Church of Elsewhere, Grillo sends his Bible to its followers: from stoning to resurrection, here are the rules to follow

GENOA. The deed of incorporation of the Church of Elsewhere was already online, now Beppe Grillo has sent all aspiring followers a book of about eighty pages (84), practically his Bible, which clarifies in detail, aspect by aspect , the project of this new religious faith announced weeks ago and now slowly revealed to the followers. The only clear thing is that Elsewhere is aiming for official recognition by the State to obtain the 8 per thousand to be used «for new projects in the social sphere».

Everything else is still shrouded in mystery, starting from the original doubt: is it a serious or vaguely serious thing or vice versa a great media stunt – if necessary, the umpteenth – by Beppe Grillo to sting and make people talk about him? The doubt is legitimate because the tones, the terms, the explanation of this alleged secular religion remain somewhat bizarre. Indeed, without the somewhat, very bizarre. Let’s see them.

First of all, the book-Bible continues to speak of an “Elevated”, Beppe Grillo himself, of Altrovatar (the adepts), of initiation rites to enter it, even of exorcisms to enter it involuntarily. Yes, because one of the curiosities of this movement is that one can join voluntarily but also involuntarily, co-opted by other followers.

Rituals
There are eight rituals to enter and they are described on page 63. «Three are purification from the poisons that intoxicate us – it says – the “bandage”: only those who go blind can find the truth Elsewhere; the “breaking of the mirror”: only those who renounce their personal vanity can take the path Elsewhere; “the demolition of the totem”: the truth is always Elsewhere compared to conventional beliefs». And again: «Two are of gratitude and respect for the Other: the “game”: the discovery arises from chance (the “bandage”) but in the context of a game fueled by curiosity, amusement and exchange with the Others; and the “relay” – whoever is at the end of his journey must pass the baton to the Other to allow him to continue it». Finally: «Two are of resilience to Evil: “stoning”: those who seek Elsewhere must accept being misunderstood and, sometimes, even hated; the “resurrection”: those who fall under the blows of Evil must not give up, but get up and resume their journey”.

The exorcisms
There are also exorcisms. The book further explains: «The apostolate of the Church Elsewhere is also carried out independently of the will of its adherents, as for other religions. However, unlike other religions, only the Antivatars who have been asked to perform at least three exorcisms join the Elsewhere Church involuntarily. Antivatars who have received three exorcisms receive the Elsewhere license with the minimum score, which can only be improved through acts of redemption».

Driver’s license
To be part of Elsewhere – continues Grillo’s Bible – you need a sort of license. You get: «After participating in the first three rituals, with the base score; after three exorcisms, with the minimum score. The points of the driving license can be lost or gained due to the behavior of the member».

The symbols
«There are three symbols of the Church of Elsewhere: the “A” from which the questions of the adherents radiate; the crown of pins that the High wears to testify to his Connections; the fish that bears witness to the continuity of the Church of Elsewhere with the first Christian church». On this front of fish, however, it should be noted that the illustrated book is made up of drawings and sketches of fish and other marine creatures by the 73-year-old artist Marco Callisto, mentioned at the beginning of the publication with the mention of the website where .

The artist friend Callisto
On his online site, the artist chosen by Grillo for the illustrations explains: «I was born in Genoa in 1939 and I live most of the year in the quiet and pleasant village of Bonassola, on the sea of ​​the Riviera di Levante, close to the Cinque Lands. I have worked extensively as an entrepreneur in international trade; but throughout my life I have also always cultivated my artistic interests, aimed above all at the marine arts such as naval modeling and painting».

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