Editing Church of the SubGenius

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; width:320px;"
! colspan="2" | Church of the SubGenius
|-
! Family
| Parody religion / New religious movement
|-
! Origin region
| United States
|-
! Founding period
| Late 20th century CE
|-
! Estimated adherents
| Unknown; membership is partly humorous, symbolic, and internet-based.
|}

'''Church of the SubGenius''' is a parody religion centered on J. R. 'Bob' Dobbs, Slack, conspiracy satire, UFO mythology, and the comic critique of conformity and commercial culture.

== Overview ==
The Church of the SubGenius is a deliberately absurdist and satirical religion with a dense invented mythology involving J. R. 'Bob' Dobbs, Slack, aliens, conspiracies, and anti-conformist humor. Its official website presents itself through the SubGenius Foundation and the figure of Dobbs.<ref>{{cite web |title=SubGenius |url=https://www.subgenius.com/ |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref>

== Key beliefs ==

* Slack is treated as a central spiritual-comic value
* J. R. 'Bob' Dobbs is presented as a prophetic salesman figure
* Conspiracy narratives are exaggerated as satire
* Alien and apocalyptic imagery is used playfully
* The movement criticizes conformity, consumerism, and religious seriousness

== Practices ==

* Use of Dobbs imagery
* Mock sermons and performances
* SubGenius festivals and gatherings
* Radio shows, zines, and internet culture
* Ordination or membership rituals framed humorously

== Places of worship ==

* Festivals and live events
* Online communities
* Private humorous rituals
* SubGenius media spaces

== Sacred texts ==

* The Book of the SubGenius
* Revelation X
* SubGenius pamphlets and websites
* Hour of Slack broadcasts

== Holidays and observances ==

* X-Day
* Movement-specific festivals
* Humorous apocalyptic observances

== Branches and related traditions ==

* [[Discordianism]] - Another modern comic and chaos-oriented religious movement.
* [[Pastafarianism]] - Another satirical religion using parody to critique religious authority.
* [[New Religious Movements]] - The Church is often studied as a modern invented religion.

== See also ==

* [[Religion]]
* [[Theology]]
* [[Philosophy of religion]]
* [[New Religious Movements]]

== References ==

<references />

[[Category:Religions]]
[[Category:New Religious Movements]]
[[Category:Parody religions]]