Matrixism
{{short description|Purported religion inspired by the Matrix film series}}
File:KanjiRedMatrix.svg", the kanji figure for red, the symbol of Matrixism.]]
Matrixism, or The Path of the One, is a purported religion inspired by Lana & Lilly Wachowski's The Matrix film series.Bouma, Gary (2007). Australian Soul, Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0521673891}}{{cite web | author= Morris, Linda | date=May 19, 2005 | title= They're all God Movies| publisher= NPR|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Theyre-all-god-movies/2005/05/18/1116361618786.html| access-date=2006-08-05}}{{cite web|url=http://www.newstext.com.au/docs/ADV/2004/get.jsp?docid=ADV-20041223-1-019-2122103V38@SA-METRO-2004-2003|title= Matter of faith|author=Moscaritolo, Maria|publisher= News Limited Australia|date=12 June 2006|access-date=2007-04-24}}{{cite journal|journal=Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions|pages=103–112|volume=10|issue=4|issn=1092-6690|year=2007|publisher=The Regents of the University of California|title=Perspective New New Religions: Revisiting a Concept|author=J. Gordon Melton|url=http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/pdf/10.1525/nr.2007.10.4.103|doi=10.1525/nr.2007.10.4.103|access-date=2012-10-15|archive-date=2012-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209234709/http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/pdf/10.1525/nr.2007.10.4.103|url-status=dead|url-access=subscription}} Conceived by an anonymous group in the summer of 2004,Possamai, Adam (2005). "Religion and Popular Culture: A Hyper-Real Testament", Peter Lang Publishing Group. {{ISBN|90-5201-272-5}} / US-{{ISBN|0-8204-6634-4}} pb.{{cite news | author= Jordison, Sam | date=April 8, 2006| title= Everything you always wanted to know about sects| newspaper= The Scotsman | url=http://living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=539792006| access-date=2007-05-04}} it claimed to have attracted 300 members by May 2005, and the religion's Geocities website claimed "over sixteen hundred members". There was some debate about whether followers of Matrixism are indeed serious about their practice; however, the religion (real or otherwise) received some attention in the media.{{cite web | author=Kazan, Casey | date=19 April 2007 | title=Matrixism -"The Path of the One" Religious Movement | publisher=Daily Planet | url=http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/04/the_matrix_neo_.html | access-date=2007-06-03 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928191921/http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/04/the_matrix_neo_.html | archive-date=28 September 2007 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | date=24 May 2007 | title=Nieuw geloof | publisher=Esquire Magazine Netherlands | url=http://www.esquire.nl/lifestyle/article.aspx?aid=149 | access-date=2007-06-14 | quote=English translation: Because there is nothing more fun than discussing a film, 1400 fans of the film have set up a new religion, Matrixism (not to be confused with Marxism). Just like their hero Neo from The Matrix, they release themselves from The Matrix with a red pill. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930072243/http://www.esquire.nl/lifestyle/article.aspx?aid=149 | archive-date=30 September 2007 | url-status=dead }}{{cite journal|title=Matrixism – "The Path of the One"|journal=Esquire Magazine UK|publisher= Zinio |date= January 19, 2007|url= http://www.zinio.com/search?q=Matrixism&d=mc|quote=The 1,400 worldwide "Matrixists", or "Pathists", cite the three Matrix films as their religious texts. Like Matrix hero Neo, they choose to free themselves from the Matrix}}
History
Matrixism, also referred to as "The path of the One," was primarily introduced in 2004. A website on Yahoo GeoCities created by an anonymous source provided the basis for the religion. Matrixism is inspired by the Matrix trilogy and its associated stories (including The Animatrix).{{cite web|url=http://circleofpneuma.blogspot.com/2005/04/matrixism.html|title=Matrixism|author=Johnson, Phil|publisher= Circle of Pneuma|date=April 10, 2005|access-date= 2007-04-02}} However, these stories are not the sole foundation. The ideals of Matrixism can be traced back to the early 20th century to The Promulgation of Universal Peace, the record of talks by `Abdu'l-Bahá during his journeys to the West in the United States.Kohn, Rachael. The Spirit of Things, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio National, August 20, 2006.{{cite web| author=Whibley, Amanda| date=18 November 2005| title=God.com: Preaching the Word in a consumer-driven world| publisher=University of Western Sydney| url=http://apps.uws.edu.au/media/news/index.phtml?act=view&story_id=1342| access-date=2007-03-24| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051228161725/http://apps.uws.edu.au/media/news/index.phtml?act=view&story_id=1342| archive-date=28 December 2005| url-status=dead}} Nor is this the first time a book of his inspired a religious community to form.{{cite journal
| last =Lee
| first = Anthony
| title =The Bahá'í Church of Calabar, West Africa: The Problem of Levels in Religious History
| journal =Occasional Papers in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies
| volume =1
| issue =6
| date =November 1997
| url =http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/bhpapers/vol1/africa1.htm
| editor-last = Cole
| editor-first =Juan R.I.
| editor2-last =Maneck
| editor2-first = Susan
| access-date = September 19, 2014}}
Tenets
Matrixism carried with it five main beliefs that are described as "The Four Tenets of Matrixism". Briefly these were: belief in a messianic prophecy, use of psychedelic drugs as sacrament, a perception of reality as multi-layered and semi-subjective, and adherence to the principles of at least one of the world's major religions.Jordison, Sam (2005). The Joy of Sects: An A–Z of Cults, Cranks and Religious Eccentrics: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sects But Were Afraid to Ask, pp 127–9, Robson Books. {{ISBN|1861059051}} The Matrixism website singles out April 19 as a holiday – otherwise known as Bicycle Day – marks the anniversary of Albert Hofmann's 1943 experiment with LSD.{{cite book |last=Hofmann |first=Albert |title=LSD: My Problem Child |year=1980 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |location=New York |isbn=978-0070293250 |pages=29 |chapter=From Remedy to Inebriant |chapter-url=http://www.flashback.se/archive/my_problem_child/chapter5.html |access-date=2012-10-15 |archive-date=2008-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302204421/http://www.flashback.se/archive/my_problem_child/chapter5.html |url-status=dead }}
Symbology
The adopted symbol for Matrixism was the Japanese kanji symbol for "red". This symbol was used in the video game Enter the Matrix. The color is a reference to the red pill, which represented an acceptance of and ability to see truth, as established early in the first Matrix film.{{cite video | people = The Wachowskis | title = The Matrix | medium = DVD | publisher = Warner Bros. | date = 1999 }}
See also
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References
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External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120405223835/http://www.newmatrixism.com/ Website archive]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20081225091136/http://www.geocities.com/matrixism/ Geocities archive]
{{Matrix}}
Category:The Matrix (franchise)