LOLCat Bible Translation Project
Encyclopedia
The LOLCat Bible Translation Project is a wiki-based
website set up in July 2007 by Martin Grondin, where editors aim to parody the entire Bible
in "LOLspeak
", the slang popularized by the LOLcat
Internet phenomenon. The project relies on contributors to adapt passages. As of March 27, 2008, approximately 61% of the text had been adapted, and Grondin had stated that he hopes the entire New Testament will be complete by the end of 2008. In the process of adaptation, various changes are being made to the source material, for example, changing the main characters to cats, Jesus Christ as "Happy Cat," God
as the "Ceiling Cat," and Satan
as the "Basement Cat," while the "gifts" and "blessings" of God have become "cheezburgerz". General people have become "kittehs." The style of writing employed varies, but the most devoted contributors have been described as those who utilize as many gags and themes used in the different lolcat images.
The project has been praised by Ben Huh, owner of the website that popularized lolcats, icanhascheezburger.com
, who stated that the LOLCat Bible has inspired other religious texts to be translated into LOLspeak, such as the Qur'an
, and that it has made clear that "the ability to publish is now open to anyone". An editorial in the Chicago Tribune
commented, "The effort to translate the Bible into a language full of grammatical errors, hacker acronyms and Internet lingo may appear distasteful or blasphemous to some, but not to worry. Much of the translation only loosely follows the Bible. It's crowded with references to lolcats pictures and to ambiguous Internet humor, and these references can only be understood by people who spend too much time on the Web."
As of January 2010, the LOLCat Bible is available in book form. Selected stories have been printed, such as the story of the creation of the earth, the story of Adam and Eve
, and the story of Noah
.
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
website set up in July 2007 by Martin Grondin, where editors aim to parody the entire Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
in "LOLspeak
Lolcat
A lolcat is an image combining a photograph of a cat with text intended to contribute humour. The text is often idiosyncratic and grammatically incorrect, and its use in this way is known as "lolspeak" or "kitty pidgin"....
", the slang popularized by the LOLcat
Lolcat
A lolcat is an image combining a photograph of a cat with text intended to contribute humour. The text is often idiosyncratic and grammatically incorrect, and its use in this way is known as "lolspeak" or "kitty pidgin"....
Internet phenomenon. The project relies on contributors to adapt passages. As of March 27, 2008, approximately 61% of the text had been adapted, and Grondin had stated that he hopes the entire New Testament will be complete by the end of 2008. In the process of adaptation, various changes are being made to the source material, for example, changing the main characters to cats, Jesus Christ as "Happy Cat," God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
as the "Ceiling Cat," and Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
as the "Basement Cat," while the "gifts" and "blessings" of God have become "cheezburgerz". General people have become "kittehs." The style of writing employed varies, but the most devoted contributors have been described as those who utilize as many gags and themes used in the different lolcat images.
The project has been praised by Ben Huh, owner of the website that popularized lolcats, icanhascheezburger.com
I Can Has Cheezburger?
I Can Has Cheezburger? is the name of a weblog featuring lolcats, which are pictures of cats or other animals with captions, paired for humor value. It was created in 2007 by Eric Nakagawa , a blogger from Hawaii and his girlfriend, Kari Unebasami...
, who stated that the LOLCat Bible has inspired other religious texts to be translated into LOLspeak, such as the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, and that it has made clear that "the ability to publish is now open to anyone". An editorial in the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
commented, "The effort to translate the Bible into a language full of grammatical errors, hacker acronyms and Internet lingo may appear distasteful or blasphemous to some, but not to worry. Much of the translation only loosely follows the Bible. It's crowded with references to lolcats pictures and to ambiguous Internet humor, and these references can only be understood by people who spend too much time on the Web."
As of January 2010, the LOLCat Bible is available in book form. Selected stories have been printed, such as the story of the creation of the earth, the story of Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
, and the story of Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
.