The Church of the Subgenius is a kind of joke-religion. It was started in the early 1980s by two friends, their mission is to teach people how to laugh at the world around them. They believe that there is a powerful and evil force called "The Conspiracy" which is trying to control how people think and act. The Church of the Subgenius helps people recognize the true power behind all of our lives, which is to be silly, creative and to just have fun! Members of the Church of the Subgenius often dress in silly costumes, play odd and experimental music and have wild and wacky ideas. They don't take themselves too seriously, and follow an idea they call "Slack" which just means that they aren't too serious and are happy to just be silly and have fun.