Cultpunk

“Lapine Faith: The Importance of the Quasi-Religious Structure in Richard Adams’ Watership Down”

Click here to read Benjamin J. Benefiel’s 1999 honors thesis: This discussion of Richard Adams’ contemporary classic novel Watership Down, a tale of survival for a group of wandering rabbits, analyzes the importance of the quasi-religious structure of the characters within. Through the lapine mythological storytelling tradition, the characters of the novel can understand the … Read more“Lapine Faith: The Importance of the Quasi-Religious Structure in Richard Adams’ Watership Down”

“Fictional and Constructed Religions”

Blogger Yvonne Aburrow writes: Constructed religions, whatever their origins, suggest that there is a need not filled by pre-existing religions, and offer new ideas, stories, and rituals. Many of them focus on environmental concerns. Parody religions perform the very important function of preventing religion from taking itself too seriously – but if they are well-constructed, … Read more“Fictional and Constructed Religions”

“Towards an American Paganism”

YouTuber Ceisiwr Serith proposes the novel concept of a distinctly American Pagan religion: American Pagans aren’t just Pagans who are living in America; they are Pagans who are American. What does this mean? Ancient Pagan cultures were theocracies, but America is a secular nation. How do we reconcile that? The solution is that there is … Read more“Towards an American Paganism”

CHAPEL by [M] Dudeck

CHAPEL by [M] Dudeck/RELIGIONVIRUS September 7-9/2023 at Graffiti Gallery was a three day durational performance. [M] Dudeck, PhD, (born in Winnipeg, 1984) is an artist and cultural engineer who invents their own queer religion as art. Their project, called RELIGIONVIRUS, has been performed, exhibited, screened and published in over thirty countries worldwide. Their work as … Read moreCHAPEL by [M] Dudeck

“Five Books About Invented Religions”

Tor.com’s Ruthanna Emrys has compiled a list of five recommended works of science fiction concerning invented religions: Delve deep enough into linguistics, and eventually you’ll want to try constructed languages, with new vocabularies and grammars that illustrate the principles and limitations of those that occur naturally. Spend enough late nights arguing theology, and you start … Read more“Five Books About Invented Religions”

“Make ‘The Electrical Life of Louis Wain’ Your New Religion”

As suggested on the BackRow.com movie blog: The Electrical Life of Louis Wain conjures the same sort of exhilaration that documentaries Jodorowsky’s Dune and Beauty is Embarrassing bring their viewers; the wildly ecstatic high of one man’s vision striking those around him like a lightning bolt, leaving the permanent marks of what was and will … Read more“Make ‘The Electrical Life of Louis Wain’ Your New Religion”

VR Near-Death Simulation and Memento Mori Rituals (New York City, September 2023)

On the afternoon of September 17th, nine participants gathered in the Morbid Anatomy Library in Brooklyn, NYC to undertake an experiment in ritual space and time, guided by artists Bridget Carey, Tony Wolf and Virgil Wong. The main gates of Green-Wood Cemetery, just a few minutes’ walk from the Morbid Anatomy Library. Note the large … Read moreVR Near-Death Simulation and Memento Mori Rituals (New York City, September 2023)

“A Headless God or religion for our times” (The Structure of Metamodern Religion 1/3)

Substack blogger Octopusyarn writes on metamodern religion: Being self-aware of its constructedness, a metamodern God concept needs to be able to sustain critique. Daniel Görtz describes this concept of a headless God as follows: “It is a God whose altar can be pissed upon, is insulted again and again, yet remains sacred, is resurrected. (…) Always on … Read more“A Headless God or religion for our times” (The Structure of Metamodern Religion 1/3)