From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Discordianism | |
|---|---|
| Eris, the Greek goddess of discord | |
| Type | New religious movement |
| Classification | Virtual religion |
| Scripture | Principia Discordia |
| Language | English |
| Founder | Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst |
| Origin | 1960s United States |
Discordianism is a belief system based around Eris,[1] the Greek goddess of strife and discord, and variously defined as a religion,[2] new religious movement,[3] virtual religion,[4] or act of social commentary;[5] though prior to 2005, some sources categorized it as a parody religion.[6] It was founded after the 1963 publication of its holy book, Principia Discordia,[7] written by Greg Hill with Kerry Wendell Thornley, the two working under the pseudonyms Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst.[8]
David Chidester considers Discordianism to be the first virtual religion[4] and the first to take up the challenge of establishing its religious authenticity.[9] When the Yahoo search engine categorized Discordianism as a parody religion, in May 2001 Discordians started an email campaign to get the religion reclassified.[9] It is difficult to estimate the number of Discordians because they are not required to hold Discordianism as their only belief system.[5]
According to Arthur Versluis, Discordianism “both shaped and reflects the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s”.[10]
Founding and structure
The foundational document of Discordianism is Principia Discordia, fourth edition (1970), written by Malaclypse the Younger, an alias of Gregory Hill.[8] Principia Discordia often hints that Discordianism was founded as a dialectic antithesis to more popular religions based on order,[11] although the rhetoric throughout the book describes chaos as a much more underlying impulse of the universe.[12] This may have been done with the intention of merely “balancing out” the creative forces of order and disorder,[13] but the focus is on the more disorderly aspects of the world — at times the forces of order are even vilified.[14] Disharmony is particularly emphasized, along with its relation to harmony.[15]
Organizations
Discordian Society
The most general group, presumably including all Discordians (and potentially others), is the Discordian Society,[16] whose definition is “The Discordian Society has no definition”.[17] Its members include many adherents of Neopaganism and Thelema.[18]
POEE
The sect of Discordianism founded by Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst is known as the Paratheo-Anametamystikhood of Eris Esoteric (POEE), a non-prophet irreligious disorganisation.[19] Principia Discordia contains some details about the structure of POEE.[20] In particular:
POEE has 5 DEGREES:
There is the neophyte, or LEGIONNAIRE DISCIPLE.
The LEGIONNAIRE DEACON, who is catching on.
An Ordained POEE PRIEST/PRIESTESS or a CHAPLAIN.
The HIGH PRIEST, the Polyfather.
And POEE POPE.
POEE LEGIONNAIRE DISCIPLES are authorized to initiate others as Discordian Society Legionnaires. PRIESTS appoint their own DEACONS. The POLYFATHER ordains Priests. I don’t know about the POPES.[21]