Founded in 1979 with the publication of SubGenius Pamphlet #1 by Ivan Stang and Philo Drummond, the Church of the SubGenius has been known as a “parody religion” due to its extensive use of comedy and parody. In spite of this, the organization claims over 10,000 followers worldwide who have paid $30 to become “ordained SubGenius ministers,” and it has been embraced by many skeptic and atheist groups.
With the publication of The Book of the SubGenius in 1983, the Church of the SubGenius prophesied that its founder, J.R. “Bob” Dobbs, was in contact with an exterrestrial race called the Xists (“X-ists”), and these Xists were scheduled to launch a worldwide invasion of Earth on July 5, 1998. (See also: X-Day (Church of the SubGenius))
The day of the scheduled invasion came and went without an appearance by the Xists, but Church members remain unconvinced. The Church now holds annual “X-Day” celebrations on July 5 of each year. The Church also claims that its members are not entirely human, having descended from the Yeti.
