Information is sacred, and file sharing a holy sacrament, according to a newly recognized religion. For members of the Church of Kopimism, Internet piracy is not a criminal act, but a religious experience.
And now Swedish authorities have officially recognized the Missionary Church of Kopimism as a legitimate religion.
The church issued a press release on Thursday, announcing the good news. According to Wired.Co.UK, a group of 3,000 Swedish file sharers have succeeded in getting their organisation, called the Church of Kopimism, recognised as an official religion by the Swedish government.
The church's name comes from "Kopimi," pronounced "copy me;" and was founded by 19-year-old philosophy student Isak Gerson in 2010. The main religious ritual of the church is the act of connecting with one another by copying and sharing information over the Internet.
The Church of Kopimism is recognized by the state of Sweden
Just before Christmas, the Swedish governmental agency Kammarkollegiet registered the Church of Kopimism as a religious organisation. This means that Sweden is the first country to recognize kopimism as a religion.
For the Church of Kopimism, information is holy and copying is a sacrament. Information holds a value, in itself and in what it contains, and the value multiplies through copying. Therefore, copying is central for the organisation and its members.
Being recognized by the state of Sweden is a large step for all of kopimi. Hopefully, this is one step towards the day when we can live out our faith without fear of persecution, says Isak Gerson, spiritual leader of the Church of Kopimism.
The Church of Kopimism is a religious organisation with roots from 2010. The organisation formalizes a community that’s been well spread for a long time already. The community of kopimi requires no formal membership. You just have to feel a calling to worship what is the holiest of the holiest, information and copy. To do this, we organize kopyactings – religious services – where the kopimists share information with eachother through copying and remix.
Copy and seed.
Ctrl C Ctrl V :)
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