 Priapus, a divine personification of the penis | |
| Founder | |
|---|---|
| D.F. Cassidy | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Religions | |
| Paganism | |
| Scriptures | |
| Scripture of the Holy Seed | |
| Languages | |
| English,French |
TheTemple of Priapus, also known as theSt. Priapus Church (French:Église S. Priape), is aNorth Americanpagan[1] religion founded in 1979 that centers on the worship of thephallus.[2]
The Temple of Priapus was founded inMontreal,Quebec, by D. F. Cassidy and has found a following mainly amonghomosexual men inCanada and theUnited States. The group, which is named after theGreek godPriapus, believes that the phallus is the source of life,beauty, joy, and pleasure.[3]
Cassidy took inspiration for the Montreal temple from a shortly defunct group of the same name he encountered inSan Francisco in 1979, which was itself founded in 1973 after another one inCalgary, Alberta in 1972.[4] Cassidy said in 2014 of the San Francisco temple, "They were doing important community outreach, like helping homeless gay youth".[2]
The phallus is to be worshipped, which can be accomplished by a variety ofsexual acts, including groupmasturbation.[5]Semen is also treated with reverence and its consumption is an act of worship.[3] Similarly,fellatio is strongly encouraged; the Temple of Priapus sees it as acommandment, a good deed which has positive effects not just for the recipient but for society in general, a practice facilitating world peace. (Well-fellated men, the group teaches, are less likely to make war.)[6]
There are nine centres of the group in Canada and eight in the United States. The largest membership resides inSan Francisco, California, and it has its headquarters inMontreal.[3]
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