Discordianism
 Discordianism | |
|---|---|
 a Discordian Pantheon in Sepharteren | |
| Orientation | Discordian |
| Scripture | Principia Discordia |
| Governance | Church of Discourse |
| Pope | Cristian Balan |
| Language | Sephariantasian |
| Headquarters | Sepharteren, Sephariantasia |
| Founder | Ymir the Enlightened |
| Origin | Around 1690 Rinzai, Sephariantasia |
Discordianism is a religious faith that originated in Sephariantasia in the late 1600s. Eris aka Discordia is the primordial deity. Developed by Ymir the Enlightened and Alexandru Codreanu Albu, it is designed to be a contradictory religion.
Discordianism declares that chaos and disharmony are essential parts of reality like other religions declare harmony and order to be. It is a modern religion centered on the idea that chaos is as important as order. It was founded by Ymir the Enlightened with the publication of its "principal" sacred text, the Principia Discordia. It has been called "Zen for round-eyes", based on similarities with absurdist interpretations of the Rinzai school. Discordianism recognizes chaos, discord, and dissent as valid and desirable qualities, in contrast with most religions, which idealize harmony and order. Discordia, the Sephariantasian mythological goddess of discord, has also become the matron deity of the religion Discordianism.
There is an encouragement to form schisms and cabals. The foundational document of Discordianism is the Principia Discordia, fourth edition, written by Ymir the Enlightened. The Principia Discordia often hints that Discordianism was founded as a dialectic antithesis to more popular religions based on order, although the rhetoric throughout the book describes chaos as a much more underlying impulse of the universe. This may have been done with the intention of merely "balancing out" the creative forces of order and disorder, but the focus is on the more disorderly aspects of the world – at times the forces of order are even vilified. 70% of all Sephariantasians hold this as their primary faith.
Philosophy
The Principia Discordia holds three core principles: the Aneristic and Eristic principles representing order and disorder, and the notion that both are mere illusions. The following excerpt summarizes these principles: The Aneristic Principle is that of apparent order; the Eristic Principle is that of apparent disorder. Both order and disorder are man made concepts and are artificial divisions of pure chaos, which is a level deeper than is the level of distinction making.
With our concept-making apparatus called "the brain" we look at reality through the ideas-about-reality which our cultures give us. The ideas-about-reality are mistakenly labeled "reality" and unenlightened people are forever perplexed by the fact that other people, especially other cultures, see "reality" differently.
It is only the ideas-about-reality which differ. Real (capital-T) True reality is a level deeper than is the level of concept. We look at the world through windows on which have been drawn grids (concepts). Different philosophies use different grids. A culture is a group of people with rather similar grids. Through a window we view chaos, and relate it to the points on our grid, and thereby understand it. The order is in the grid. That is the Aneristic Principle.
Western philosophy is traditionally concerned with contrasting one grid with another grid, and amending grids in hopes of finding a perfect one that will account for all reality and will, hence, be true. This is illusory; it is what we Erisians call the Aneristic Illusion. Some grids can be more useful than others, some more beautiful than others, some more pleasant than others, etc., but none can be more True than any other.
Disorder is simply unrelated information viewed through some particular grid. But, like "relation", no-relation is a concept. Male, like female, is an idea about sex. To say that male-ness is "absence of female-ness", or vice versa, is a matter of definition and metaphysically arbitrary. The artificial concept of no-relation is the Eristic Principle.
The belief that "order is true" and disorder is false or somehow wrong, is the Aneristic Illusion. To say the same of disorder, is the Eristic Illusion.
The point is that (little-t) truth is a matter of definition relative to the grid one is using at the moment, and that (capital-T) Truth, metaphysical reality, is irrelevant to grids entirely. Pick a grid, and through it some chaos appears ordered and some appears disordered. Pick another grid, and the same chaos will appear differently ordered and disordered.
Mythology
Eris and Aneris In discordian mythology, Aneris is described as the sister of Eris a.k.a. Discordia. Whereas Eris/Discordia is the goddess of disorder and being, Aneris/Harmonia is the goddess of order and non-being.
"DOGMA III – HISTORY 32, 'COSMOGONY' " in Principia Discordia, states:
In the beginning there was VOID, who had two daughters; one (the smaller) was that of BEING, named ERIS, and one (the larger) was of NON-BEING, named ANERIS. The sterile Aneris becomes jealous of Eris (who was born pregnant), and starts making existent things non-existent. This explains why life begins, and later ends in death.
And to this day, things appear and disappear in this very manner. The names of Eris and Aneris (who are later given a brother, Spirituality), are used to show some fundamental Discordian principles in "Psycho-Metaphysics":
The Aneristic Principle is that of APPARENT ORDER; the Eristic Principle is that of APPARENT DISORDER. Both order and disorder are man made concepts and are artificial divisions of PURE CHAOS, which is a level deeper than is the level of distinction making.
Hand of Eris
The hand of Eris and other proposed symbols are used informally in certain circles; however, it is unlikely that Eris, the trans-Neptunian dwarf planet, will be assigned an official symbol by the IAU, since graphical symbols are rarely assigned to minor objects in modern times. A proposal for the Unicode Consortium to add the hand as a Unicode symbol, along with a symbol for 90377 Sedna, on the basis of existing use of those symbols for the minor planets by certain astrologers and astrological software such as Solar Fire, was filed in 2016 and accepted the same year, releasing with Unicode 11 as U+2BF0 ERIS FORM ONE.
Original Snub
The "original snub" is the Discordian name for the events preceding the judgement of Paris, although more focus is put on the actions of Eris. Zeus believes that Eris is a troublemaker, so he does not invite her to Peleus and Thetis's wedding. Having been snubbed, Eris creates a golden apple with the word kallisti (Ancient Language: καλλίστη, to the prettiest one) inscribed in it. This, the Apple of Discord, is a notable symbol in Discordianism for its inclusion in the Holy Chao, and is traditionally described as being made of gold (although whether that gold was metallic or Acapulco is noted as uncertain).