Church of Euthanasia

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The Church of Euthanasia (CoE) is a religion and antinatalist activist organization founded by Chris Korda and Robert Kimberk (Pastor Kim) in Boston, Massachusetts in 1992.<ref>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</ref><ref name="Frieze2022">Template:Cite journal</ref> As stated on its website, it is "a non-profit educational foundation devoted to restoring balance between Humans and the remaining species on Earth."<ref name="Church of Euthanasia FAQ">Church of Euthanasia FAQ.</ref> Its members affirm that this can only turn into a reality by a massive voluntary population reduction, which will depend on a leap in human consciousness to species-awareness.<ref>Harrison, Ann. (1995) The Boston Phoenix, Virtually childless.</ref> According to Korda, it is likely that this church is the world's only anti-human religion.<ref>Wright, Chris. (2001) The Boston Phoenix, The Pornography of Terror. Template:Webarchive</ref>

Its most popular slogan is "Save the Planet, Kill Yourself",<ref>Grad, David. (1996) New York Press, Eat Me - Rev. Chris Korda Dines For Our Sins.</ref> and its founding ideology is set in one commandment, "Thou Shalt not Procreate", and four main pillars: suicide ("optional but encouraged"), abortion ("may be required to avoid procreation"), cannibalism ("mandatory if you insist on eating flesh" but only if someone is already dead), and sodomy ("any sexual act not intended for procreation").<ref name="Church of Euthanasia FAQ"/><ref name="Davis">Template:Cite news</ref> The church stresses population reduction by voluntary means only,<ref>Dery, Mark. (1999) Getting It, Mark Dery Interviews Chris Korda.</ref> and rejects murder and eugenics as a means of achieving it.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The church promotes its environmental views. They also utilize sermons, art performances, public demonstrations, culture jamming, music, publicity stunts, and direct action to promote their idea of Earth's unsustainable population. They consider their methods similar to those of the Dadaist movement,<ref>Broder, Von; M, Henryk. (1996) Der Spiegel, Macht Liebe, nicht Babies, English translation.</ref> finding the modern world so absurd that the means needed to spread their message to the public must be absurd themselves. The Church of Euthanasia is also notorious for its conflicts with anti-abortion Christian activists.<ref>Broder, Von; M, Henryk. (1996) Der Spiegel, Macht Liebe, nicht Babies, English translation.</ref> The group's slogans include "Save the Planet, Kill Yourself", "Six Billion Humans Can't Be Wrong", and "Eat a Queer Fetus for Jesus".<ref>Prongo, Jark. (2013) Vanishing Point, Chris Korda y la Iglesia de la Eutanasia: save the planet, kill yourself. Template:Webarchive</ref>

In its heyday the CoE claimed hundreds of official members and thousands of subscribers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Since 2015, the group has become idle but their website remains online as an archive.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some founders of the group, including Korda, continue their antinatalist activism.<ref name="Frieze2022" />

HistoryEdit

The church gained early attention in 1995 because of its affiliation with paranoia.com, which hosted many controversial sites during the late 1990s and early 2000s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Members later appeared on an episode of The Jerry Springer Show titled "I Want to Join a Suicide Cult".<ref>EnterTalkMent Archives, broadcast Aug 11, 1997.</ref><ref>Template:Vimeo</ref>

Following the September 11 attacks, the church posted on its website a four-minute music video titled I Like to Watch, combining hardcore pornography with footage of the attacks and the collapse of the World Trade Center. Over the video played an electronic soundtrack recorded by Korda with the lyrics, "People dive into the street / While I play with my meat" and "My steel melted and my tower's coming down." It also showed a man orgasming and then cleaning himself with an American flag. Korda described the project as reflecting her "contempt for and frustration with the profound ugliness of the modern industrial world."<ref>Wright, Chris. (2001) The Boston Phoenix, The Pornography of Terror. Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Davis"/>

The church's instructions on "how to kill yourself" by asphyxiation with helium were removed from its website in 2003 after a 52-year-old woman used them and died by suicide in St. Louis County, Missouri, resulting in legal threats against the organization.<ref>Frankel, Todd C. (2003) St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Now even committing suicide has gone online.</ref>

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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Church of Euthanasia

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HistoryEdit

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