No, Yeezianity is not a real Kanye West–worshipping religion

Sometimes a story is too good to... read all the way through

Kanye West
(Image credit: (Walik Goshorn/Retna Ltd./Corbis))

Most religions are founded in ways that probably seem outlandish to outsiders — Joseph Smith and his golden plates; L. Ron Hubbard's (possibly apocryphal) Scientology-founding bar bet with fellow sci-fi writer Robert Heinlein; the bodily resurrection of a crucified, virgin-born Nazarene; the divine promise to nonagenarian Abraham of a nation and innumerable descendants. That doesn't controvert any of those religions.

This week the media was quick to pronounce the birth of a new religion, Yeezianity, with an especially questionable provenance: Kanye West and his critically acclaimed 2013 album, Yeezus. Yeezianity has its own website laying out its five doctrinal "pillars," a new Golden Rule, a creed, its own icon (see to the right), and these words about "Our Savior":

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.