Every major religion is guided by faith in a supreme, all-powerful entity. But does that mean we can’t put our faith in something else?
Because that’s exactly what the founders of the following religions did, and as a result, we have some of the most unique religions that ever existed:
1. Raëlism
It was founded in 1974 by Claude Vorilhon, now known as Raël. Raëlism is founded on the belief that life on Earth was scientifically created by extraterrestrials, who they refer to as Elohim.
The Raëlian Church believes in ‘world peace, sharing, democracy, and nonviolence’, and to join the church a person has to renounce other religions. Find out more about them here.
2. Iglesia Maradoniana
It was founded in 1998, by fans of the retired football player, Diego Maradona, on his 30th birthday.
The followers of the religion exist across the globe. The Church has its own ten commandments and a holy prayer dedicated to Diego as well. Find out more about them here.
3. Jediism
What started off as a philosophy, turned into a religion in 2001, when people recorded their religion as Jedi in the national census.
Inspired by the sci-fi saga Star Wars, there are ‘16 teachings‘ – inspired by the representation of Jedi in the movie – that the followers need to adhere to.
4. Pastafarianism
In 2005, an open letter by Bobby Henderson to Kansas School Board led to the creation of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and Pastafarianism as a religion was founded.
It promotes a light-hearted view of religion and is officially recognized as a religion in the Netherlands and New Zeland, though not in the USA. Find out more about them here.
5. Vampirism
Although largely regarded as a lifestyle choice and not a religion, a ‘temple of the vampire’ website exists, that ‘represents the true Vampire religion’. Here, you can check if you’re an actual vampire or not, by answering various questions.
Followers participate in both, active vampirism i.e. blood consumption, and psychic vampirism, where followers draw spiritual nourishment from other people’s aura.
6. Prince Philip Movement (PPM)
This is a religious sect followed by the Kastom people from a small village in the Pacific island, Vanuatu. The followers believe that Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is a divine being.
Supposed to have originated in the 1960s, the belief gained support when the royal couple visited Vanuatu in 1974. Find out more about them here.
7. Universe People or Cosmic People of Light Powers
Founded in the 1990s, this Czech and Slovak UFO religion believes in the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the fact that they have communicated telepathically, and via direct contact, with lecturer Ivo. A Benda.
According to their ideology, extraterrestrial beings orbit the Earth, waiting to transport their followers into another dimension. Find out more about them here.
8. Aetherius Society
This is an international spiritual organization founded by George King in the mid-1950s. Its primary belief is to establish contact with ‘Cosmic Masters’ – extraterrestrial beings who will help solve Earthly problems.
With headquarters in London and Los Angeles, the society believes that spiritual energy crisis is the primary energy crisis that the Earth faces today. It thus, conducts Operation Prayer Power, that first started in 1973, to invoke and store prayer energy. Find out more about them here.
9. Temple of the True Inner Light
With a temple in Manhattan, the followers believe that ‘Psychedelics, (DPT, Marijuana, LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, DMT, etc.) are the true Flesh of God.’
However, they do not believe in opiates, alcohol, and cocaine, and even provide help to people for detoxification. Find out more about them here.
10. Dinkoism
A result of social networks, Dinkoism is a parody religion established in 2008 by independent welfare groups in Kerala. Comic book character, a superhero mouse Dinkan, is worshipped as the prime deity.
Its prime aim is to counter the ‘the absurdity of blind religious faith’, and in this context, it is similar to Pastafarianism.
If you ever want to wander on the path to spiritual discovery, there are many avenues you can explore!