“The Church of the SubGenius” is a religious and political satire movement that has blurred the line between hoax and reality for almost thirty years. Unfortunately, not everyone gets the joke. Some think “The Church” is one more dangerous cult, spewing nut-bag conspiracy theories. Others think it’s pure sacrilege, bordering on satanic mind control. In truth, it’s closer to a dead-on satire of Scientology.

In “Bob” We Trust

In 2007, The Church of the SubGenius and its own pervasive Alfred E. Neuman-like logo “Bob” Dobbs has spawned websites all over the Internet. “Bob’s” image, a pipe-smoking fifties-slick “Leave It to Beaver” dad, can even been seen stenciled on telephone poles and other public surfaces in most major cities much like the image of wrestler Andre the Giant. 

In reality, the Church of the SubGenius started as a joke in 1979 by Dallas filmmaker Douglas St. Clair Smith (AKA Reverend Ivan Stang) and “Dr. Philo Drummond” (true identity possibly unknown). They first began printing and distributing leaflets that, on first glimpse, resembled religious tracts that one might find at a city bus stop or a Greyhound bus station john.

The Book of the SubGenius

In 1983, “Stang” and “Drummond” published “The Book of the SubGenius: The Sacred Teachings of J.R. ‘Bob’ Dobbs”, the “Church’s” bible containing tenets that were a mix of early MAD Magazine and the wacko conspiracy theories and “Discordian” philosophy made popular by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea’s science fiction satire masterpiece, “The Illuminatus Trilogy.” The book has been republished several times, and additional followup editions have been released with such titles as “Revelation X: The “Bob” Apocryphon” and “The SubGenius Cyclopedia: The Bobliographon.”

According to “scripture”, the “religion” was founded after “Bob” Dobbs, an aluminum siding salesman, made contact with aliens and a “space god” named “Jehovah-1.”

Those who don’t get the joke

The Church of the SubGenius is not affiliated with the Universal Life Church, an organization that has been legally (in some states) offering tax-exempt ministerships to all who apply regardless of religious or non-religious affiliation; however, many SubGenius members have also obtained ULC ordinations in order to legally perform marriages.  Unlike the ULC’s offer of free ordainment to all, the Church charges a fee of $30 for lifetime membership.

In 2006, the joke turned serious when a family court took child custody away from “Rev. Magdalen”, a Church of the SubGenius member, on the grounds that she was “mentally ill” and a member of a cult. Since the ruling, this case has gone back and forth in appeals.

The Flock

Strangely enough, the Church of the SubGenius has gathered a flock of close to 10,000 members who get the joke to such an extent that their assumed personas can be a little scary to “normal” people. Personas include “Sanor Hypercheats”, “The Pope of All New York”, “Sterno Keckhaver”, “Pastor Buck Naked”, and “Puzzling Evidence.” More well-known members of the Church of the SubGenius have included such celebrities as “Pee Wee Herman”, late author Ken Kesey, and Talking Head David Byrne.

The Church’s influence can also be seen in director Richard Linklater’s cult classic film “Slacker.”

References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_SubGenius
• http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbob.html
• “Backstage With Bob”, Jay Kinney, Whole Earth Review.
• “Slack is Back”, Jeff Niesel, Cleveland Scene.
• Reverend Magdalen custody case

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