Brianism

In the context of the imaginary role playing game EOW, Brianism was a short-lived artistic movement. In the context of the game, it began on year 9900 and dissapeared by 9935. See Encyclopedia of Science and History of EOW.

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The term Brianism is also related to a Monty Python comedy film.

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The Brianist website at www.brianism.org states the following:

Brianism is a religion-substitute intended to meet ritualistic and spiritual needs from within a framework of scientific skepticism. The main goal of Brianism is to safeguard the evolution and propagation of intelligent life. Brianism terms this the 'Prime Directive.'

Followers of Brianism are termed Brianists and the symbol of Brianism is the Circumpunct.

Brianists believe that the human race has an evolved predisposition to form pyramid-shaped social structures under an 'alpha-male' and that conventional religions naturally result from the imposition of this structure on the universe at large.

Although Brianism holds that conventional religions have outlived their usefulness to the evolutionary process, it goes beyond skepticism to provide organized rituals and ceremonies to meet current evolved emotional needs, without compromising the principles of scientific skepticism.

Conventional Brianism is based on seven pillars, or principles:

• Intelligence - the preservation and continuation of intelligent life.
• Rationality - firm rejection of conventional religion and pseudo-science.
• Propagation - eventual emigration to other worlds.
• Environment - protection of the terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments, in so far as this is compatible with the Prime Directive.
• Evolution - continued evolution, even into artificial intelligences, if required.
• Knowledge - scientific progress, teaching and the acquisition of information
• Heritage - preservation of beneficial aspects of our heritage.

Brianism appeared in the 1990s as an outgrowth of the skeptic movement and is based upon the supposed teachings of 'Brian the Cyber-prophet' as set down in the 'Book of Brian'.

The First Testament of the 'Book of Brian' consists of 6 books of 6 chapters of 6 verses. Each verse is of 4 sentences containing 3, 7, 10 and 18 words:

Quote

Continue to evolve. Technology is starting to outrun the mind.
Evolution is not what it was in the recent past. If you make a machine
in the likeness of a human mind, you must give it its due. — Sura 1, verse 5.

In late 2003, the Book of Brian acquired a second testament consisting mainly of lectures and sermons given by the Cyber-prophet in the 1980s and early 1990s. Brianists refer to this as Testament One. (The original testament is Testament Zero). This testament has always existed in fragmentary form, but the circulation of sermons of uncertain origin on the Internet motivated the incorporation of the major historical sermons into the body and checksum of the Book.

Initially a mock religion, Brianism has grown into a small but serious meta-religion, which is beginning to transcend its inconsequential origins.

External links

• World Brianism Foundation (UK)