Pastafarianism (Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster)
http://www.humanreligions.info/flying_spaghetti_monster.html
By Vexen Crabtree 2017
#atheism #austria #islam #judaism #monotheism #parody_religions #pastafarianism #polytheism #sikhism #USA
| Pastafarianism | |||
| Links: Pages on Pastafarianism, Other Religions | |||
| God(s) | |||
| Adherent | Pastafarian | ||
| Adherents | Pastafarians | ||
| Texts | Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster | ||
| Afterlife | Heaven or hell | ||
| Founding | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage | Parody | ||
| Area of Origin | USA | ||
| When | 2005 | ||
| Founder | By Bobby Henderson | ||
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM, Pastafarianism) teaches that the creator of the universe is an invisible and non-detectable being that resembles spaghetti and meatballs1. To win favours with the savoury saviour, prayers should end with "R'amen". A collection of writings of fans has been compiled as the Loose Canon, and the founder Bobby Henderson has earned the epithet of "May Pesto Be Upon Him". The Church of the FSM argues that Pastafarianism should also be taught in school alongside evidence-based teachings such as evolution, and that the FSM planted evidence of evolution to confuse scientists. Their true argument is that the whole concept of teachings religious beliefs in science education classes is ridiculous and inappropriate2. The Church of the FSM is also famous for its adherents presenting arguments for the right to wear colanders on their heads - the truth being that of course, the exact opposite is the case: exemptions for religious folk are daft, and should be dropped.
- About Pastafarianism
- An Introduction to Parody Religions
- A Parody of Creationism / Intelligent Design
- Wearing Colanders
- Links
1. About Pastafarianism
Pastafarianism teaches than an invisible and non-detectable god created the universe, and that god resembles a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Only a few chosen people are worthy to be touched by His Noodly Appendage.
Every Friday is a holy day and other important calendar events are Pastover (passover) and Ramendan (Ramadan), and Holiday (Christmas).
“The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, after having existed in secrecy for hundreds of years, came into the mainstream just a few years ago [in 2005].”
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster3
“A popular deity on the Internet at present - and as undisprovable as Yahweh or any other - is the Flying Spaghetti Monster, who, many claim, has touched them with his noodly appendage. I am delighted to see that the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has now been published as a book, to great acclaim. [...] A Great Schism has already occurred, resulting in the Reformed Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.”
"The God Delusion" by Prof. Richard Dawkins (2006)4
The Loose Canon is a collection of writings of early FSM adherents. It contains a large bulk of FSM literature, including various prayers. But the best "Pasta Lord's Prayer" is the one on the website of the British Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster:
“The Pasta Lord's Prayer
Our pasta, who art in a colander, draining be your noodles.
Thy noodle come, Thy sauce be yum, on top some grated Parmesan.
Give us this day our garlic bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trample on our lawns.
And lead us not into vegetarianism, but deliver us some pizza, for thine is the meatball, the noodle, and the sauce, forever and ever.
R'Amen.”
www.pastafarian.co.uk
Accessed 2017 Jan 05.
May the sauce be with you.
2. An Introduction to Parody Religions
#anti_religion #christianity #jedi_knights #Parody_religions #rastafarianism #religions
Parody religions are created to intentionally poke fun at religion in order to highlight poor arguments, bad reasoning, fantasy and wishful-thinking in religious thought4. The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Pastafarianism), the Church of the Subgenius, Discordianism and the Jedi Knight religion are examples. By some definitions, parody religions count as philosophies and not religions5, but, their point is made more effectively is they are considered to be religions and listed alongside them - because otherwise, ethnographers have to come up with criteria they can use to determined which religions are "true enough" or "serious enough" to be legitimate. The fact that it may well be impossible to prove religion, and therefore disprove parodies, is itself part of the point of parody.
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster note that "the Church of the FSM is widely considered a legitimate religion, even by its opponents - mostly fundamentalist Christians, who have accepted that our God has larger balls than theirs"3. And it is certainly true that the FSM has a big pair of meatballs, because they claim "millions, if not thousands" of devout followers3. They state that they are not an anti-religious organisation, but that they do stand against crazy nonsense done in the name of religion3.
The word "Pastafarianism" is similar to "Rastafarianism".
“The Church of FSM is legit, and backed by hard science. Anything that comes across as humor or satire is purely coincidental.”
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster3
3. A Parody of Creationism / Intelligent Design
#creationism #evolution #fundamentalism #pastafarianism
The Church of the FSM was founded as an argument against letting Christian Fundamentalists teach 'Intelligent Design' (creationism) in schools2. The Church of the FSM used the same evidence-free arguments to posit that Pastafarianism should also be taught and that evidence-based teachings such as evolution would have to share the limelight. The true argument is clearly that religions (Pastafarianism included) should not be taught at all and that the whole concept of teaching religious beliefs in science education classes is ridiculous and inappropriate.
“The popularity of Intelligent Design over the past decade has been profoundly depressing for anybody who cares about science and rational thought. ... Perhaps the low point came a year ago when the Kansas Board of Education endorsed a new science curriculum that put the theories of evolution and ID on a par. [...]
Fortunately, rationalists have begun to fight back, none more so than Bobby Henderson. He wrote to the Kansas Board of Education pointing out that under their new dispensation teachers must also teach his own theory of creation, namely that the universe was created by the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
His theory had as much logic as Intelligent Design, so he argued that it deserved its fair share on the school timetable: 'One-third time for Intelligent Design, one-third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one-third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence.'
It was a masterstroke, which underlined the absurdity of Intelligent Design.”
"Was the world created by god, evolution or pasta?" by Simon Singh (2006)2
The Church of the FSM acknowledge this parody on their website, also making fun of the way some religions dismiss large and well-proven branches of science:
“Some claim that the church is purely a thought experiment or satire, illustrating that Intelligent Design is not science, just a pseudoscience manufactured by Christians to push Creationism into public schools. These people are mistaken - The Church of FSM is legit, and backed by hard science. [...]
Religious texts tell us that humans evolved from Pirates. Consider that so-called "science experts" would have us believe humans evolved from primates, pointing towards the shared 99% shared DNA between humans and primates. But humans and Pirates share upwards of 99.9% of DNA. [...]
We believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster created the world much as it exists today, but for reasons unknown made it appear that the universe is billions of years old (instead of thousands) and that life evolved into its current state (rather than created in its current form). Every time a researcher carries out an experiment that appears to confirm one of these "scientific theories" supporting an old earth and evolution we can be sure that the FSM is there, modifying the data with his Noodly Appendage. We don´t know why He does this but we believe He does, that is our Faith.”
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster3
See:
- Evolution and the Unintelligent Design of Life: Inherited Traits, Genetic Dysfunction and Artificial Life
- Belief in the Theory of Evolution Versus Religious Faith
- Creationism and Intelligent Design: Christian Fundamentalism
4. Wearing Colanders
The Church of the FSM is also famous for its adherents presenting arguments for the right to wear colanders on their heads. Muslims, Sikhs and Jews have the legal right to wear special headgear even when the law requires others to have no clothing at all obscuring the face (i.e. during person identification). Their indirect argument is that no religion should be exempt from matters of security or safety because of their beliefs.
Pastafarian Niko Alm in Austria noted that driving licenses in his country allow head gear to be worn for religious reasons. He applied and eventually obtained a driving license where he is wearing a colander.6. Likewise in Massachusetts, USA, Lindsay Miller "won the right to wear a colander on her head in her driving licence picture". The American Humanist Association aided in her fight, arguing that (as in Austria driving license photos grant additional rights to wear headgear if you are religious.7.
See:
- Religious Clothing and Symbols in Secular Democracies
- Legislation and Faith: Religious Rights and Religious Wrongs (it is wrong to give additional rights to religious folk - either people can wear headgear, or they can't. There should be no favouritism towards select groups due to their beliefs).