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| The '''Invisible Pink Unicorn''' ('''IPU'''), described as a ] in the form of a ] who is both |
The '''Invisible Pink Unicorn''' ('''IPU'''), described as a ] in the form of a ] who is both invisible and pink, is a ] aimed at certain religious attitudes and beliefs. While the originator of the IPU mythos is not known, the ] seems to have entered popular culture between ] and ] through the ] discussion group ]. | ||
| ⚫ | Other ] deities from the same period include the ], ] or ] of the ] According to alt.atheism ]: ''The point of this silliness is to prod the theist into remembering that their preaching is likely to be viewed by atheists as having all the credibility and seriousness of their preaching about the IPU and various catgods.'' | ||
| ⚫ | To belabor the obvious, the ] behind the parody is that because the Unicorn is invisible, no one can prove it does not exist. But if there is no way to detect or see it, how do we know it is pink or has a single ]? The contradiction between being simultaneously "pink" and "invisible" is also supposed to evoke contradictions argued by atheists to exist in conventional religions, such as between the ] and ] of God, or in the concept of the Trinity. | ||
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| ] | |||
| ] pokes fun at sightings of ] and other religious figures in public places.]] | |||
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| ⚫ | The name of the Invisible Pink Unicorn in jocular discourse is usually followed in ] by a phrase such as ''Blessed Be Her Holy Hooves'', ''Peace Be Unto Her'', or ''May Her Hooves Never Be Shod'', which are often shortened to bbhhh, pbuh, or mhhnbs respectively. | ||
| :''The IPU is the Invisible Pink Unicorn (blessed be her holy hooves).'' | |||
| : | |||
| :''Like most Goddesses, she's invisible and highly unlikely to exist. However, there is much argument as to her exact colour, her shape and size, and other properties of her nonexistence. She burns with anger against theists and allegedly grinds them beneath her holy hooves.'' | |||
| : | |||
| ⚫ | :''The point of this silliness is to prod the theist into remembering that their preaching is likely to be viewed by atheists as having all the credibility and seriousness of their preaching about the IPU and various catgods.'' | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| Sayings about faith in the Invisible Pink Unicorn include that, like other ]s, it is founded in ] and ]. Logic, that is, "she must be invisible, since we cannot see her". Faith, that is, "we know in our hearts that the Invisible Pink Unicorn exists". This is a parody of the ] reasoning of other religions. | |||
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| The Invisible Pink Unicorn is also a parody of the ] aspects of religion -- by ], nothing can be both pink and invisible. Similarly, many people argue that ] and ] -- traits often attributed to deities -- are contradictory. They also point to apparent contradictions in the ] or the ], or the conceptual difficulties of the ]. | |||
| ⚫ | The name of the Invisible Pink Unicorn in jocular discourse is usually followed in ] by a |
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| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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| *http://www.invisiblepinkunicorn.com | *http://www.invisiblepinkunicorn.com | ||
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Revision as of 19:58, 18 September 2004
The Invisible Pink Unicorn (IPU), described as a goddess in the form of a unicorn who is both invisible and pink, is a satire aimed at certain religious attitudes and beliefs. While the originator of the IPU mythos is not known, the parody seems to have entered popular culture between 1990 and 1992 through the Usenet discussion group alt.atheism. Other parody deities from the same period include the Church of the SubGenius, J. R. "Bob" Dobbs or Eris of the Discordianism According to alt.atheism FAQ: The point of this silliness is to prod the theist into remembering that their preaching is likely to be viewed by atheists as having all the credibility and seriousness of their preaching about the IPU and various catgods.
To belabor the obvious, the idea behind the parody is that because the Unicorn is invisible, no one can prove it does not exist. But if there is no way to detect or see it, how do we know it is pink or has a single horn? The contradiction between being simultaneously "pink" and "invisible" is also supposed to evoke contradictions argued by atheists to exist in conventional religions, such as between the omnipotence and omnibenevolence of God, or in the concept of the Trinity.
The name of the Invisible Pink Unicorn in jocular discourse is usually followed in brackets by a phrase such as Blessed Be Her Holy Hooves, Peace Be Unto Her, or May Her Hooves Never Be Shod, which are often shortened to bbhhh, pbuh, or mhhnbs respectively.