4 Awesome Religions with Pretty Cool Beliefs

If there's anything that's sure to cause a debate, it's opposing religious views. If you've never argued religion you've probably never met anyone who's different from you. Religion is obviously very important to a great number of people, and that's why some people will only accept the most badass religions out there when deciding who or what to worship. Here are some of those religions...


4. SubGenius
I tried to gather some information from the Church of the SubGenius's official website, but found that they don't like giving simple explanations for what they believe. In fact, this is what they say instead: "Pity the poor human Earth Pink who comes looking for a SIMPLE, SHORT EXPLANATION of The Church of the SubGenius™, one that he or she can UNDERSTAND QUICKLY. If the Church could provide THAT, it would be bigger than Islam or Christianity by now -- and probably much, much worse." Instead I turned to the 100% reliable Wikipedia for some information. You know, that website that textbooks have quoted plenty of times yet your teachers forbid you from using. The Church of the SubGenius revolves around the worship of some guy known as J.R. "Bob" Dobbs, who may or may not actually exist.

This guy, apparently.

Around 2003 there were about 10,000 SubGenius members. SubGenius members claim to be "an organization for 'mutants, blasphemers, disbelievers, rebels, outcasts, hackers, freethinkers,' and people who generally consider themselves outside the 'mainstream' of society." So, basically, with this description they sound like a bunch of hipsters. But it gets more interesting. One explanation for the origin of the SubGenius people are that they are direct descendants of the Yeti. Another explanation says that they are the "mutant offspring of a forbidden sexual union that took place millions of years ago between a resident of Atlantis and a human." Basically, these guys' main goal is to have a laugh at organized religion while accumulating "slack" which basically means they should quit their job and take it easy from now on.

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I don't have a good history with the Yeti

3. Missionary Church of Kopimism
I'd venture to say that in the age of LimeWire we were all kind of Kopimists, and some people still find ways to get what they want without paying for it. That's right, the Missionary Church of Kopimism is all about freely sharing files. According to Wikipedia, the church was founded by a 19 year old philosophy major in Sweden. The church believes that copying files is a sacred virtue, and it is morally right despite what laws might say. The keyboard shortcuts for copy (Ctrl-C) and paste (Ctrl-V) are considered sacred symbols to Kopimists. It kind of makes you wonder if that 19 year old philosophy major ever graduated from college, considering his belief that information should be shared and copied freely.

SourceNew religion you say? That's cute. Here's an F.

The interesting thing is that Kopimism is actually recognized as a legitimate religion in Sweden, but that doesn't give them immunity from file sharing laws. The Missionary Church of Kopimism has even held a wedding for some of its followers because it promotes sharing and the spread of information. According to Wikipedia these words were said at the church's first wedding: "We are very happy today. Love is all about sharing. A married couple share everything with each other. Hopefully, they will copy and remix some DNA-cells and create a new human being. That is the spirit of Kopimism. Feel the love and share that information. Copy all of its holiness." I think we can all agree that those are some pretty special words.

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Very special indeed.

2. Jediism
As I'm sure everyone in the world knows by now, Star Wars is the greatest movie series that has ever been created, and likely ever will be created. With this in mind, it's no wonder that people, such as myself, would want to follow the will of the Force. As a religion, Jediism gained prominence in 2001 when residents of some English-speaking countries decided to answer "Jedi" on the census when questioned about their religion. According to a website dedicated to the Jedi Church, over 20,000 people in New Zealand alone identified Jedi as their official religion. Apparently, is some of these countries the Jedi faith outnumbered some smaller Christian groups.

Like a boss!

If, for some strange reason, you don't know about the Force then please GTFO. But then come back after watching Star Wars. I have personally used the Force many times to influence people's decisions and open "automatic" doors and what not. Anyways, the force is "an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together." The Force can be used to influence the weak-minded, and it can give you lightning-fast reflexes, the ability to see the future, and the ability to manipulate objects around you. There is a light side and a dark side, and even though the dark side has a bunch of really cool powers, the Jedi Knights align themselves with the light side. The Jedi code reads as follows:  

There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no death, there is the Force.

Needless to say, this is a totally badass religion. May the Force be with you all.

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1. Dudeism

Dudeism is a religion founded by the Church of the Latter-Day Dude. If you haven't already guessed it, this religion is based on the 1998 movie The Big Lebowski, and more specifically, Jeff Bridges' character "The Dude." According to their official website, the Church of the Latter-Day Dude's philosophy is "Life is short and complicated and nobody knows what to do about it. So don’t do anything about it. Just take it easy, man." This isn't just the project of one Lebowski super fan either. There are actually 150,000 ordained Dudeist Priests all around the world, and it's free to join!

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But why stop there? The Church of the Latter-Day Dude also has several publications such as The Dudespaper, The Tao of the Dude, The Dude De Ching, and you can even write your own Dude-based book using some of the suggested titles! Dudeism has all the paraphernalia you would expect from just about any religion out there. Everything from a store to "help tie the room together," to a prayer page, and even the most awesome Dude-based art you will ever see.

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Thanks for reading! I'm always looking for new and interesting ideas for my blog, so if you have something you want me to write about please let me know! The comments section on this blog, my Facebook, my tumblr, and real life are all adequate means for providing your suggestions.