Discordianism: beliefs, history and sources

History & overview

A joke disguised as a religion, disguised as a joke.

Discordianism honours Eris, the Greek goddess of discord, and holds that order and disorder are both patterns human beings lay over a world that is neither. Its scripture, the Principia Discordia, was typed, drawn, scissored and photocopied by two friends in southern California and released with the notice ALL RITES REVERSED — REPRINT WHAT YOU LIKE. There is no church, no membership and no clergy above the rank of Pope, a rank it confers on everyone alive. Its own standard self-description is that it is a joke disguised as a religion disguised as a joke, and Discordians disagree in good faith about which layer is outermost. Most English-language parody religions founded since owe it something, although as this sweep found, almost none of them say so.

Why it is filed this way

Filed as parody because that is how it presents itself, and because its own scripture forbids taking it at its word. It is also true that people have lived by it for sixty years, that its account of order and disorder is discussed seriously in the study of new religious movements, and that its texts are held in academic religion collections. The Discordian answer is that both readings are correct and that choosing between them is the mistake.

DeitiesEris is the only goddess named, and the Pentabarf makes the point in deliberate parody of monotheism: there is no Goddess but Goddess and She is your Goddess. Whether anyone believes in her is left open, and the fifth commandment forbids believing what you read, which includes that sentence.

Founded1963 CE · Whittier, California

FounderGreg Hill (Malaclypse the Younger) and Kerry Wendell Thornley (Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst)

AfterlifeNone taught. The Principia says nothing about what follows death and Discordians have not filled the gap.

TextsPrincipia Discordia (1963-1970) · The Honest Book of Truth · The Illuminatus! Trilogy (1975)

The map

Discordianism’s corner of it — solid lines are descent; dotted lines are resemblance only, ideas held in common across unrelated faiths. Click a node to recenter; ✕ returns here. All 171 faiths →

Core Tenets

2 — a sample of the center, never the sum Enter →

Order and disorder are both things you are doing. The Sacred Chao is drawn with a pentagon on one side and a golden apple on the other — the Aneristic and Eristic Principles, order and disorder. Neither is a property of the world. Both are grids people lay over an undivided reality, and the grid is not the thing. Go deeper — context →

Belief is optional, and discouraged. The fifth commandment of the Pentabarf prohibits a Discordian from believing what he reads, which includes the Pentabarf. Discordians who take this seriously do not agree on whether taking it seriously is permitted. ⚖ contested within Go deeper — context & 1 source →

Figures

who it looks to — gods, spirits, ancestors; some rooms are empty on principle Enter →

E Eris — the guest who was not invited. The Greek goddess of discord, adopted rather than inherited: Discordianism did not come down from any Greek cult and says so. She is honoured for the snub she suffered and for what she did about it. Domain Discord, strife, the golden appleStanding The only goddess the line names, and belief in her is optional Meet them — context →

Rites & Ritual

what its people do — and when Enter →

Ordination as Pope. The Principia prints a card certifying that the bearer is a genuine and authorized Pope of Discordia, with instructions to reproduce and distribute it freely. There is no examination, no fee and no higher office. Handing one to a stranger is the whole rite. When once — and again each time a card changes handsWho anyone, on the spot Go deeper — context & 1 source →

Where next

the museum exit — every door leads deeper in

Hinduism — 11 shared ideas, a different faith Judaism — 11 shared ideas, a different faith Sikhism — 11 shared ideas, a different faith Islam — 10 shared ideas, a different faith Branch Discordianism — inherit everything, change what you must The library of ideas — what Discordianism shares with every other faith A faith at random — somewhere you have never been

Sources

3 cited texts

Principia Discordia, the Pentabarf, commandment V where it is cited →
Principia Discordia, the POEE Pope card where it is cited →
Principia Discordia, copyright notice where it is cited →

These citations identify texts used in the linked passages. Follow each passage to read its quotation and context. A tradition’s own texts explain its teachings; historical claims may also require independent scholarship. Translations marked (rendered) are our own plain-English wording, not a standard edition; where a passage matters, read it in a full translation.