A popular belief system, here referred to as "Anunnaki Theory" suggests that the gods of ancient Mesopotamia were in fact extraterrestrial beings who genetically manipulated humanity for their own...Show moreA popular belief system, here referred to as "Anunnaki Theory" suggests that the gods of ancient Mesopotamia were in fact extraterrestrial beings who genetically manipulated humanity for their own ends. This paper examines two books which present this theory in different ways: "The 12th Planet" and "The Lost Book of Enki." and examines the different ways in which these inspire believers. This paper suggests the narratively-presented "Lost book of Enki" affords substantially more spiritual and creative reading than the pseudo-academic "12th Planet."Show less
The Church of the SubGenius is one of many invented parody religions that have popped up around the turn of the century. These distinct religions, often with catchy and humorous names such as the...Show moreThe Church of the SubGenius is one of many invented parody religions that have popped up around the turn of the century. These distinct religions, often with catchy and humorous names such as the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or the United Church of Bacon, confuse people who expect religion to be primarily concerned with spirituality or communication with the divine. If not about those things, what are these religions about? Why are they created, and how have these religions gained such popularity and so many loyal followers who are willing to engage with their subject matter for decades? This thesis aims to answer these questions through an adaptation of theories of minimal counterintuitiveness (MCI) and bizarreness.Show less
This thesis sets out to find an answer to the question 'How does the QAnon movement negotiate failed prophecy in order to ensure the survival of the movement?' In order to answer this question, the...Show moreThis thesis sets out to find an answer to the question 'How does the QAnon movement negotiate failed prophecy in order to ensure the survival of the movement?' In order to answer this question, the first chapter provides some context to the development of the QAnon movement and their prediction of an event known as 'the Storm'. It also illustrates that the QAnon movement is similar to open source religions and consists of a strong participatory culture. The second chapter creates a theoretical framework, largely borrowed from religious studies' investigations in failed prophecy, in order to classify the different responses of QAnon followers to the failure of the Storm. The third chapter delves into these responses and categorizes them into different types. After studying these different responses, this thesis predicts that QAnon will fall apart into the smaller conspiracy theories of which it consists. The thesis concludes that open source religions are likely to respond to the failure of their prophecies in similar ways as QAnon.Show less
This thesis researches the attraction which religion in The Elder Scrolls game series has for players of the game and how this reflects on modern society, by categorizing the game's religions using...Show moreThis thesis researches the attraction which religion in The Elder Scrolls game series has for players of the game and how this reflects on modern society, by categorizing the game's religions using Robert Bellah's theory on religious evolution. From this it can be concluded that there exists a religious ideal in TES, which is much like neomedievalism and the role it plays in modern society. The TES religionism is a combination of a nostalgic longing for the past and our post-modern worldview, which is a very popular formula in the modern disenchanted world.Show less
