Discordianism
So, I happened to wander across this the other day, and was immensely entertained. To quote the Wikipedia article, “Discordianism has been discribed as both an elaborate joke disguised as a religion, and a religion disguised as an elaborate joke.” While I subscribe to the former belief, I can argue both equally well. The whole thing is full of light-hearted fun-poking at “real” religion, while also hinting at more profound insights. I suppose that the basic premise is that most religions strive for order and harmony in the world, and see chaos and discord as things to vanquish. Discordianism sees order and disorder as equally useful, and tries to use both for creative purposes, with a slight emphasis on disorder to counter everyone else’s focus on order. The main text is the Principia Discordia, which was written in roughly 1959, but has had revisions up through the ’70s. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
“Common sense is what tells us that the world is flat.”
“We are not really esoteric; it’s just that nobody pays much attention to us.”
“A Discordian is Required during his early Illumination to Go Off Alone & Partake Joyously of a Hot Dog on a Friday; this Devotive Ceremony to Remonstrate against the popular Paganisms of the Day: of Catholic Christendom (no meat on Friday), of Judaism (no meat of Pork), of Hindic Peoples (no meat of Beef), of Buddhists (no meat of animal), and of Discordians (no Hot Dog Buns).”
And a wonderful parable:
“A serious young man found the conflicts of mid 20th Century America confusing. He went to many people seeking a way of resolving within himself the discords that troubled him, but he remained troubled.
“One night in a coffee house, a self-ordained Zen Master said to him, “go to the dilapidated mansion you will find at this address which I have written down for you. Do not speak to those who live there; you must remain silent until the moon rises tomorrow night. Go to the large room on the right of the main hallway, sit in the lotus position on top of the rubble in the northeast corner, face the corner, and meditate.”
“He did just as the Zen Master instructed. His meditation was frequently interrupted by worries. He worried whether or not the rest of the plumbing fixtures would fall from the second floor bathroom to join the pipes and other trash he was sitting on. He worried how would he know when the moon rose on the next night. He worried about what the people who walked through the room said about him.
“His worrying and meditation were disturbed when, as if in a test of his faith, ordure fell from the second floor onto him. At that time two people walked into the room. The first asked the second who the man was sitting there was. The second replied “Some say he is a holy man. Others say he is a shithead.”
“Hearing this, the man was enlightened.”
To learn more, go to PrincipiaDiscordia.com or Wikipedia.
So I think it’s pretty neat. If I didn’t think that the world neede more atheists, I might consider claiming to be a discordian, but for the moment I am still staunchly atheist.