Post by thekaos on Feb 1, 2006 13:50:55 GMT -5
Discordianism
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I. Profile Report of Discordianism
Name: Discordianism, Erisianism
Founder: Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst (Greg Hill and Kery Thornley)
Date of Birth: Unknown
Birth Place: San Francisco, California
Year Founded: 1958
Brief History: While sipping coffee in a California bowling alley, Hill and Thornley suddenly found that they were the only humans moving. All the bowlers had been frozen in time. A dazzling revelation came to the two men and then everything returned to normal. They decided to write down what they had learned in a book called the Principia Discordia .
Sacred or Revered Texts: The Principia Discordia is the Bible of Discordianism. It is a montage of strange sayings and images placed together in a haphazard, chaotic manner. It has gone through five editions and volumes have floated around since the late fifties.
Cult or Sect: Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find additional links to related issues.
Beliefs: Discordians presuppose that the world is actually chaos, confusion and disorder that we veil with a thin sheet of order and stability. Problems in the world come from those who impose order on others when it really isn't needed. Discordians worship Eris, the Greek Goddess of confusion. Eris began the Trojan War when she threw a golden apple into the crowd at a party she wasn't invited to. On it was inscribed the word "Kallisti." In Greek, it means "to the fairest." The other Goddesses fought over it and the ensuing chaos gave Eris a name. Discordians state that they have been talking about Chaos theory long before it became popular among scientists. The Discordians also revere the Sacred Chao, a yin-yang symbol that replaces the dots with a pentagon and the golden apple of Eris. They call this symbol the hodge podge and it represents the endless cycle of order and disorder that constantly redistribute power between themselves.
Size of the group: Because of the amphorous nature of membership requirements and a lack of any organized form of worship, Discordianism's membership is difficult to ascertain. However, because the Principia Discordia has gone through five printings, it can be assumed that are some persons who are amused or inspired by Hill and Thornley's work.
Remarks: The web of discord touches many other audience cults. Discordian web pages are often linked to such groups as the Church of the Sub-Genius, the Cthulhu cults, Timothy Leary's devotees and the like. Although the work of the Discordians can not be measured as a group effort, the individual efforts to broadcast the Discordian message in imaginative ways is impressive. Audience cults have no concept of leadership in a traditional sense, and therefore they are constantly changing. Because of this metamorphizing way of life, the audience cults are often met with distrust by more conventional faiths and organizations.
Credit:
Created by: Rick Smith
January, 1996
University of Virginia
[shadow=red,left,300][glow=red,2,300]T he Chaos[/glow][/shadow]
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I. Profile Report of Discordianism
Name: Discordianism, Erisianism
Founder: Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst (Greg Hill and Kery Thornley)
Date of Birth: Unknown
Birth Place: San Francisco, California
Year Founded: 1958
Brief History: While sipping coffee in a California bowling alley, Hill and Thornley suddenly found that they were the only humans moving. All the bowlers had been frozen in time. A dazzling revelation came to the two men and then everything returned to normal. They decided to write down what they had learned in a book called the Principia Discordia .
Sacred or Revered Texts: The Principia Discordia is the Bible of Discordianism. It is a montage of strange sayings and images placed together in a haphazard, chaotic manner. It has gone through five editions and volumes have floated around since the late fifties.
Cult or Sect: Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find additional links to related issues.
Beliefs: Discordians presuppose that the world is actually chaos, confusion and disorder that we veil with a thin sheet of order and stability. Problems in the world come from those who impose order on others when it really isn't needed. Discordians worship Eris, the Greek Goddess of confusion. Eris began the Trojan War when she threw a golden apple into the crowd at a party she wasn't invited to. On it was inscribed the word "Kallisti." In Greek, it means "to the fairest." The other Goddesses fought over it and the ensuing chaos gave Eris a name. Discordians state that they have been talking about Chaos theory long before it became popular among scientists. The Discordians also revere the Sacred Chao, a yin-yang symbol that replaces the dots with a pentagon and the golden apple of Eris. They call this symbol the hodge podge and it represents the endless cycle of order and disorder that constantly redistribute power between themselves.
Size of the group: Because of the amphorous nature of membership requirements and a lack of any organized form of worship, Discordianism's membership is difficult to ascertain. However, because the Principia Discordia has gone through five printings, it can be assumed that are some persons who are amused or inspired by Hill and Thornley's work.
Remarks: The web of discord touches many other audience cults. Discordian web pages are often linked to such groups as the Church of the Sub-Genius, the Cthulhu cults, Timothy Leary's devotees and the like. Although the work of the Discordians can not be measured as a group effort, the individual efforts to broadcast the Discordian message in imaginative ways is impressive. Audience cults have no concept of leadership in a traditional sense, and therefore they are constantly changing. Because of this metamorphizing way of life, the audience cults are often met with distrust by more conventional faiths and organizations.
Credit:
Created by: Rick Smith
January, 1996
University of Virginia
[shadow=red,left,300][glow=red,2,300]T he Chaos[/glow][/shadow]