The elite of the planet Bikto were growing bored. These were people who loved games, contests, celebrations and the like. But over long ages, these lost their novelty. Some of them were gathered in a place of leisure one day, discussing this.
                 "I'm open to to ideas," said a more influential one. After some silence, another spoke up: "This might sound ridiculous..."
                 "Speak, anyway!" they chorused.
                 "Well, we are in a somewhat jaded period, where few care much about religion anymore. And the few who are likely to be offended could just remove themselves. Anyhow, what I'm thinking is that we have a contest. A 'most ridiculous religion' contest. Groups could register, and we'd hold preach-offs, ritual races and so on."
                 Others jumped in.
                 "And we'd measure the laughter."
                 "And see who generated the most offended responses."
                 "Groups could hone their presentations and try again each year."
                 "And if some of these 'religions' actually began to catch on, that would make it even more fun!"
                 "Sure, we could gauge it by crowd size, too!"
                 They started small, to test the waters, but soon it was spreading around the planet. "Faith-fests" and "holy happenings" abounded everywhere, drawing the bored, the curious, and the credulous.
                 Of course, like any popular pastime, over time it gelled into an institution, and after much more time it fossilized into inevitability. People were now, as the whole age passed, attending without knowing why. In fact, enough history and enough forgetting eventually went by, that what were once jokes now became serious religions. Participants had forgotten how they started. Different regions now had very different traditions. Some of these religions faded away into the past, while a few hung on like limpets, recruiting all they could, or making membership automatic by inheritance or by nation. It became a world dangerously divided by conflicting loyalties and beliefs.
                 Many were so concerned that they studied, and delved, and uncovered the truth ~ all the planet's religions had fake foundations, fragile footings, foolish kickoffs. It became accepted academic fact that no religion on the planet was legitimate. Then it was as if the whole planet breathed a sigh of relief. The basis of conflict was gone! Joyfully, they began to burn all the books, the tapes, the stage props and all the other reminders.
                 Except, that is, for one scholar, who secretively made off with as many artifacts as he could. Telling no one, he combed through these for any hint of hope, truth, or meaning. Unusually optimistic, he couldn't believe it had all been an utter waste. He began to notice a recurring theme, a thematic notion, certain repeating phrases. It was as if something rare had accidentally been sprinkled among these "joke" religions. Such phrases, which he carefully recorded, included the following:

YOU'RE ALL GOING TO GET IT
EVERYONE WILL SEE
THE NEED FOR SEARCHING WILL END
IT WILL BECOME CLEAR TO ALL

                 And so on. What this meant, he was unsure. Regardless, however, he was caught, and his works destroyed. Since he appeared more insane than dangerous, they let him live and only locked him away. Few except other patients, the guards, and the caretakers heard his ravings:

YOU'RE ALL GOING TO GET IT
EVERYONE WILL SEE
THE NEED FOR SEARCHING WILL END
IT WILL BECOME CLEAR TO ALL

                 A few who overheard this whispered these same words to themselves, then to their loved ones. They eventually appeared in a very popular song. No one had any idea of their origin. And as the whole world began to mouth these ...

...they changed.