cult of Eris, the Greek Goddess of Discord and Chaos. Few, if any, adherents of Discordianism take their deity seriously, as the entire religion is widely considered a parody or joke. Despite the light-hearted nature of the religion, it appears to have a somewhat serious goal of producing a form of enlightenment through upsetting and questioning traditional assumptions.
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[edit] Holy Text
The central text of Discordianism is The Principia Discordia, or How I Found Goddess & What I Did to Her When I Found Her, written by Malaclypse the Younger, widely assumed to be a pen-name of Hill.
The text is a jumble of pseudo-religious tenets, conundrums, surrealism, philosophy, clip-art and non-sequiturs. A scan of the 4th edition is available online. A searchable, online edition of the text is here.
[edit] Practices
Many Discordians adopt a pseudonym for religious purposes. Discordians form local churches called cabals, which may have from zero to seven billion members.
In accordance with the Five Commandments (or Pentabarf), Discordians do not eat hot dog buns.
In accordance with the Five Commandments, newly converted Discordians must eat a hot dog (with bun) on Friday, breaking as many religious food taboos as possible.
[edit] Beliefs
One of the Five Commandments is "A Discordian is Prohibited of Believing what he reads." This skeptical attitude is undermined by the conflicting Discordian slogan "Everything is true."
Given that Discordians are enjoined both to believe everything and to believe nothing, no further comment in this section seems warranted.
[edit] Popularity
Discordianism received perhaps its greatest boost in popularity due to its prominent inclusion as an element in the fictional Illuminatus! trilogy of Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. Illuminatus! describes the worldwide conspiracy of the Bavarian Illuminati and other secret organizations (including the Discordians) in their quest to gain control of the world.
The books later spawned the popular game Illuminati, by Steve Jackson Games, in which the players represent the different warring factions, with the Discordian Society being one option.
These references served to make Discordianism a recognizable meme in science fiction and gaming circles by the early 1980's. With the advent of the Internet, the Usenet group alt.discordia became a popular forum for the discussion of Discordianism.
[edit] Religious Connections
Discordianism was an important influence on the Church of the SubGenius, which branched away from Discordianism in 1981.
Discordianism bears many resemblances to Rinzai Zen Buddhism; including an emphasis on spontaneity, and a focus on the absurdity of formal traditions and logical thinking. The Principia makes many allusions to traditional Zen koans and parables.
Some have also noted the similarity between the fifth commandment of the Pentabarf and the opening line of Tao Te Ching: "The way that can be told is not the way."
Discordianism is certainly influenced by these ancient traditions, but it is more likely rooted in 20th century American "Beatnik" thought, which can be traced to earlier Dadaist schools of thought.
[edit] References
Further background on the history and tenets of Discordianism.
Valuable Discordian links, including several to individual Discordian cabals.
