Church of Euthanasia
The Church of Euthanasia is a new religious organization started by Chris Korda in the Boston, Massachusetts area of the United States.
Overview
According to the church's website, it is "a non-profit educational foundation devoted to restoring balance between Humans and the remaining species on Earth."[1] The Church uses sermons, music, culture jamming, publicity stunts and direct action to highlight Earth's unsustainable population. The Church is notorious for its conflicts with Pro-life Christian activists.
According to the church's website, the one commandment is "Thou shalt not procreate". The Church further asserts four principal pillars: suicide, abortion, cannibalism of the already dead, and sodomy ("any sexual act not intended for procreation").[1] The church stresses population reduction by voluntary means only. Therefore murder and involuntary sterilization are strictly forbidden by church doctrine.
Slogans employed by the group include "Save the Planet, Kill Yourself", "Six Billion Humans Can't Be Wrong", and "Eat a Queer Fetus for Jesus".
The Church gained early attention in 1995 because of its affiliation with paranoia.com which hosted many sites that were controversial or skirted illegality. Members later appeared on an episode of The Jerry Springer Show titled "I Want to Join a Suicide Cult".[2]
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Church posted to its website a four-minute music video titled I Like to Watch, combining hardcore pornographic video with footage of the World Trade Center collapse. The montage featured an electronic soundtrack recorded by Korda and the lyrics, "People dive into the street/ While I play with my meat." Korda described the project as reflecting his "contempt for and frustration with the profound ugliness of the modern industrial world."[3]
The church's website previously had instructions on "how to kill yourself" by asphyxiation using helium. These pages were removed in 2003 after a 52-year-old woman used them to commit suicide in St. Louis County, Missouri, resulting in legal threats against the church.[4]
See also
References
- Potts, Grant. (2005) "Church of Euthanasia". In The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, ed. by Bron Taylor, pp. 384–85. London & New York: Continuum International
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Church of Euthanasia FAQ
- ↑ EnterTalkMent Archives, broadcast Aug 11, 1997
- ↑ Wright, Chris. (2001) The Pornography of Terror
- ↑ Now even committing suicide has gone online