Dinkoism | |
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Scripture | Dinka Puranam[1] Balamangalam[2] |
Official website | Dinkoism on Facebook |
Dinkoism (/ˈdɪnkɔɪzəm/), the Dinkoist religion, or Dinkamatham[3][2] is a parody religion and social movement that emerged and evolved on social networks[4] organized by independent welfare groups in the Indian state of Kerala. Adherents describe Dinkoism as a genuine religion.
According to a report in India Today, Dinkoism[4] was established in 2008 in Kerala by a group of rationalists with the intention of ridiculing "the absurdity of blind religious faith".[5] The community planned to become politically active.[6] A report in The New Indian Express said Dinkoism is gaining members through Facebook.[4] The BBC described Dinkoism in 2016 as an atheist movement with significant growth on social media.[7]
The religion purports to worship Dinkan, a comic book character.[8] Dinkoists celebrate the character—a superhero mouse that appeared in 1983 in defunct Malayalam-language children's magazine Balamangalam—as their God for the purpose of exposing superstitions and fallacies and practices of traditional religions.[7][9]
The concept of Dinkoism has spread through the social media but the movement has organised protest events. On January 30, 2016, a group of Dinkoists, under the banner of Mooshikasena (Rat Army) held a mock protest in front of Dhe Puttu restaurant owned by popular actor Dileep alleging his upcoming film Professor Dinkan hurt their religious sentiments, mocking similar protests happening worldwide.[10][11]
Earlier Dinkoism was in news when an expatriate Dinkoist living in California obtained a license plate with the inscription DINKAN for his car, out of his devotion for Dinkan.[12] In 2016, J. Devika wrote an article about the concept of Dinkoism and the logic of the market.[13]
Dinkoists of Kozhikode organised a conference at the Sports Council Hall, Mananchira on March 20, 2016. They organised a variety of entertainments with a theme of tapioca. E. A. Jabbar, a prominent rationalist, endorsed Dinkoism.[8]
In April 2016, 25,000 Dinkoists were expected to gather for a convention called a "Dinkamatha Maha Sammelanam" to "present their rights as a minority community".[6] Dinkoists have received threatening messages as well as opposition from believers of other religions.[4]
...threatening calls and opposition from staunch religious followers... the social media religion, 'Dinkoists' here on Sunday. ... no official registration ... attention entirely through Facebook...
...Dinkoism, a mock religion established by a group of rationalists in Kerela in 2008, aims to ridicule the absurdity of blind religious faith. ... The Dinkoists worship a fictional mouse called Dinkan, ...
...Around 25,000 Dinkoists, the followers of comic superhero Dinkan, will hold a convention, 'Dinkamatha Maha Sammelanam,' ... actively involve themselves in politics, ahead of the Assembly polls...
...The Dinkoists are a group of people that challenge superstition and religious orthodoxy ... popular in social media ... Dinkan is a comic superhero mouse, who first appeared in 1983 in a now-defunct Malayalam children's magazine `Balamangalam'...
...So, it was refreshing to see a group under the banner of the fake religion called 'Dinkoism' holding a mock protest in front of actor Dileep's restaurant in Kochi this past week, over his new film 'Professor Dinkan.' The idea of such a religion was floated online sometime ago as a way to take gentle pot-shots at various religious groups that takes offence at the drop of a hat...
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