The imagination knows no limits. People will search for meaning in very odd places (not to say mainstream religions aren’t odd in their own ways).
Now I’m not expressing any real value judgment as to the merits of these “religions” (I guess the quotes aren’t a good start). I’m simply highlighting some of the more unusual (often hilarious) belief systems out there… but again… I make no judgment. 
1. Jediism – The Jedi Religion
Little did George Lucas realize what he was starting. With his Star Wars movies, he set in motion a religious movement that has inspired generations of fake-light-saber waving, nylon-cloak-wearing warrior-nerds.
Adherents, or “real world” Jedis believe the Force actually exists.
According to the Star Wars mythology, the Force is the energy that holds the Universe together and flows through every material thing (obviously borrowing some concepts from Eastern religions).
Jedis are monks/knights capable of controlling and using the Force, and bound by a code of morality and justice.
So you can see the appeal to every mathlete hoping to use a light saber to bore a hole in to the forehead of an evil bully.
Jediism has been referred to as a blend of Taoism and Buddhism that also incorporates elements of medieval chivalry. While there’s no formal central doctrine, all this is loosely referred to as the “Jedi Code”.
Though I haven’t confirmed it, there’s a rumor that the Jedi elders force anyone wanting to join to sit in a dark room and watch the original trilogy 16 times in a row (the first trilogy ONLY, as the newer films are widely considered an abomination).
2. The Church of Ed Wood
Ed Wood is famously known in Hollywood as one of the worst (if not the worst) directors of all time (hear that Paul Verhoeven? You and your classic Showgirls are off the hook.)
Since his death he’s gained quite the cult status, and his off-camera exploits were brought to life by Johnny Depp in the 1994 film Ed Wood (directed by Tim Burton).
Ed Wood’s most celebrated picture is Plan 9 from Outer Space, which was in fact the last film of Bela Lugosi (a bit of a trainwreck himself).
So the Church of Ed Wood (or “Woodism”) labels itself a pop-culture religion that hopes to bring spirituality to those people who don’t find it in more mainstream religions. A “punk-libertarian religion” if you will. They look upon Ed Wood as a savior (but as the church notes, not the savior.)
Tenets include upholding the morals and ideals of Edward D. Wood and preaching Ed’s message of total understanding and acceptance, regardless of what modern society may say.
Wood was also a transvestite in 1950s America… probably not a fun time to have a sexual identity crisis.
The church claims there are over 3000 legal “Woodites” worldwide.
3. Aetherius Society
What do you do if you’re stuck as a cab driver, but also have a passion for Yoga? The answer is obvious… you start your own religion.
On an uneventful day in 1954, George King was sitting alone in his London apartment when suddenly, out of the blue, Alf (well not really Alf… but “Aetherius”) shouted:
“Prepare yourself! You are to become the voice of Interplanetary Parliament.”
So he did just that.
King started the Aetherius Society which hopes to combine alien wisdom of the “Cosmic Masters” and Yoga into something useful that will bring balance to humanity.
They believe Jesus, Buddha and Krishna are in fact aliens (yes… plausible), and one of their claims to fame is that the aliens alerted them to the imminent Chernobyl disaster a good 4 hours before it melted down. Well… I’m convinced. Why lie?
They claim about 650 adherents.
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23 Comments... join the discussion!
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You could try praying to another horrible director like M. Night Shamalama…
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I’ve heard of the first two. The Church of Ed Wood movement is kind of interesting to me. And like many religious works no one can come to a general consensus on what Ed Wood’s body of work means. Like Plan 9, does anyone really understand what it’s about? I’ve seen it several times and I’m still confused at the end)
A common thing for many new religions is either; pop culture, divine experience with alien or a religious figure (you’re right no one does get some spiritual message from Ned). I quite like the Big Dealism movement. If people doubt your religion just tell them ‘60% of the time it works every time.’
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Let’s not forget about the First United Church of the Fonz. The Fonz be with you. (And also with you)
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I bet someone is turning that into a real thing.
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Big Dealism is going to get its own facebook page, and you can be among the first to join. LOL
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Discordianism is pretty weird, but there’s no doomsday stuff to make it interesting for a list like this.
hail eris, ect.
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Also, I was trying to avoid possible parody religions which Discordionism seems to be acussed of.
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I wouldn’t consider it a parody, not nearly as much as the Subgenious stuff. I consider myself Discordian, but depending on who I’m with, I’ll say I’m agnostic, which is also true. It’s a religion without being a religion(which is nothing more than a philosophy).
So I guess it still doesn’t fit on your list, but it does have some great catchy humour! The Principia Discordia is a great read, even just for the laughs.
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Cool, I’ll check it out in more detail. Sounds very interesting.
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Pana Wave has got to be the weirdest one on that list…I wish I had known about it when I lived in Japan, I would have gone to check it out. Ha.
But I guess when you think about, Christianity (and Hinduism and Islam, too, for that matter) are just as odd but they’ve just been around longer so they’re more easily accepted. I bet if Christianity never existed and someone today stepped forward and said: “Okay guys, here’s the deal. God’s spoken to me and told me that I’m his son and yeah, my mother is a virgin…And I have all sorts of super-powers, like I can walk on water and heal the sick and stuff” we’d all think he was nuts, too.
I’m wiling to bet one of those religions on that lists is still around in a few hundred years. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll all be Pan Wavers and then have arguments about whether or not it’s okay for the public schools to teach our children about Chino and the benefits of wearing white. : )
Just sayin’…
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It’s true. Who know whats going to stick in a few hundred years. People will be fighting wars over differing interpretations of Ed Wood’s Plan 9 (blessings be upon him – LOL)
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I completely agree with Reannon. Although these religions are odd, the more I look into the religion I was raised on (non-denominational Christianity), the more I realize the majority of religions are absurd. So many of them claim to preach peace, but the majority of them don’t truly practice it.
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I was hoping to see the curch of Maradona http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iglesia_Maradoniana
It’s also pretty out there
P.S: This remind me of the Festivus for the rest of us…
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Yep, saw those. But I was going for religions that were actually fairly serious about their beliefs. The are probably 50 parody religions that are pretty hilarious.
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Well actually jediism is based on the Templar Knights.
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The 4 weirdest are:
1. Hindusim
2. Islam
3. Christianity
4. Judaism↵ -
LOL – why in that order?
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Spiritism, growing in Brazil, where people believe in reincarnation and talking to the spirits of dead people. Utterly crazy.
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There’s a strong tradition of that in upstate NY, where it grew in the late 19th century. It’s a good one that could make it one the list.
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Cool…I loved the article though….’Big Dealism’ now that’s where you lose me
And 100+ on your ‘like’…Well this world is some place to live, huh
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I think you forgot to mention the Frisbeeterians…
They believe that when you die your soul just gets stuck on the roof like a Frisbee…until someone knocks it down with a long pole and your new life begins…↵ -
I think you’re forgetting the Pastafarians.
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