AFTERNOON SATANIC CLUBS
Afterschoolsatan.com.


See the fascinating stuff below. Read it before you judge the ASSC organization.

Compiled by Lucy Maness Warner
August 3, 2016



https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/an-after-school-satan-club-could-be-coming-to-your-kids-elementary-school/2016/07/30/63f485e6-5427-11e6-88eb-7dda4e2f2aec_story.html

Education
An After School Satan Club could be coming to your kid’s elementary school
By Katherine Stewart
July 30, 2016

Photograph -- Doug Mesner, who goes by the professional name Lucien Greaves, is co-founder and spokesman for the Satanic Temple, a group of political activists who are seeking to establish After School Satan Clubs as a counterpart to fundamentalist Christian Good News Clubs, which they see as an attempt to infiltrate public education and erode the constitutional separation of church and state. (Josh Reynolds/For The Washington Post)
SEE BELOW: [Read the letter the Satanic Temple plans to send to school districts]
Video - Satanic Temple promotes its After School Satan Clubs Play Video 2:24; In this promotional video, the Satanic Temple says it is planning to bring their new After School Satan Club to public schools across the country. (The Satanic Temple)


SALEM, Mass. —It’s a hot summer night, and leaders of the Satanic Temple have gathered in the crimson­-walled living room of a Victorian manse in this city renowned for its witch trials in the 17th century. They’re watching a sepia-toned video, in which children dance around a maypole, a spider crawls across a clown’s face and eerie, ambient chanting gives way to a backward, demonic voice-over. The group chuckles with approval.

They’re here plotting to bring their wisdom to the nation’s public elementary school children. They point out that Christian evangelical groups already have infiltrated the lives of America’s children through after-school religious programming in public schools, and they appear determined to give young students a choice: Jesus or Satan.

“It’s critical that children understand that there are multiple perspectives on all issues, and that they have a choice in how they think,” said Doug Mesner, the Satanic Temple’s co-founder.

On Monday, the group plans to introduce its After School Satan Club to public elementary schools, including one in Prince George’s County, petitioning school officials to allow them to open immediately as the academic year starts. Chapter heads from New York, Boston, Utah and Arizona were in Salem on July 10 talking strategy, with others from Minneapolis, Detroit, San Jose, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Florida participating online. The promotional video, which feels like a mash-up of a horror movie trailer and a “Saturday Night Live” sketch, will serve to promote the new club along with its website — Afterschoolsatan.com.

The Satanic Temple — which has been offering tongue-in-cheek support for the fallen angel in public arenas that have embraced prayer and parochial ceremonies — is bringing its fight over constitutional separation of church and state to the nation’s schools.

But the group’s plan for public schoolchildren isn’t actually about promoting worship of the devil. The Satanic Temple doesn’t espouse a belief in the existence of a supernatural being that other religions identify solemnly as Satan, or Lucifer, or Beelzebub. The Temple rejects all forms of supernaturalism and is committed to the view that scientific rationality provides the best measure of reality.

According to Mesner, who goes by the professional name of Lucien Greaves, “Satan” is just a “metaphorical construct” intended to represent the rejection of all forms of tyranny over the human mind.

The curriculum for the proposed after-school clubs emphasizes the development of reasoning and social skills. The group says meetings will include a healthful snack, literature lesson, creative learning activities, a science lesson, puzzle solving and an art project. Every child will receive a membership card and must have a signed parental­ permission slip to attend.

“We think it’s important for kids to be able to see multiple points of view, to reason things through, to have empathy and feelings of benevolence for their fellow human beings,” said the Satanic Temple’s Utah chapter head, who goes by the name Chalice Blythe.

Lucien Greaves stands outside a courthouse in Salem, Mass. (Josh Reynolds/For The Washington Post)

The emphasis on multiple perspectives is a hint pointing to the Temple’s true foe. The group at first intends to roll out the clubs in a limited number of schools in districts that also host an evangelical Christian after-school program known as the Good News Club.

Good News Clubs, which are sponsored by an organization founded in 1937 called the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), aim to reach children as young as 5 with a fundamentalist form of evangelical Christianity. For most of their history, Good News Clubs were largely excluded from public schools out of concern that their presence would violate the Constitution.

In 2001, in a case that commanded the resources of powerful legal advocacy groups on the religious right, including the Alliance Defending Freedom and the Liberty Counsel, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that to exclude an after-school program on account of the religious views of its sponsors amounted to a violation of free-speech rights. The CEF then went on a tear, and by 2011, it reported 3,560 Good News Clubs, putting them in more than 5 percent of the nation’s public elementary schools.

The Satanic Temple makes no secret of its desire to use that same approach.

[How the Satanic Temple forced Phoenix lawmakers to ban public prayer]

“We would like to thank the Liberty Counsel specifically for opening the doors to the After School Satan Clubs through their dedication to religious liberty,” Greaves explained to the gathering of chapter heads in Salem. “So, ‘the Satanic Temple leverages religious freedom laws that put after-school clubs in elementary schools nationwide.’ That’s going to be the message.”

Should The Satanic Temple be allowed to open After School Satan Clubs in elementary schools?

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The Liberty Counsel agrees that the Satanic Temple has a right to organize its clubs in public schools and takes the view that they can’t be banned so long as they’re not disruptive or engaging in rituals that put people at risk.

“I would definitely oppose after­-school Satanic clubs, but they have a First Amendment right to meet,” said Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel’s founder and chairman. “I suspect, in this particular case, I can’t imagine there’s going to be a lot of students participating in this. It’s probably dust they’re kicking up and is likely to fade away in the near future for lack of interest.”

The Satanic Temple is eager to compete directly with the Good News Clubs and doesn’t hide its belief that its own after-school product is on the right side.

“While the Good News Clubs focus on indoctrination, instilling children with a fear of hell and God’s wrath, After School Satan Clubs will focus on free inquiry and rationalism,” Greaves said. “We prefer to give children an appreciation of the natural wonders surrounding them, not a fear of an everlasting other-worldly horror.”

Good News Club leaders have defended their organization’s presence in public schools. According to the Good News Club’s website, “each club includes a clear presentation of the Gospel and an opportunity for children to trust the Lord Jesus as Savior. Every club also includes strong discipleship training to build character and strengthen moral and spiritual growth.”

Amy Jensen, a professional educator in Tucson who has a master’s degree in curriculum, instruction and teaching from the University of Denver, says she has decided to lead an After School Satan Club after comparing its curriculum materials with those of the Good News Club. Jensen noted that the Satanic Temple’s materials say the group encourages benevolence and empathy among all people, and advocates practical common sense.

“As a teacher, if I were deciding whether to teach that or the fear and hatred of other people’s beliefs, which is what Good News Clubs teach, I would choose what the Satanic Temple has available,” she said.

Like all ASSC teachers, Jensen is a volunteer. To cover After School Satan Club costs, including facility use fees and curriculum materials, the Satanic Temple is launching a crowdfunding campaign — which is how it covers many of its initiatives.

The blend of political activism, religious critique and performance art that characterizes the After School Satan Club proposal is not a new approach for the Satanic Temple. It is just the most recent in a series of efforts that have made the Temple famous and notorious.

[Why a Satanic Temple member wants to perform rituals before a city council in the Bible Belt]

In 2014, after the Supreme Court ruled that the regular recitation of prayers before town meetings did not violate the First Amendment, provided that towns do not discriminate among religions, the Temple decided to test just how much religious liberty towns allowed. They volunteered to perform a Satanic benediction in an Arizona town where the board had regularly opened with a Christian prayer. In that case, the town preferred to abolish the practice of opening prayers.

Satanist opens city council meeting, and, well, just watch, Play Video 3:17.

David Suhor from the Satanic Temple delivered a unique invocation after several minutes of protester disruption at a Pensacola City Council meeting on July 14. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post)

In this and other instances — such as when the Satanic Temple proposed the installation of a statue of Baphomet in Oklahoma in response to a stone monument emblazoned with the Ten Commandments — the thrust of the Temple’s activism has been to prevent religious groups from claiming the mantle of implicit state endorsement.

The group’s activism has much in common with a movement started a decade ago, when Bobby Henderson of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster penned an open letter to the Kansas School Board in 2005, citing fears that the introduction of teaching religious intelligent design alongside the theory of evolution would inculcate public school students with Christian thought. Henderson argued that believing that there is a benevolent deity made of spaghetti and meatballs is just as legitimate as believing in God. Believers in the Flying Spaghetti Monster took on the name “Pastafarians.”

Like the Satanic Temple, the Pastafarians insist that theirs is a genuine religion. According to Henderson, who published “The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster” in 2006, it’s inaccurate to say that his church is “purely a thought experiment or satire.”

“The Church of FSM is legit, and backed by hard science. Anything that comes across as humor or satire is purely coincidental,” Henderson says on his website. “Let me make this clear: we are not anti-religion, we are anti-crazy nonsense done in the name of religion. There is a difference.”

Greaves likewise insists that the Satanic Temple is much more than satire: “We’ve moved well beyond being a simple political ploy and into being a very sincere movement that seeks to separate religion from superstition,” he said.

The Satanic Temple expects to face opposition to its after-school proposal. When the group sought to erect the Baphomet monument, the Oklahoma governor’s office dismissed the proposal as “absurd,” and right-wing activists joined the attack.

Given the fight ahead and the long odds of pushing Christianity out of public schools, an important question about the After School Satan Clubs is: Does the Satanic Temple really want religion — even its own — in public schools?

Greaves is blunt: “We are only doing this because Good News Clubs have created a need for this. If Good News Clubs would operate in churches rather than public schools, that need would disappear. But our point is that if you let one religion into the public schools you have to let others, otherwise it’s an establishment of religion.”

In the 2001 Supreme Court ruling, Justice David Souter penned a scathing dissent. He suggested that the decision would bring about a world in which “any public school opened for civic meetings must be opened for use as a church, synagogue, or mosque.”

The Satanic Temple probably wasn’t front and center in his thinking. Yet it appears determined to prove him correct.

Stewart is a Boston-based journalist. She is the author of “The Good News Club,” an investigative book about public education and religious fundamentalism in America. Follow her on Twitter: @kathsstewart


EXCERPTS -- “We think it’s important for kids to be able to see multiple points of view, to reason things through, to have empathy and feelings of benevolence for their fellow human beings,” said the Satanic Temple’s Utah chapter head, who goes by the name Chalice Blythe. …. The blend of political activism, religious critique and performance art that characterizes the After School Satan Club proposal is not a new approach for the Satanic Temple. It is just the most recent in a series of efforts that have made the Temple famous and notorious. …. They volunteered to perform a Satanic benediction in an Arizona town where the board had regularly opened with a Christian prayer. In that case, the town preferred to abolish the practice of opening prayers. …. “The Church of FSM is legit, and backed by hard science. Anything that comes across as humor or satire is purely coincidental,” Henderson says on his website. “Let me make this clear: we are not anti-religion, we are anti-crazy nonsense done in the name of religion. There is a difference.” Greaves likewise insists that the Satanic Temple is much more than satire: “We’ve moved well beyond being a simple political ploy and into being a very sincere movement that seeks to separate religion from superstition,” he said. …. In the 2001 Supreme Court ruling, Justice David Souter penned a scathing dissent. He suggested that the decision would bring about a world in which “any public school opened for civic meetings must be opened for use as a church, synagogue, or mosque.”


In doing this news blog for some two years I have found many, many great information and opinion pieces to highlight and discuss. Whether anyone reads it or not, I enjoy this research and my own daily rant, no end. People are reading it, however, between 10 and 200 on a one-day basis from some 15 or 20 countries around the world. There is always a sprinkling from China, SE Asia, the Middle East and even Africa. Most of my readers outside of the USA are in Russia, Germany and Eastern Europe. I suspect it’s because I’m an unabashed left-leaning thinker and I love stimulating discussion. I also don’t pull punches about some of the things that Russia, especially Putin himself, have done. One of my favorite things to read, and sometimes include in these blogs, is a dozen or more of the spiciest and yet most insightful reader comments to the various articles.

This subject of the Satanic Clubs for elementary school students startled, shocked, and totally aroused my nerve endings. The Satanic groups are among those that I tend to ignore. In reading about this group, though, it became clear to me that this isn’t black magic at all, but a free-thinking philosophy. I like it. I’m a UU, and we also are very much “free spirits,” including all manner of philosophies within our groups. We have no required dogma, and ban no belief that is humane in nature. No dissection of poor little black cats or ritual sex will ever occur in our churches, I can assure you all. We would never, never include any magical, abusive, hysterical rituals of any kind. These Satanic Clubs are totally set up for stimulating thought, curiosity, reasoning and humane behavior in our treatment of all life forms. That includes the environment which we are so actively polluting. I do hope the Higher Power will forgive us and lead us into a better way of thinking.



CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP. Is that wording scary enough for you? READ THIS EXCELLENT LETTER, following Child Evangelism’s lead:

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/local/the-satanic-temples-letter-to-school-districts-regarding-after-school-satan-clubs/2104/


“Dear Mrs. Michelle King:

On June 11, 2001, the US Supreme Court ruled that Child Evangelism Fellowship could have access to public school facilities to conduct Good News Club meetings. The decision stated that religious clubs such as the Good News Club must be given the same access to school facilities accorded any other non-school related group.

Many school districts across the country (including yours) have (or have had) Good News Clubs using their facilities. As a result, those schools have opened their doors to school clubs of all religious viewpoints. While the Good News Club is “working together with parents and the school to build solid moral and spiritual character into the lives of their children, based on their religious point of view, The Satanic Temple (TST) also has plans to enrich the lives of children in your district.

TST is a religious organization that seek to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people. In addition, TST embraces practical common sense and promotes justice. TST facilitates the communication and mobilization of politically aware Satanists, secularists and other advocates for individual liberty.

Today TST is active in a rapidly growing number of states and expanding just as rapidly, into foreign countries, fighting for Free Speech, Religious Liberty, and rational science-based inquiry and education. TST’s After School Satan Clubs are led by caring Satanists from local chapters in the community near the school. These teachers receive specialized training from TST and a background check is performed on every teacher we approve.

The After School Satan Club (ASSC) meets once a month immediately after school for one and a half hours. The meeting day will be determined in accordance with existing after school activities. ASSC meetings typically include a healthy snack, literature lesson, creative learning activities, science lesson, puzzle solving, and art project. Every child receives a membership card and must have a signed parental permission slip to attend.

The ASSC curriculum is based on principles that teach secular moral values, critical thinking and self-determination. All children are welcome regardless of their religious background and parents are also welcome to attend. Safety is a priority and there will always be two or more adults with the children at all times. In addition, your school district will provide a Certificate of Insurance for liability.

We would like to offer ASSC to the elementary-age children …. The purpose of this letter is to respectfully request that … allow The Satanic Temple’s ASSC to use school facilities after school hours. We would also like to distribute the enclosed permission slips to children in each of school of your district. In addition, we would like ASSC leaders to have a table or booth at the “back to school” night in each school to promote the club.

In replying to this letter, please provide us with a copy of your district policies and procedures related to “usage of facility” in your school.

It is our desire to support your district, to contribute constructively to your schools’ programs, and to help children lead productive lives. We respectfully ask that you consider this program and we look forward to receiving your positive response.

. . . .”


http://inweekly.net/wordpress/?p=20872

David Suhor and The Latest Battle Over Prayer
By Steven Poulin and Scott Satterwhite
Wednesday August 3rd 2016

The battle over the separation of church and state is, once again, being waged in a local school district. To quote Yogi Berra, “Déjà vu, all over again.” The new phase began when local jazz musician David Suhor asked to give the opening invocation at a recent Escambia County School Board (ECSB) meeting. The board, specifically board member Jeff Bergosh, refused. Not because Suhor wanted to pray at the ECSB meeting, which often opens with a Christian prayer, but because Suhor is not a Christian.

Though Suhor enjoys living in Pensacola, he often feels “crushed” by the ubiquity of religion throughout the area. But like many non-Christians, Suhor’s come to accept this aspect of Pensacola. Suhor identifies religiously as an agnostic pagan pantheist and made waves recently by insisting Escambia County’s local governing bodies, which often open public meetings with a Christian prayer, respect minority religious views or do away with the opening invocation. His doggedness about religious inclusion mostly results from local officials resistance to do away with the prayers altogether over the standard moment of silence.

Ultimately, Suhor prefers that the county bodies open with moments of silence instead of religious prayer. The Santa Rosa County School Board has been doing as much since 2009 following lawsuits against faculty-led prayer at Pace High School. But Suhor feels that since the Supreme Court’s recent Town of Greece v. Galloway decision (that ruled prayers were acceptable at local government meetings so long as they did not denigrate other religions) government boards that allow prayer at their meetings should allow prayers of all religions. To do otherwise would be religious discrimination and, according to many civil libertarians, a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

“Religious freedom is eroded when the government endorses any particular religious viewpoint,” said Benjamin Stevenson, staff attorney with the local chapter of the ACLU, after initially filing its lawsuit against Santa Rosa School District for endorsing religious practices in 2008. The ACLU won its case the following year. Santa Rosa County schools now open with a moment of silence instead of Christian prayer. Not so for ECSB.

Suhor said the ECSB’s actions act to endorse one religion over all others by allowing almost solely Christian-led prayers at the board’s invocations. In one instance in particular, the ECSB allowed Escambia High School coach Willie Spears (who was recently fired for insubordination not related to this issue) to lead the school board in prayer. Spears ended his prayer: “I pray that when people see the ECSD seal, they will think of Jesus the Christ.” For those who do not agree with this view, statements as such set them at odds with their elected representatives.

To some, Suhor’s agnosticism and pagan beliefs are off-putting. According to Suhor, identifying as agnostic “means you don’t claim to know with any certainty that there is any supernatural power.” Pagan is also a complicated term. “Traditionally used by Christians to describe anyone, especially polytheists, who do not accept the traditional Biblical interpretation of God and there being only one god and no others,” Suhor said. “Pantheist believes that the spirit of life, if you want to call it that, or God, exists in all creation among all things.”

Suhor’s religious crusade has noted some victories—most notably when the Escambia County Commission opened with him singing the invocation of “A Call to the Four Directions” by the anarcho-feminist and pagan writer Starhawk. Although Commissioner Wilson Robertson walked out during it, the YouTube video* of the invocation remains popular and has garnered over 75,000 views with nearly unanimous support in the comment section.

Still, according to Suhor, the ECSB is still less than amused and shows little interest in opening their invocations to other religions. He says he called the ECSB back in June to do an invocation and was put in touch with Board member Jeff Bergosh. Suhor says Bergosh asked him if he was Christian. When Suhor said he wasn’t, he was asked “Well, what are you?” When Suhor said he wanted to do a pagan/pantheist invocation, he claims Bergosh told him “Not on my watch.”

According to Suhor, he contacted other Board members who categorically rejected him. Even Board member Patty Hightower, who had accepted his invitation at first, later rescinded it at a ECSB meeting. In protest to his exclusion, Suhor opened a prayer rug before the meeting was called to order and chanted, what Bergosh described as “gibberish,” but what Suhor said was “Hare Krishna.”

While Suhor argues for the separation of religion and government, Bergosh thinks prayer should be accepted in public, including the meetings of elected officials. “I have three kids who all participated in sports, and one of the most heartwarming things I see is when kids huddle up around each other before a game and they pray,” Bergosh said.

According to Bergosh, prayers are necessary at ECSB meetings because school board members often deal with “heavy issues.” These “heavy issues” require prayer over a moment of silence, Bergosh relayed. “We have to acquiesce in this nation so frequently to a vocal minority of people. In this case we should be able to, as individual Board members, invite to prayer who we want, and not [try] to make someone like Suhor happy.”

Both Suhor and Bergosh have been dueling their complaints with each other in their respective blogs.* Bergosh also alleges that Suhor had been invited, but declined at first because of personal scheduling conflicts. Suhor disagrees with Bergosh’s version of the story. Yet Suhor’s main contention is not with Bergosh but with the school board’s system of choosing who gets to do invocations, which rotates among individual board members. <i>This rotating system favors Christian churches with little accommodation of other faiths while putting those of other beliefs to a “religious test” when they request to do the invocation, as happened with Suhor.

To Suhor, this battle over public prayer is ultimately about equality for minority religions. “If you open it up to one religion, you have to open it up to everyone, without discriminations,” Suhor said.

While Pensacola certainly has a reputation as a largely Christian community, the region is more religiously diverse than is often acknowledged.

According to statistics gathered by the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA)* in 2010, only 53.2 percent of the population identify with a particular Christian congregation. The other half is divided between the other world religions, including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Paganism and many more. The vast majority of Escambia residents in this group, however, do not identify with any religion whatsoever. This study underlines Suhor’s issues with the ECSB.

Suhor said Bergosh “has this idea that the audience is 100 percent Christian.” But Bergosh claims the issue is not about religion, but instead is about Suhor’s desire to “make a splash” in the media. Bergosh said he will even invite some non-Christians to do the invocations by the time of the rotation in January to make this point.

Whether Suhor or another pagan will be called to offer the invocation awaits to be seen. Nonetheless, Suhor wants his critics to see this issue as he does. “I would like people to consider how it feels for someone who is not of the majority religion to try to participate in their local government and feel like they are being prayed at by someone who is endorsing a religion.”

To Suhor, the issue is not about him. He would rather this controversy go away so he could return to practicing what he says is his one true religion—music. “This is not about me at all. I would not put myself out there to get attention in such a negative way, especially as a musician, if I didn’t feel this is a just call and there are legal [issues] going on in all of our boards, but especially the school system.”

*Suhor’s invocation to the Escambia County Commission can be seen at youtube.com/watch?v=RjkwPK8HuKQ
*Bergosh’s blog: jeffbergoshblog.blogspot.com; Suhor’s: anapplebiter.blogspot.com
*The Association for Religious Data Archives’ regional report is searchable by zip code and found at: thearda.com/rcms2010/



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster

Flying Spaghetti Monster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is the deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Pastafarianism (a portmanteau of pasta and Rastafarian), a social movement that promotes a light-hearted view of religion and opposes the teaching of intelligent design and creationism in public schools. According to adherents, Pastafarianism is a "real, legitimate religion, as much as any other."[3] Pastafarianism is legally recognized as a religion in the Netherlands[4] and New Zealand – where Pastafarian representatives have been authorized to celebrate weddings and where the first legally recognized Pastafarian wedding was performed in April 2016.[5][6][7] In the United States the same month, a federal judge ruled that the "Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster" is not a real religion.[8]

The "Flying Spaghetti Monster" was first described in a satirical open letter written by Bobby Henderson in 2005 to protest the Kansas State Board of Education decision to permit teaching intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in public school science classes.[9] After Henderson published the letter on his website, the Flying Spaghetti Monster rapidly became an Internet phenomenon and a symbol of opposition to the teaching of intelligent design in public schools.[10]

Because of its popularity and exposure, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is often used as a contemporary version of Russell's teapot—an argument that the philosophic burden of proof lies upon those who make unfalsifiable claims, not on those who reject them. Pastafarianism has received praise from the scientific community and criticism from proponents of intelligent design. Pastafarians have engaged in disputes with creationists, including in Polk County, Florida, where they played a role in dissuading the local school board from adopting new rules on teaching evolution.[11]

Pastafarian tenets (generally satires of creationism) are presented both on Henderson's Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster website, where he is described as "prophet", and in The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, written by Henderson in 2006. The central belief is that an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. Pirates are revered as the original Pastafarians.[12] Henderson asserts that a decline in the number of pirates over the years is the cause of global warming.[13] The FSM community congregates at Henderson's website to share ideas about the Flying Spaghetti Monster and crafts representing images of it, as well as to discuss "sightings" of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[3]

History
In January 2005,[14] Bobby Henderson(fr), then a 24-year-old[15] Oregon State University physics graduate, sent an open letter regarding the Flying Spaghetti Monster to the Kansas State Board of Education.[10][16][17] In that letter, Henderson satirized creationism by professing his belief that whenever a scientist carbon-dates an object, a supernatural creator that closely resembles spaghetti and meatballs is there "changing the results with His Noodly Appendage". Henderson argued that his beliefs were just as valid as intelligent design, and called for equal time in science classrooms alongside intelligent design and evolution.[13] The letter was sent prior to the Kansas evolution hearings as an argument against the teaching of intelligent design in biology classes.[10] Henderson, describing himself as a "concerned citizen" representing more than ten million others, argued that intelligent design and his belief that "the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster" were equally valid.[10] In his letter, he noted,

I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; 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.

— Bobby Henderson[13]
According to Henderson, since the intelligent design movement uses ambiguous references to a designer, any conceivable entity may fulfill that role, including a Flying Spaghetti Monster.[18] Henderson explained, "I don't have a problem with religion. What I have a problem with is religion posing as science. If there is a god and he's intelligent, then I would guess he has a sense of humor."[9][19]

In May 2005, having received no reply from the Kansas State Board of Education, Henderson posted the letter on his website, gaining significant public interest.[3][14] Shortly thereafter, Pastafarianism became an Internet phenomenon.[18][9] Henderson published the responses he then received from board members.[20] Three board members, all of whom opposed the curriculum amendments, responded positively; a fourth board member responded with the comment "It is a serious offense to mock God".[21] Henderson has also published the significant amount of hate mail, including death threats, that he has received.[22][23] Within one year of sending the open letter, Henderson received thousands of emails on the Flying Spaghetti Monster, eventually totaling over 60,000,[24] of which he has said that "about 95 percent have been supportive, while the other five percent have said I am going to hell".[9] During that time, his site garnered tens of millions of hits.[24]

Internet phenomenon
Drawing of the Flying Spaghetti Monster; crudely drawn with thick lines. Image shows a plain oval for the body, six noodles for the arms and two eye stalks.
The FSM "fish" emblem, the symbol of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, was created by readers of the Boing Boing web site.[25][26] It is a parody of the Christian Ichthys symbol.
As word of Henderson's challenge to the board spread, his website and cause received more attention and support. The satirical nature of Henderson's argument made the Flying Spaghetti Monster popular with bloggers as well as humor and Internet culture websites.[27] The Flying Spaghetti Monster was featured on websites such as Boing Boing, Something Awful, Uncyclopedia, and Fark.com. Moreover, an International Society for Flying Spaghetti Monster Awareness and other fan sites emerged.[28] As public awareness grew, the mainstream media picked up on the phenomenon. The Flying Spaghetti Monster became a symbol for the case against intelligent design in public education.[10][29][30] The open letter was printed in many large newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Chicago Sun-Times,[24] and received "worldwide press attention", according to one journalist.[31] Henderson himself was surprised by its success, stating that he "wrote the letter for [his] own amusement as much as anything".[18]

In August 2005, in response to a challenge from a reader, Boing Boing announced a $250,000 prize—later raised to $1,000,000—of "Intelligently Designed currency" payable to any individual who could produce empirical evidence proving that Jesus is not the son of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[32] It was modeled as a parody of a similar challenge issued by young-earth creationist Kent Hovind.[18][33]

According to Henderson, newspaper articles on the Flying Spaghetti Monster attracted the attention of book publishers; he said that at one point, there were six publishers interested in the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[24] In November 2005, Henderson received an advance from Villard to write The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[34]

In November 2005, the Kansas State Board of Education voted to allow criticisms of evolution, including language about intelligent design, as part of testing standards.[35] On February 13, 2007, the board voted 6–4 to reject the amended science standards enacted in 2005. This was the fifth time in eight years that the board had rewritten the standards on evolution.[36]

Positions
With millions, if not thousands, of devout worshipers, 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.

“”
–Bobby Henderson[3]
Although Henderson has stated that "the only dogma allowed in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is the rejection of dogma", some general beliefs are held by Pastafarians.[3] Henderson proposed many Pastafarian tenets in reaction to common arguments by proponents of intelligent design.[37] These "canonical beliefs" are presented by Henderson in his letter to the Kansas State Board of Education,[13] The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and on Henderson's web site, where he is described as a "prophet".[38] They tend to satirize creationism.[18]

Creation
See also: Omphalos hypothesis
The central creation myth is that an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe "after drinking heavily". According to these beliefs, the Monster's intoxication was the cause for a flawed Earth. Furthermore, according to Pastafarianism, all evidence for evolution was planted by the Flying Spaghetti Monster in an effort to test the faith of Pastafarians—parodying certain biblical literalists.[39] When scientific measurements such as radiocarbon dating are taken, the Flying Spaghetti Monster "is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage".[13]

Afterlife
The Pastafarian conception of Heaven includes a beer volcano and a stripper (or sometimes prostitute) factory.[38] The Pastafarian Hell is similar, except that the beer is stale and the strippers have sexually transmitted diseases.[40]

Pirates and global warming
chart showing that in 1820 there were 25,000 pirates and the global average temperature was 14.2 degrees C, while in 2000 there were 17 pirates and the global average temperature was 15.9 degrees C.
A misleading graph that is claimed to correlate the number of pirates with global temperature
According to Pastafarian beliefs, pirates are "absolute divine beings" and the original Pastafarians.[13] Furthermore, Pastafarians believe that the concept of pirates as "thieves and outcasts" is misinformation spread by Christian theologians in the Middle Ages and by Hare Krishnas. Instead, Pastafarians believe that they were "peace-loving explorers and spreaders of good will" who distributed candy to small children, adding that modern pirates are in no way similar to "the fun-loving buccaneers from history". In addition, Pastafarians believe that ghost pirates are responsible for all of the mysteriously lost ships and planes of the Bermuda Triangle. Pastafarians celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19.[41]

The inclusion of pirates in Pastafarianism was part of Henderson's original letter to the Kansas State Board of Education, in an effort to illustrate that correlation does not imply causation.[42] Henderson presented the argument that "global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of pirates since the 1800s".[13] A deliberately misleading graph accompanying the letter (with numbers humorously disordered on the x-axis) shows that as the number of pirates decreased, global temperatures increased. This parodies the suggestion from some religious groups that the high numbers of disasters, famines, and wars in the world is due to the lack of respect and worship toward their deity. In 2008, Henderson interpreted the growing pirate activities at the Gulf of Aden as additional support, pointing out that Somalia has "the highest number of pirates and the lowest carbon emissions of any country".[43]

Holidays

An alternative tree-topper for Pastafarians, handmade from pipe cleaners and pom poms.
Pastafarian beliefs extend into lighthearted religious ceremony. Pastafarians celebrate every Friday as a holy day.[18] Prayers are concluded with a final declaration of affirmation, "R'amen" (or "rAmen"); the term is a parodic portmanteau of the terms "Amen" and "Ramen", referring to instant noodles and to the "noodly appendages" of their parodic deity.[9]

Around the time of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, Pastafarians celebrate a vaguely defined holiday named "Holiday". Holiday does not take place on "a specific date so much as it is the Holiday season, itself". Because Pastafarians "reject dogma and formalism", there are no specific requirements for Holiday. Pastafarians celebrate Holiday in any manner they please.[44] Pastafarians also celebrate "Pastover" as a parody of Passover,[45][46][47] and "Ramendan" as a parody of Ramadan.[48][49][50]

Pastafarians interpret the increasing usage of "Happy Holidays", rather than more traditional greetings (such as "Merry Christmas"), as support for Pastafarianism.[44] In December 2005, George W. Bush's White House Christmas greeting cards wished people a happy "holiday season",[51] leading Henderson to write the President a note of thanks, including a "fish" emblem depicting the Flying Spaghetti Monster for his limousine or plane.[52] Henderson also thanked Walmart for its use of the phrase.[53]

Books
image of the cover of a book, red cover, gold lettering, title, small crudely drawn logo, author. No picture.
The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Main article: The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
In December 2005 Bobby Henderson received a reported US$80,000 advance from Villard to write The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Henderson said he planned to use proceeds from the book to build a pirate ship, with which he would spread the Pastafarian religion.[34][54] The book was released on March 28, 2006,[55] and elaborates on Pastafarian beliefs established in the open letter.[56] Henderson employs satire to present perceived flaws with evolutionary biology and discusses history and lifestyle from a Pastafarian perspective. The gospel urges readers to try Pastafarianism for thirty days, saying, "If you don't like us, your old religion will most likely take you back".[31][57] Henderson states on his website that more than 100,000 copies of the book have been sold.[58]

Scientific American described the gospel as "an elaborate spoof on Intelligent Design" and "very funny". In 2006, it was nominated for the Quill Award in Humor, but was not selected as the winner.[58] Wayne Allen Brenner of The Austin Chronicle characterized the book as "a necessary bit of comic relief in the overly serious battle between science and superstition".[56] Simon Singh of The Daily Telegraph wrote that the gospel "might be slightly repetitive...but overall it is a brilliant, provocative, witty and important gem of a book".[31]

Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute, which advocates intelligent design, labeled the gospel "a mockery of the Christian New Testament".[59]

The Loose Canon
In September 2005, before Henderson had received an advance to write the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a Pastafarian member of the Venganza forums known as Solipsy, announced the beginning of a project to collect texts from fellow Pastafarians to compile into the Loose Canon, the Holy Book of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, essentially analogous to the Bible.[60] The book was completed in 2010 and was made available for download.[61]

Some excerpts from The Loose Canon include:

I am the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Thou shalt have no other monsters before Me. (Afterwards is OK; just use protection.) The only Monster who deserves capitalization is Me! Other monsters are false monsters, undeserving of capitalization.

— Suggestions 1:1
"Since you have done a half-ass job, you will receive half an ass!" The Great Pirate Solomon grabbed his ceremonial scimitar and struck his remaining donkey, cleaving it in two.

— Slackers 1:51–52
Influence
various people standing around a small Flying Spaghetti Monster Parade float.
Flying Spaghetti Monster contingent preparing for the 2009 Summer Solstice Parade and Pageant in Fremont, Seattle, Washington
As a cultural phenomenon
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster now consists of thousands of followers,[42] primarily concentrated on college campuses in North America and Europe.[62] According to the Associated Press, Henderson's website has become "a kind of cyber-watercooler for opponents of intelligent design". On it, visitors track meetings of pirate-clad Pastafarians, sell trinkets and bumper stickers, and sample photographs that show "visions" of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[63]

In August 2005, the Swedish concept designer Niklas Jansson created an adaptation of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, superimposing the Flying Spaghetti Monster over God. This became and remains the Flying Spaghetti Monster's de facto brand image.[28] The Hunger Artists Theatre Company produced a comedy called The Flying Spaghetti Monster Holiday Pageant in December 2006, detailing the history of Pastafarianism.[64] The production has spawned a sequel called Flying Spaghetti Monster Holy Mug of Grog, performed in December 2008.[65] This communal activity attracted the attention of three University of Florida religious scholars, who assembled a panel at the 2007 American Academy of Religion meeting to discuss the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[62]

small handmade knit Flying Spaghetti Monster sitting on a table with people dressed as pirates in background.
Handmade knitted and felted Flying Spaghetti Monster
In November 2007, four talks about the Flying Spaghetti Monster were delivered at the American Academy of Religion's annual meeting in San Diego.[66] The talks, with titles such as Holy Pasta and Authentic Sauce: The Flying Spaghetti Monster's Messy Implications for Theorizing Religion, examined the elements necessary for a group to constitute a religion. Speakers inquired whether "an anti-religion like Flying Spaghetti Monsterism [is] actually a religion".[62] The talks were based on the paper, Evolutionary Controversy and a Side of Pasta: The Flying Spaghetti Monster and the Subversive Function of Religious Parody,[19] published in the GOLEM Journal of Religion and Monsters.[39] The panel garnered an audience of one hundred of the more than 9,000 conference attendees, and conference organizers received critical e-mails from Christians offended by it.[67]

Since October 2008, the local chapter of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has sponsored an annual convention called Skepticon on the campus of Missouri State University.[68] Atheists and skeptics give speeches on various topics, and a debate with Christian experts is held. Organizers tout the event as the "largest gathering of atheists in the Midwest".[69]

The Moldovan-born poet, fiction writer, and culturologist Igor Ursenco entitled his 2012 poetry book The Flying Spaghetti Monster (thriller poems).

On the nonprofit microfinancing site, Kiva, the Flying Spaghetti Monster group is in an ongoing competition to top all other "religious congregations" in the number of loans issued via their team. The group's motto is "Thou shalt share, that none may seek without funding,"[70] an allusion to the Loose Canon which states "Thou shalt share, that none may seek without finding."[71][72] As of March 2016, it has funded $2,970,200 in loans.[73]

Bathyphysa conifera, a siphonophore, has been called "Flying Spaghetti Monster" in reference to the FSM.[74][75]

Use in religious disputes
Owing to its popularity and media exposure, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is often used as a modern version of Russell's teapot.[76][77] Proponents argue that, since the existence of the invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster—similar to other proposed supernatural beings—cannot be falsified, it demonstrates that the burden of proof rests on those who affirm the existence of such beings. Richard Dawkins explains, "The onus is on somebody who says, I want to believe in God, Flying Spaghetti Monster, fairies, or whatever it is. It is not up to us to disprove it."[76] Furthermore, according to Lance Gharavi, an editor of The Journal of Religion and Theater, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is "ultimately...an argument about the arbitrariness of holding any one view of creation", since any one view is equally as plausible as the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[18] A similar argument was discussed in the books The God Delusion and The Atheist Delusion.[78][79]

In December 2007, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster was credited with spearheading successful efforts in Polk County, Florida, to dissuade the Polk County School Board from adopting new science standards on evolution. The issue was raised after five of the seven board members declared a personal belief in intelligent design. Opponents describing themselves as Pastafarians e-mailed members of the Polk County School Board demanding equal instruction time for the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[80] Board member Margaret Lofton, who supported intelligent design, dismissed the e-mail as ridiculous and insulting, stating, "they've made us the laughing stock of the world". Lofton later stated that she had no interest in engaging with the Pastafarians or anyone else seeking to discredit intelligent design. As the controversy developed, scientists expressed opposition to intelligent design. In response to hopes for a new "applied science" campus at the University of South Florida in Lakeland, university vice president Marshall Goodman expressed surprise, stating, "[intelligent design is] not science. You can't even call it pseudo-science." While unhappy with the outcome, Lofton chose not to resign over the issue. She and the other board members expressed a desire to return to the day-to-day work of running the school district.[11]

Legal status
National branches of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster have been striving in many countries to have FSMism become an officially (legally) recognized religion, with varying degrees of success. Pastafarianism/FSMism is recognized as a religion in The Netherlands,[81] and New Zealand, where Pastafarian representatives have been authorized to celebrate weddings.[5][6]

A federal court in the US state of Nebraska ruled that Flying Spaghetti Monster is a satirical parody religion, rather than an actual religion, and as a result, Pastafarians are not entitled to religious accommodation under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act:

"This is not a question of theology," the ruling reads in part. "The FSM Gospel is plainly a work of satire, meant to entertain while making a pointed political statement. To read it as religious doctrine would be little different from grounding a 'religious exercise' on any other work of fiction."[82]
Pastafarians have used their claimed faith as a test case to argue for freedom of religion, and to oppose government discrimination against people who do not follow a recognized religion.

Marriage
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster operates an ordination mill on their website which enables officiates in jurisdictions where credentials are needed to officiate weddings.[83] Pastafarians say that separation of church and state precludes the government from arbitrarily labelling one denomination religiously valid but another an ordination mill. In November 2014, Rodney Michael Rogers and Minneapolis-based Atheists for Human Rights sued Washington County, Minnesota under the Fourteenth Amendment equal protection clause and the First Amendment free speech clause, with their attorney claiming discrimination against atheists: "When the statute clearly permits recognition of a marriage celebrant whose religious credentials consist of nothing more than a $20 'ordination' obtained from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster... the requirement is absolutely meaningless in terms of ensuring the qualifications of a marriage celebrant."[84] A few days prior to a hearing on the matter, Washington County changed its policy to allow Rogers his ability to officiate weddings. This action was done in an effort to deny the court jurisdiction on the underlying claim. On May 13, 2015 the Federal Court held that the issue had become moot and dismissed the case. Atheists for Human Rights v. County of Washington, MN (D. Minn. 2015) (“Court holds case is mooted.”). Text The first legally-recognized Pastafarian wedding occurred in New Zealand on April 16, 2016.[6]

Free speech
In March 2007, Bryan Killian, a high school student in Buncombe County, North Carolina, was suspended for wearing "pirate regalia" which he said was part of his Pastafarian faith. Killian protested the suspension, saying it violated his First Amendment rights to religious freedom and freedom of expression.[85] "If this is what I believe in, no matter how stupid it might sound, I should be able to express myself however I want to", he said.[19][86]

A man dressed in pirate regalia standing next to a person costumed as the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
A Pastafarian dressed in pirate regalia
In March 2008, Pastafarians in Crossville, Tennessee, were permitted to place a Flying Spaghetti Monster statue in a free speech zone on the courthouse lawn, and proceeded to do so.[87][88][89] The display gained national interest on blogs and online news sites and was even covered by Rolling Stone magazine. It was later removed from the premises, along with all the other long-term statues, as a result of the controversy over the statue.[90] In December 2011, Pastafarianism was one of the multiple denominations given equal access to placing holiday displays on the Loudoun County courthouse lawn, in Leesburg, Virginia.[91]

In 2012, Tracy McPherson of the Pennsylvanian Pastafarians petitioned the Chester County, Pennsylvania Commissioners to allow representation of the FSM at the county courthouse, equally with a Jewish menorah and a Christian nativity scene. One commissioner stated that either all religions should be allowed or no religion should be represented, but without support from the other commissioners the motion was rejected. Another commissioner stated that this petition garnered more attention than any he had seen before.[92][93]

On September 21, 2012, Pastafarian Giorgos Loizos was arrested in Greece on charges of malicious blasphemy and offense of religion for the creation of a satirical Facebook page called "Elder Pastitsios", based on a well-known deceased Greek Orthodox monk, Elder Paisios, where his name and face were substituted with pastitsio – a local pasta and béchamel sauce dish. The case, which started as a Facebook flame, reached the Greek Parliament and created a strong political reaction to the arrest.[94][95][96][97][98][99]

In August 2013, Christian Orthodox religious activists attacked a peaceful rally that Russian Pastafarians had organized, knocking people at the rally to the ground. Police arrested and charged eight of the Pastafarians,[100][101] one of whom later complained that they were arrested "just for walking".[102][103]

In February 2014, union officials at London South Bank University forbade an atheist group to display posters of the Flying Spaghetti Monster at a student orientation conference and later banned the group from the conference, leading to complaints about interference with free speech.[104][105] The Students' Union subsequently apologized.[106]

In November 2014, the Church of the FSM obtained city signage in Templin, Germany, announcing the time of Friday's weekly Nudelmesse ("pasta mass"), alongside signage for various Catholic and Protestant Sunday services.[107]

Headgear in identity photos
smiling woman wearing a colander on her head being "blessed" by a brass Flying Spaghetti Monster in the style of a Roman Catholic scepter.
A woman wearing a colander as Pastafarian headgear
In July 2011, Austrian pastafarian Niko Alm won the legal right to be shown in his driving license photo wearing a pasta strainer on his head, after three years spent pursuing permission and obtaining an examination certifying that he was psychologically fit to drive. He got the idea after reading that Austrian regulations allow headgear in official photos only when it is worn for religious reasons.[12][108][109]

In February 2013, a self-declared Pastafarian was denied the right to wear a spaghetti strainer on his head for his driver's license photo by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, which stated that a pasta strainer was not on a list of approved religious headwear.[110]

In March 2013, a Belgian's identity photos were refused by the local and national administrations because he wore a pasta strainer on his head.[111]

In July 2013, a member of the Czech Pirate Party from Brno in the Czech Republic was given permission to wear a pasta strainer on his head for the photograph on his official ID card.[112] The Brno City Hall spokesman explained, "The application complies with the laws...where headgear for religious or medical reasons is permitted if it doesn't hide the face."[113]

In August 2013, a student at Texas Tech University got approval to wear a pasta strainer on his head in his driver's license photo. The student, Eddie Castillo, said, "You might think this is some sort of a gag or prank by a college student, but thousands, including myself, see it as a political and religious milestone for all atheists everywhere."[114]

In January 2014, a member of the Pomfret, New York Town Council wore a colander while taking the oath of office.[115][116][117]

In June 2014, a New Zealand man obtained a driver's license with a photograph of himself wearing a blue spaghetti strainer on his head. This was granted under a law allowing the wearing of religious headgear in official photos.[118]

In November 2014, former porn star Asia Carrera obtained an identity photo with the traditional Pastafarian headgear from a Department of Motor Vehicles office in Hurricane, Utah. The director of Utah's Driver License Division says that about a dozen Pastafarians have had their state driver's license photos taken with a similar pasta strainer over the years.[119]

In November 2015, Massachusetts resident Lindsay Miller was allowed to wear a colander on her head in her driver's license photo after she cited her religious beliefs. Miller (who resides in Lowell) said on Friday, November 13 that she "absolutely loves the history and the story" of Pastafarians, whose website says has existed in secrecy for hundreds of years and entered the mainstream in 2005.[120] Ms. Miller was represented in her quest by The American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center.[121]

In January 2016, Russian Pastafarian Andrew Filin got a driver's license with his photo in a colander.[122]

Some sources report that the colander in the form of pasta strainer, was recognised by Austrian authorities as a religious headgear of the parody religion, Pastafarianism, in 2011.[123][124] This was denied by Austrian authorities, saying that religious motives were not the reason to grant the permission of wearing the headgear in a passport.[125] The Czech Republic recognised this religious headgear in 2013.[126]


Pastafarian protester wears a colander while showing an icon of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Some anti-clerical protesters wore colanders to Piazza XXIV Maggio square in Milan, Italy, on June 2, 2012, in mock obedience to the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[127]

Critical reception
According to Justin Pope of the Associated Press,

Between the lines, the point of the letter was this: there's no more scientific basis for intelligent design than there is for the idea an omniscient creature made of pasta created the universe. If intelligent design supporters could demand equal time in a science class, why not anyone else? The only reasonable solution is to put nothing into sciences classes but the best available science.

— Justin Pope[62]
two metal US Army dog tags with Atheist/FSM stamped on them.
U.S. Army ID tag (dog tag) listing "Atheist/FSM" as the religious/belief system preference
Justin Pope praised the Flying Spaghetti Monster as "a clever and effective argument".[63] Simon Singh of the Daily Telegraph described the Flying Spaghetti Monster as "a masterstroke, which underlined the absurdity of Intelligent Design", and applauded Henderson for "galvanis[ing] a defence of science and rationality".[31] Sarah Boxer of the New York Times said that Henderson "has wit on his side".[10] In addition, the Flying Spaghetti Monster was mentioned in an article footnote of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review as an example of evolution "enter[ing] the fray in popular culture", which the author deemed necessary for evolution to prevail over intelligent design.[128] The abstract of the paper, Evolutionary Controversy and a Side of Pasta: The Flying Spaghetti Monster and the Subversive Function of Religious Parody, describes the Flying Spaghetti Monster as "a potent example of how monstrous humor can be used as a popular tool of carnivalesque subversion".[39] Its author praised Pastafarianism for its "epistemological humility".[19] Moreover, Henderson's website contains numerous endorsements from the scientific community.[129] As Jack Schofield of The Guardian noted, "The joke, of course, is that it's arguably more rational than Intelligent Design."[130]

Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute, which promotes intelligent design, contested this, saying, "the problem for their logic is that ID is not an arbitrary explanation, because we have much experience with intelligent agents producing the type of informational complexity we see in nature."[131] Columnist Jeff Jacoby wrote in The Boston Globe that intelligent design "isn't primitivism or Bible-thumping or flying spaghetti. It's science."[132] This view of science, however, was rejected by the United States National Academy of Sciences.[133] Peter Gallings of Answers in Genesis, a Young Earth Creationist ministry said "Ironically enough, [Pastafarians], in addition to mocking God himself, are lampooning the Intelligent Design Movement for not identifying a specific deity—that is, leaving open the possibility that a spaghetti monster could be the intelligent designer... Thus, the satire is possible because the Intelligent Design Movement hasn’t affiliated with a particular religion, exactly the opposite of what its other critics claim!"[134] Mark Coppenger, a pastor who teaches at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, commented, "I'm happy to say I think FSM hurts the evolutionists' program since, by mocking the Christian tradition... it reinforces the correct impression that there is genuine contempt for biblical faith in that camp... Besides, the parody is lame, and there are few things more encouraging than cheap shots from one's opponents."[18]


See also
Church of the SubGenius
Dinkoism
Discordianism
Dudeism
Evolution as fact and theory
Human timeline
Intelligent falling
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Life timeline
Missionary Church of Kopimism
Nature timeline
Reductio ad absurdum



I haven’t looked at these “see alsos” above because it’s late and I haven’t posted yet. I’ll bet they’re just as interesting as the FSM article above. Have a go at it, if you have the time and energy.

Yours,
LMW