Something May Be Coming

Progress continues.

So, it is official. Arketer Labs has a new cult in it.

Actually I am not sure I should call it a cult. I mean, it has cultish aspects but among other things there doesn't seem to be a charismatic leader of any sort. Not exactly, anyway.

According to #0 it all started with a Project Lead who remarked that there was entirely too much certainty at play in the world. Everyone certain about any number of things they had no business being certain about. While this strikes me as something of a reductionist simplification, there is some merit to this in my opinion.

You have, after all, (statistically very few) Muslims in the world who are so certain depictions of Mohammed are worth killing over that they will do just that, and die over it as well. Such as in Garland Texas recently when two Muslim gunmen attempted a massacre at a "Draw Mohammad" event, forgetting what state they were in fatally as they were shot dead before they could quite rampage as they intended.

The winning entry, a depiction of a man that almost certainly bears no resemblance whatsoever to the genuine Prophet Mohammad, by Bosch Fawstin.

A bit less certainty from the gunmen would probably have saved their lives. The winning entry, again, looks more like the lamest possible hybridization of Hitler and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.

But I digress. Suffice it to say the idea was broached that perhaps a new faith was called for that emphasized uncertainty. It was at this point the Project Lead suggested founding the Church of Urmgosh the Nebulous, Bringer of Uncertainty.

The idea took off, with several other- I would note normally steadfast atheists- agreeing that this was probably an OK idea and jumping on board. The Project Lead himself doesn't consider himself part of this new faith though and is one of those who has professed to be vaguely troubled by the success of their idea.

The success of a joke religion is not without precedent. There is, for example, Pastafarianism.

"The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or Pastafarianism, is the religious following of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, commonly abbreviated as FSM. According to Pastafarianism, FSM is a benevolent supernatural entity who created the world some 4000 years ago while very drunk, although the world is intentionally built to make humans think it's older than it really is."

Touched by His Noodly Appendage, by Arne Niklas Jansson.

Pastafarianism, however, is almost entirely a mere parody of Christianity. So far as anyone can tell this new Church of Urmgosh isn't parodying anyone, though there seem to be tones of it at times.

Quite frankly, no one seems to know what to make of this new faith- perhaps especially the adherents, who nonetheless embrace it with a nervous optimism.

I am personally alarmed, but it could just be a joke fad. If it is somehow sincere, we have freedom of religion within Arketer Labs so I have even less reason to come down on it so long as they don't become intrusively evangelistic, which I am assured by proxy that they will not because they really have no idea if their faith should be shared. Or if they really have any faith.

Bizzare.

Progress continues.