NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Church of the SubGenius

The Church of the SubGenius is a religious group that satirizes religion, conspiracy theory, UFOs and popular culture originally based in Dallas, Texas, which gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s subculture, with a large presence on the Internet. The image of J.R. Bob Dobbs is copyright (C) The SubGenius Foundation, Inc. ... The image of J.R. Bob Dobbs is copyright (C) The SubGenius Foundation, Inc. ... J. R. Bob Dobbs J. R. Bob Dobbs is the figurehead of the Church of the SubGenius. ... For other uses, see Conspiracy theory (disambiguation). ... UFO redirects here. ... Popular culture (or pop culture) is the widespread cultural elements in any given society that are perpetuated through that societys vernacular language or lingua franca. ... For other uses, see Dallas (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a set of people with a set of behaviors and beliefs, culture, which could be distinct or hidden, that differentiate them from the larger culture to which they belong. ...

History

The Church of the SubGenius claims to have been founded in the 1950s by the world's greatest salesman J. R. "Bob" Dobbs. Bob Dobbs is depicted as a cartoon of a Ward Cleaver-like man smoking a pipe. The 'church' really started with the publication of SubGenius Pamphlet #1 in 1979. It found acceptance in underground pop-culture circles and has been embraced on college campuses, in the underground music scene, and on the Internet. J. R. Bob Dobbs J. R. Bob Dobbs is the figurehead of the Church of the SubGenius. ... Hugh Beaumont Ward Cleaver is a fictional character played by actor Hugh Beaumont on the Leave It to Beaver situation comedy which ran on CBS from October 4, 1957 to 1958 and then on ABC from 1958 to June 20, 1963. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Because of its similarities to the tenets of Discordianism, The Church of the SubGenius is often described as a syncretic offshoot of that belief. However, its members state that the organization developed on its own with the publication of SubGenius Pamphlet #1 (also known as The World Ends Tomorrow And You May Die!) by Reverend Ivan Stang and Dr. Philo Drummond, the original SubGenius Foundation. The original group, using such pseudonyms as "Puzzling Evidence", "Susie the Floozie", "Palmer Vreedeez", and "Pope Sternodox", forwarded their literature to a number of underground pop-culture figures such as R. Crumb, Paul Mavrides, the New Wave rock group Devo, and Erik Lindgren, producer and president of indie label Arf! Arf! Records in Boston, who embraced it and incorporated it into their work. Crumb's promotion of the Church through his comic book series Weirdo brought many new members into the fold, including artists, musicians, and writers. Their efforts resulted in the publication of the Book of the SubGenius in 1983, followed by Three-Fisted Tales of "Bob" in 1990, Revelation X: The "Bob" Apocryphon in 1994 and The SubGenius Psychlopaedia of Slack: The Bobliographon in 2006. The popularization of the Internet in the mid-1990s brought a new surge of interest in the Church, resulting in dozens of home-made, elaborately decorated web sites and two Usenet newsgroups, alt.slack and alt.binaries.slack. (A third newsgroup, alt.binaries.multimedia.slack, was created on March 12, 2005.) Ivan Stang maintains the official SubGenius home page at http://www.subgenius.com today. The Church's weekly radio program, the Hour of Slack, is a staple of many college radio stations. Discordianism is a modern religion centered on the idea that chaos is as important as order. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Rev. ... Robert Dennis Crumb (born August 30, 1943), often credited simply as R. Crumb, is an American artist and illustrator recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream. ... Paul Mavrides (born 1945) is an American artist, best known for his critique-laden comics, cartoons, paintings, graphics, performances and writings that encompass a disturbing, yet humorous, catalog of the social ills and shortcomings of human civilization. ... The New Wave was a movement in American, Australian and British popular music, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, growing out of the New York City musical scene centered around the club CBGB. The term itself is a source of much confusion. ... Devo (pronounced DEE-vo or dee-VO, often spelled DEVO or DEV-O) is an American New Wave group formed in Akron, Ohio in 1972. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... The Book of the SubGenius: Being the Divine Wisdom, Guidance, and Prophecy of J.R. Bob Dobbs, High Epopt of the Church of the SubGenius, Here Inscribed for the Salvation of Future Generations and in the Hope that Slack May Someday Reign on this Earth (ISBN 0671638106) is seen as... Usenet (USEr NETwork) is a global, decentralized, distributed Internet discussion system that evolved from a general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name. ... A newsgroup is a repository, usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users at different locations. ... alt. ... The Hour of Slack is a one-hour radio program produced by the Church of the SubGenius. ... Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. ...

In 1996, Rev. Stang and Steve Bevilacqua worked together to manage the corporate entity of the Church, the SubGenius Foundation Inc. Their efforts helped to bolster the Church's revival through the late 1990s and early 2000s, until Bevilacqua had to retire from Church management in order to support his wife, Rachel Bevilacqua (see Legal matters). The first X-Day gathering also took place at Brushwood Folklore Center in Sherman, NY in 1996, and the annual Church festival has continued there through the present day. J. R. Bob Dobbs The Church of the SubGenius is a group that satirizes religion, conspiracy theory, UFOs and popular culture originally based in Dallas, Texas, which gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s subculture, with a large presence on the Internet. ... X-Day is the name for July 5th, 1998, the scheduled end of the world in the satirical Church of the SubGenius, an organization formed as a parody of cults and extreme religious groups and their pamphlets and claims. ... Image:Brushwood1. ... Sherman is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,553. ...

Such high-profile names as Paul Reubens ("Pee-wee Herman", who placed a picture of "Bob" in every episode of Pee-wee's Playhouse), Magic Mose & his Royal Rockers, featuring 'Blind Sam' (who actually gave a free advertisement to the Church on the back of one of their EP's), David Byrne, Mark Mothersbaugh, Penn Jillette, Robert Anton Wilson, science fiction authors Rudy Rucker and John Shirley, and actor Bruce Campbell have become SubGenius ministers. Composer Frank Zappa says in his autobiography The Real Frank Zappa Book that he agrees with many of the beliefs of the church but refrained from joining as a full member. Comic book author Warren Ellis has stated the influence of the Church on his writings, though as of 2007 he has not yet admitted if he actually sent the $30 membership fee. Patrick Volkerding, the founder and maintainer of Slackware Linux, is also a SubGenius affiliate, and he has confirmed the Church and "Bob" inspired the name for Slackware. ^[1] Paul Reubens (born Paul Rubenfeld on August 27, 1952) is an American actor, writer, and comedian, known professionally for his character Pee-wee Herman. ... Pee-wees Playhouse is a childrens television program starring Pee-Wee Herman. ... David Byrne (born May 14, 1952 in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a Grammy Award, Academy Award and Golden Globe winning musician best known as a founding member and the principal songwriter of the New Wave band Talking Heads. ... Mark Mothersbaugh (born May 18, 1950, in Akron, Ohio) is an American musician, composer, singer, and painter. ... Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955 in Greenfield, Massachusetts) is an American comedian, illusionist, juggler and writer known for his work with fellow illusionist Teller in the team known as Penn & Teller. ... Robert Anton Wilson Robert Anton Wilson or RAW (January 18, 1932 â€“ January 11, 2007) was a prolific American novelist, essayist, philosopher, psychologist, futurologist, anarchist, and conspiracy theory researcher. ... Rudy Rucker, Fall 2004, photo by Georgia Rucker. ... John Patrick Shirley (born February 10, 1953) is an American science fiction and horror writer of novels, short stories, and television & film scripts. ... For the former baseball player of the same name, see Bruce Campbell (baseball). ... Frank Vincent Zappa[1] (December 21, 1940 â€“ December 4, 1993) was an American composer, musician, and film director. ... The Real Frank Zappa Book is an autobiography/memoir by Frank Zappa, co-written by Peter Occhiogrosso. ... This article is about the comic book author. ... Patrick Volkerding (born 1967) is the founder and maintainer of the Slackware Linux distribution. ... Slackware was one of the earliest Linux distributions, and is the oldest, and most UNIX-like, distribution still being maintained[1]. It was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. ... This article is about operating systems that use the Linux kernel. ...

It is claimed waggishly in church doctrine that Dobbs inspired L. Ron Hubbard to create his own cult when he remarked to him that the general public may be pink, "but their money is green"^[2] Ivan Stang also claims that in 1986, an official SubGenius ordainment for Hubbard was paid for and mailed to his address—only two weeks before the Scientology founder's death [1]. Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 â€“ January 24, 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was the founder of the Church of Scientology, as well as the author of Dianetics and the body of works comprising Scientology doctrine. ...

Basics of "Bob"

These terms, used in a manner that deliberately parodies Scientology and New Age terms, reflect the Church's appeal. It portrays itself as an organization for "mutants, blasphemers, disbelievers, rebels, outcasts, hackers, freethinkers,"^{[citation needed]} and people who generally consider themselves outside the "mainstream" of society. The organization is widely seen as a satire that mocks organized religion, or as the church describes itself, "a cynisacreligion." The Book of the SubGenius: Being the Divine Wisdom, Guidance, and Prophecy of J.R. Bob Dobbs, High Epopt of the Church of the SubGenius, Here Inscribed for the Salvation of Future Generations and in the Hope that Slack May Someday Reign on this Earth (ISBN 0671638106) is seen as... Doctrine Practices Concepts People Public outreach Organization Controversy Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by American pulp fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics. ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... 1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ...

In a manner that mocks the nature of many non-profit religious organizations, the Church is known for blatant appeals for money from believers and non-believers alike. The Church is incorporated as a profit-making enterprise, and declares itself to be "the only religion that is proud to pay its taxes." Anyone can become an ordained SubGenius minister by paying a fee of $30 US for a lifetime membership. No other requirement is laid upon prospective members, though the cost of ordination separates the Church from the Universal Life Church and other paper churches that offer ordination to all comers. The Church of the SubGenius is known for a standing offer that stems from the ordainment fee: "Eternal Salvation or TRIPLE Your Money Back!" The organization claims that if an ordained SubGenius minister dies and finds himself standing at the gates of "Normal" or "Boring" Hell, he will be personally greeted by Church founder J. R. "Bob" Dobbs Himself and receive a refund check for $90.00, along with a booklet titled, "How to Enjoy Hell for Five Cents an Eternity," which costs $89.95. [2] Image File history File links Subgenius-JHVH-1-by-St-Ken. ... Image File history File links Subgenius-JHVH-1-by-St-Ken. ... A non-profit organization (often called non-profit org or simply non-profit or not-for-profit) can be seen as an organization that doesnt have a goal to make a profit. ... Logo The Universal Life Church (or ULC) is a religious organization that offers anyone semi-immediate ordination as a ULC minister free of charge. ... Ordination is the process in which clergy become authorized by their religious denomination and/or seminary to perform religious rituals and ceremonies. ... J. R. Bob Dobbs J. R. Bob Dobbs is the figurehead of the Church of the SubGenius. ...

The Church claims that true SubGeniuses are not actually human, but rather are descendants of the Yeti. According to Revelation X: The 'Bob' Apocryphon (published in 1994), SubGenii are actually the mutant offspring of a forbidden sexual union that took place millions of years ago between a resident of Atlantis and a human; at that time, humans were little more than a slave race. The resulting offspring was the catalyst that led to the fall of Atlantis. SubGenii often refer to one another as "Yeti" (or yetinsyny), though this origin story is generally not well known outside of the Church itself. (The term yetinsyny was appropriated from the artist Stanisław Szukalski, whose Behold! the Protong posited that Communists and other people Szukalski disliked were descendant from such unions; this sort of appropriation+values-inversion may be considered a cheap joke but it must be remembered that the Foundation has always been severely under-capitalised.) For other uses, see Yeti (disambiguation). ... This article is about biological mutants. ... For other uses, see Atlantis (disambiguation). ... This article is about modern humans. ... StanisÅ‚aw Szukalski (1893-1987) was a Polish-born painter and sculptor, and the creator of the pseudoscience of Zermatism. ...

The Church has said that the name "SubGenius" has nothing to do with intelligence, of a level below genius or otherwise. It appears to be an effort to repudiate pretentiousness. (However, in a purposely contradictory fashion, they have also claimed that they are "SubGenius" because being a genius is not very fun.)^{[citation needed]} The term may have something to do with the general unhappiness and absolute slacklessness of the self-proclaimed super-genius, Wile E. Coyote. Intelligence is the mental capacity to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend ideas and language, and learn. ... A genius is a person of great intelligence. ... A genius is a person of great intelligence. ... Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote The Road Runner cartoons are a series of Looney Tunes cartoons created by Chuck Jones for Warner Brothers. ...

"Bob"

The central figurehead and symbol of the Church is the smiling, pipe-smoking face of J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, an image based on 1950s styled clip art, and bearing a striking resemblance to 50s comic strip character Mark Trail. "Bob" was considered to be the best salesman of all time. The Church claims that "Bob" (the quotes are included when spelling his name, supposedly as a symbolic halo around his name) founded the Church after he saw a vision of JHVH-1 (or "Jehovah-1") on his homemade TV. J. R. Bob Dobbs J. R. Bob Dobbs is the figurehead of the Church of the SubGenius. ... J. R. Bob Dobbs J. R. Bob Dobbs is the figurehead of the Church of the SubGenius. ... Categories: Stub ... Mark Trail is a daily newspaper comic strip created by the American cartoonist Ed Dodd. ... JHVH-1. ...

"Bob" was killed in San Francisco in 1984 (though former Church members state this was just a publicity stunt). Since that time, he has been killed and subsequently returned from the dead many times, though the Church denies any similarity between this claim and the Biblical account of Jesus's resurrection. The Church guards the trademark and copyright on "Bob's" image, though his face has been used by many artistic figures, showing up on such places as albums by the rock band Sublime and George Clinton; the movie The Wizard of Speed and Time by Mike Jittlov; in the graphical character set of the Atari ST computers; printed on CDs for Slackware Linux (up to the Version 3 days); on the set of Pee-wee's Playhouse, in British comic 2000AD, inside the strip Robo-Hunter, and in Devo's video for the song "Love Without Anger". "Bob" made an appearance in the comic The Badger, his form having been taken by a demon who commented at one point "Do? I'm going to beat you to death with this pipe." He also made a brief appearance in Marvel Comics' Slapstick as a coffee store clerk. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... â€œ(TM)â€ redirects here. ... Sublime was an American ska-punk band that originated in Long Beach, California. ... For other persons named George Clinton, see George Clinton (disambiguation). ... The Wizard of Speed and Time is a low-budget movie written, directed, and starring animator Mike Jittlov. ... Mike Jittlov is the creator of many inventive movies using stop-motion animation, also known as pixilation. ... The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ... Slackware was one of the earliest Linux distributions, and is the oldest, and most UNIX-like, distribution still being maintained[1]. It was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. ... This article is about operating systems that use the Linux kernel. ... Pee-wees Playhouse is a childrens television program starring Pee-Wee Herman. ... (Redirected from 2000AD) Note: This is an article about the British comic book 2000 AD, rather than the year 2000 2000 AD logo 2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction oriented comic. ... Robo-Hunter was a reccurring strip in the British Comic 2000 AD, written by John Wagner and illustrated by Ian Gibson. ... Devo (pronounced DEE-vo or dee-VO, often spelled DEVO or DEV-O) is an American New Wave group formed in Akron, Ohio in 1972. ... The Badger was a comic book series created by writer Mike Baron in 1982. ... This article is about the comic book company. ... Slapstick (Steve Harmon) is a Marvel Comics superhero created in the early nineties. ...

The Church has recently adopted a new symbol called the "Dobbs Icon" (Also known as the sacred ikon), which is a stylized cross with three bars and a pipe, placed in a pattern that matches the eyes, nose, mouth, and pipe of "Bob"'s image. This symbol resembles the patriarchal cross as it is possibly a parody. Patriarchal cross The Patriarchal cross is a variant of the Christian cross, the universal religious symbol of Christendom. ...

Nothing is more central to "Bob" than his pipe, which is said to be filled with the mysterious substance known as habafropzipulops or "frop," (not a common drug) which may contain either mystical, hallucinogenic, or Divine powers. The pipe may also allude to surrealist painter Rene Magritte's famous work, The Treachery of Images, which features an image of a pipe and the words "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" (This is not a pipe). According to the church, the image of "Bob" and his pipe are often seen on random objects, possibly to herald things to come or as an omen, or possibly for no reason at all. Surrealism is an artistic movement and an aesthetic philosophy that aims for the liberation of the mind by emphasizing the critical and imaginative powers of the subconscious. ... René François Ghislain Magritte (November 21, 1898 - August 15, 1967) was a Surrealist artist, born in Lessines, Belgium. ... The Treachery Of Images (La trahison des images 1928-29) is a painting by Belgian Surrealist painter RenÃ© Magritte, famous for its inscription Ceci nest pas une pipe ( (helpÂ· info)) or this is not a pipe. ... The Betrayal Of Images (La trahison des images) (1928-1929) RenÃ© FranÃ§ois Ghislain Magritte (November 21, 1898 â€“ August 15, 1967) was a surrealist artist, born in Lessines, Belgium. ...

The number 13,013 (usually seen as "13013") is the Number of Bob, or the Mark of Dobbs.

In its January 1, 2000 issue, a Time magazine internet-based poll named J.R. "Bob" Dobbs the #1 "Phoney Or Fraud" of the 20th century. ^[3]^[4] (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

Slack

The central belief in the Church is the pursuit of Slack, which generally stands for the sense of freedom, independence, and original thinking that comes when you achieve your personal goals. The Church states that we are all born with Original Slack, but that Slack has been stolen from us by a worldwide conspiracy of normal people, or "pinks". The Church encourages originality and frowns on actions seen as pinkness, which happens when one bows down to authority and the accepted limits of society. Slack is also about doing nothing and getting what you want anyway. "Bob" being the center of the Slack plane cannot fail, even his failures are startling successes as a result of his absurdly high Slack. Popular Church phrases supporting these goals are "Give Me Slack or KILL ME!", "The SubGenius Must Have Slack" and "Fuck 'Em If They Can't Take A Joke." For other uses, see Conspiracy theory (disambiguation). ...

The Linux distribution Slackware is named for Slack. [3] The card game Chez Geek uses Slack to keep score; the object of the game is to accumulate Slack counters until one player wins by reaching his or her Slack Goal. Slackware was one of the earliest Linux distributions, and is the oldest, and most UNIX-like, distribution still being maintained[1]. It was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. ... Chez Geek is a popular card game by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Kovalic that has a humorous take on geek culture and cohabitation. ...

Sense of humor

The Church encourages humor, comedy, parody, and satire far more than most religious faiths. This belief is probably why the Church is seen on one level as an elaborate joke (the Church argues that if it is a joke, then it is "a very serious joke" and "a joke that you can believe in"), an arguably postmodern mockery of organized religion, and a parody of controversial religious groups and cults, especially Scientology and Evangelicalism (evangelical, or fundamentalist, Protestantism, and "televangelism"), to those unfamiliar with the church. Some refer to it as a "joke" or "parody religion"; for instance, in their book Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet, Lorne L. Dawson and Douglas E. Cowan characterize it as a "sophisticated joke religion" ^[5]. Almost nothing is considered off-limits to comedy in SubGenius circles, and the group's jokes often veer into the realm of bad taste. The Book of the SubGenius says: "If you don't laugh, you didn't get it, but if you ONLY laugh, you didn't get it." Church members frequently pull practical jokes on each other, even as they are using their comedic talents to other ends. A comedy is a dramatic performance of a light and amusing character, usually with a happy conclusion to its plot. ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... 1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ... Postmodernity (also called post-modernity or the postmodern condition) is a term used by philosophers, social scientists, art critics and social critics to refer to aspects of contemporary art, culture, economics and social conditions that are the result of the unique features of late 20th century and early 21st century... Cult typically refers to a cohesive social group devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture considers outside the mainstream, with a notably positive or negative popular perception. ... Doctrine Practices Concepts People Public outreach Organization Controversy Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by American pulp fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics. ... Topics in Christianity Movements Â· Denominations Ecumenism Â· Relation to other religions Preaching Â· Prayer Music Â· Liturgy Â· Calendar Symbols Â· Art Â· Criticism Christianity Portal This box: Evangelicalism is a theological perspective in Protestant Christianity which identifies with the gospel. ... Fundamentalism is a movement to maintain strict adherence to founding principles. ... Topics in Christianity Movements Â· Denominations Ecumenism Â· Relation to other religions Preaching Â· Prayer Music Â· Liturgy Â· Calendar Symbols Â· Art Â· Criticism Christianity Portal This box: Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A recent parody religion, Pastafarianism was created in 2005 to protest a decision by the Kansas State Board of Education to allow intelligent design to be taught in science classes alongside evolution. ... Douglas E. Cowan Ph. ... The Book of the SubGenius: Being the Divine Wisdom, Guidance, and Prophecy of J.R. Bob Dobbs, High Epopt of the Church of the SubGenius, Here Inscribed for the Salvation of Future Generations and in the Hope that Slack May Someday Reign on this Earth (ISBN 0671638106) is seen as... A practical joke or prank is a practice intended to be humorous (usually in action, not just in words) in which another person is fooled, annoyed, or embarrassed in what the perpetrator imagines to be a mild and light-hearted fashion. ...

Clenches

Church members living in the same geographic area are encouraged (though it is not mandatory) to form a group: a local club or "clench". These clenches are typically the ones who bind together in order to put on a Devival. Some of these clenches position themselves as their own religion; this is encouraged by the Church, and is officially known as a schism. Ivan Stang himself has been quoted as saying, "Quit the church and start your own damn religion!" Paradoxically, one of the ways one can most fully embrace the philosophy of the Church of the SubGenius is to ultimately declare oneself to no longer be a faithful member of the Church, but to instead have schismed and formed one's own heretical sect or denomination. This dynamic embodies the nature of the Church as fundamentally individualistic, and antithetical to the adherance and obedience-based ways of most religions.

Devivals

SubGenius gatherings, or Devivals, can be seen as a combination of religious preaching, stand-up comedy, and rock concerts. When the local members of the Church hold a Devival in their area, it typically occurs at a popular nightclub, and it features SubGenius preachers backed by rock bands with such names as the Swingin' Love Corpses, Doktors 4 "Bob", Saint N and Hellena Handbasket, Jehovah Hates Phred, Einstein's Secret Orchestra, The Mondo Retardo Band, The Amino Acids, and the Kings of Feedback. Devivals have been held each year as part of both the Starwood Festival and WinterStar Symposium since 1991. Attendees at Devivals are encouraged to bring money and spend it at the ever-present sales table. Some Devivals have been known to veer out of control. In 1999, overly cautious officials of the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts pressured owners of The Middle East nightclub to cancel the booked devival because of a mistaken belief that the organizers were affiliated with the Trenchcoat Mafia (an organization which was mistakenly accused of being responsible for the Columbine High School massacre).^[6] The term, rock concert, refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many genres inspired by rock and roll music. ... Laser lights illuminate the dance floor at a Gatecrasher dance music event in Sheffield, England A nightclub (or night club or club) is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. ... Logo from 1999 Starwood is a festival presented by the Association for Consciousness Exploration (ACE), along with many volunteers during a week in the month of July. ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex Settled 1630 Incorporated 1636 Government - Type Mayor-City Council - Mayor Kenneth Reeves (D) Area - Total 7. ... Middle East Nightclub showing ZuZu, Upstairs and Downstairs entrances The Middle East is a live music venue, bar and restaurant in the Central Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado (the CDP of Columbine) near Denver and Littleton. ...

X-Day

An important SubGenius event occurred on July 5, 1998: X-Day. The Church had been predicting that on this day the world would be destroyed by invading alien armies known as the X-ists (which is short for "Men from Planet X"). Only the members of the Church of the SubGenius were expected to be saved from this SubGenius version of the apocalypse, by being carried away in the spaceships of the Sex-Goddesses. When the promised cataclysm failed to manifest, Rev. Stang was tarred and feathered by his fellow SubGenii. Nevertheless, Stang was permitted to retain his position as Church administrator, and although that day and each subsequent July 5 has passed without evidence of an alien invasion, the faithful membership still gather for the "Rupture" at a campground called Brushwood Folklore Center in western New York state to herald this SubGenius holiday. ^[7] Reverend Ivan Stang has given many excuses for the failure of the Rupture to happen, such as claiming that "Bob" betrayed all SubGenii, that the scriptures were accidentally read upside down (hence the real year of the Rupture will be 8661), or that due to calendrical error or sabotage it is not yet really 1998. ^[8] Some would argue that it did happen, albeit in a metaphysical and/or allegorical manner requiring greater shift of paradigm to truly understand. Others have suggested that the X-ists did visit Earth as predicted, but that the planet we know as Earth was either secretly switched with Mars sometime during or shortly after World War II, or that the X-ists left with the persuasion that mankind will do the job just as well, if not better. ^[9] X-Day is the name for July 5th, 1998, the scheduled end of the world in the satirical Church of the SubGenius, an organization formed as a parody of cults and extreme religious groups and their pamphlets and claims. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... X-Day is the name for July 5th, 1998, the scheduled end of the world in the satirical Church of the SubGenius, an organization formed as a parody of cults and extreme religious groups and their pamphlets and claims. ... The end of planet Earth refers to hypotheses of when the Earth either completely ceases to exist as a planet or becomes uninhabitable for life. ... Green people redirects here. ... St. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The alien invasion is a common theme in science fiction stories and film, in which a technologically-superior extraterrestrial society invades Earth with the intent to replace human life, or to enslave it under a colonial system, or in some cases, to use humans as food. ... A campsite (or campground) is a place used for camping. ... Image:Brushwood1. ... Vacation redirects here. ... Rev. ... Plato (left) and Aristotle (right), by Raphael (Stanza della Segnatura, Rome) Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy investigating principles of reality transcending those of any particular science. ... Allegory of Music by Filippino Lippi. ... For other uses, see Paradigm (disambiguation). ... Adjectives: Martian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 0. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Reverend Stang has argued that X-Day is a religious holiday for the Church, and members of the Church should take the day of July 5th as vacation or holiday: "...if you can't get off the planet, at least get off from work." ^[10]

Other Holy Days

Besides X-Day, the Church of the SubGenius has also published a "Sacred Calendar of SubGenius Saints" at the end of their most recent major publication, The SubGenius Psychlopaedia of Slack: The Bobliographon (a partial version it can also be found buried in the archives of their website^[11].) It assigns a feast day or holy day (sometimes several) to every day of the year. Many of these feast days are rather unusual:

Additionally, in the e-mails sent out by the SubGenius foundation to confirm orders made at their online store, mention is made of a holiday called "Xistlessnessmess", which falls on December 25. Furthermore, it has been asserted that "Bob" has died and been reincarnated at least 366 times throughout history & prehistory, thus every day is "Bob"'s birthday (and cause for celebration). is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Klaatu was a Canadian progressive rock band in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Monty Python, or The Pythons,[2][3] is the collective name of the creators of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. ... February 29 is a day added into a leap year of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Quaternary Period is the geologic time period from the end of the Pliocene Epoch roughly 1. ... Prolapse literally means To fall out of place. ... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the musician. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the creature in Irish mythology. ... is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Eris (ca. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... William Melvin Bill Hicks (December 16, 1961 â€“ February 26, 1994) was an American stand-up comedian. ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the novel. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Guinness logo Guinness is Good for You Irish language advertisement. ... is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Roman emperor. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Oliver, the Humanzee. Oliver was a performing Common Chimpanzee who was once promoted as a missing link, or a Humanzee (a human-chimp hybrid). ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Cthulhu (disambiguation). ... is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the star or fallen angel. ...

Legal matters

In 2006, Rachel Bevilacqua, known as Rev. Magdalen in the SubGenius hierarchy, lost custody and contact with her son after a district court judge took offense at her participation in the Church's X-Day festival. Judge James Punch asked Bevilacqua to explain the humor of pictures from the event, and required that she produce a picture that would "absolutely knock my socks off with the humor of it." Without identifying anything in her testimony as specifically false, Punch pronounced her description of the church's activities as "clearly prevaricating" and "obviously so not true from anybody who's looking at it from any normal perspective" and Bevilacqua herself as "mentally ill" and a "pervert." (Ironically, the Official X-Day Video comes with a humorous instruction pamphlet that, among other things, warns people not to show the film to normals, because, "they will think you are insane") Punch subsequently recused himself, and Bevilacqua retained the law firm of Paul Cambria. ^[12] On January 5, 2007, district Judge Eric Adams issued a ruling in Bevilacqua's favor requiring her son to be returned to her, but a temporary stay order was issued preventing this ruling from taking effect. ^[13] The case was apparently ended on July 6th, 2007, when a New York appellate court awarded custody of Bevilacqua's son to her ex-boyfriend, the boy's father. ^[14] However, further incidents have resulted in an additional custody hearing taking place in August 2007, with Judge Punch returning to the case. As of August 14th, 2007, custody of Bevilacqua's son has been awarded to her, pending the outcome of an upcoming felony hearing (drunk driving) for the boy's father. ^[15] Image File history File links WikiNews-Logo. ... Wikinews is a free-content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Publications

Books

The Book of the SubGenius: Being the Divine Wisdom, Guidance, and Prophecy of J.R. Bob Dobbs, High Epopt of the Church of the SubGenius, Here Inscribed for the Salvation of Future Generations and in the Hope that Slack May Someday Reign on this Earth (ISBN 0671638106) is seen as... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ... This article is about the year 1987. ... Jean-François Millet Le Semeur (The Sower) Simon & Schuster logo, circa 1961. ... High Weirdness By Mail, by Ivan Stang (1988) is a book dedicated to an examination of weird culture by actually putting the reader in touch with it by mail. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Rip Off Press, Inc. ... This article is about the year. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Steve Jackson Games (SJG) is a game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. ... Illuminati: New World Order (INWO) is a collectible card game (CCG) that was released in 1995 by Steve Jackson Games, based on their original boxed game Illuminati. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Videos

Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

History

Basics of "Bob"

"Bob"

Slack

Sense of humor

Clenches

Devivals

X-Day

Other Holy Days

Legal matters

Publications

Books

Videos

See also

References

Notes

External links

Online videos

Contents

History GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Basics of "Bob"

"Bob"

Slack

Sense of humor

Clenches

Devivals

X-Day

Other Holy Days

Legal matters

Publications

Books

Videos

See also

References

Notes

External links

Online videos

History