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The 'Flying Spaghetti Monster' (also known as the 'Spaghedeity') is the deity of a parody religion called 'The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster'.^[1] The religion was founded in 2005 by Oregon State University physics graduate Bobby Henderson to protest against the decision by the Kansas State Board of Education to require the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to biological evolution. In an open letter sent to the education board, Henderson professes belief in a supernatural Creator called the Flying Spaghetti Monster which resembles spaghetti and meatballs.^[2] He furthermore calls for the "Pastafarian" theory of creation to be taught in science classrooms.^[3]
Due to its recent popularity and media exposure, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is used by atheists and agnostics (known by Pastafarians as "spagnostics") as a modern version of Russell's teapot.^[4]

Contents

History and developments

Beliefs

Pirates and global warming

''The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster''

The Flying Spaghetti Monster in the news and popular culture

See also

References

Further reading

External links

History and developments

The first public exposure of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and its eponymous deity can be dated to January 2005, when Bobby Henderson sent an open letter regarding the FSM to the Kansas Board of Education. The letter was sent prior to the Kansas evolution hearings as a ''reductio ad absurdum'' argument against the teaching of intelligent design in science classes. Henderson stated that both his theory and intelligent design had equal validity; saying
:''"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."''
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."^[5]
The Board only responded after Henderson posted the letter on his website, gaining significant public interest.^[6] Henderson subsequently published the responses^[7] he received from board members.
As word of Henderson's challenge to the board spread, the website and Henderson's cause gathered more attention and support. The satiric nature of Henderson's argument made the Flying Spaghetti Monster popular with bloggers as well as humor and internet culture websites.^[8] The site was featured on Sensible Erection on June 17, 2005,^[9] and also on websites such as Boing Boing, Something Awful, Uncyclopedia and Fark.com. The mainstream media quickly picked up on the phenomenon as the Flying Spaghetti Monster became a symbol for the case against intelligent design theory in public education.^[10][11][12] Henderson himself is surprised by its success, stating that he "wrote the letter for [his] own amusement as much as anything."^[13]
In August 2005, in response to a challenge from a reader, BoingBoing.net announced a $250,000 challenge, later raised to $1,000,000, of "Intelligently Designed currency" by other bloggers, payable to any individual who could produce empirical evidence proving that Jesus is not the son of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, though Jesus is not a part of Pastafarianism.^[14] The challenge is modeled after a similar challenge issued by young-Earth creationist Kent Hovind (an award of $250,000 to anyone who can prove evolution "is the only possible way" that the Universe and life arose) that has been criticized by scientists as being logically flawed in design.^[15]

Beliefs

A Pastafarian depiction of the creation of the universe sent in an open letter to the Kansas School Board. It includes the Monster, a tree-covered mountain, and a midgit.

Henderson proposed many of the beliefs in reaction to common arguments by proponents of intelligent design. Touched by his Noodly Appendage Jessica Thierman
The canonical beliefs of Flying Spaghetti Monsterism are set forth by Henderson in the Open Letter, ''the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster'', and on Henderson's web site,^[16] where he is described as a "prophet."
The central belief is that there is an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster, which created the entire universe "after drinking heavily." All evidence for evolution was planted by the Flying Spaghetti Monster, in an effort to test Pastafarians' faith; a form of the Omphalos hypothesis. When scientific measurements, such as radiocarbon dating, are made, the Flying Spaghetti Monster "is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage."
The Pastafarian belief of heaven stresses that it contains beer volcanoes and a stripper factory.^[17] Hell is similar, except that the beer is stale and the strippers have VD.^[18]
The religious text of the Pastafarian religion is called the Loose Canon. In place of the Ten Commandments, it contains The Eight I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts, which is arguably a somewhat looser moral code.
The official conclusion to prayers is "RAmen", contained in certain sections of ''The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster'', and so on. It is a portmanteau of the Semitic term "Amen" (used in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and Ramen, a noodle. While it is typically spelled with both a capital "R" and "A", it is also acceptable to spell it with only a capital R.

Pirates and global warming

Chart comparing Number of Pirates versus Global Warming. The labels on the x-axis are deliberately misleading.

According to the Pastafarian belief system, pirates are "absolute divine beings" and the original Pastafarians.² Their image as "thieves and outcasts" is misinformation spread by Christian theologians in the Middle Ages and Hare Krishnas. Pastafarianism says that they were in fact "peace-loving explorers and spreaders of good will" who distributed candy to small children.
The inclusion of pirates in Pastafarianism was part of Henderson's original letter to the Kansas School Board. It illustrated that correlation does not equal causation. Henderson put forth the argument that "global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of pirates since the 1800s."² A chart accompanying the letter shows that as the number of pirates decreased, global temperatures increased; the absurdity of this demonstrates how statistically significant correlations do not imply a causal relationship (see confounding).

''The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster''

''The Gospel of The Flying Spaghetti Monster''

Main articles: The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

In December 2005, Bobby Henderson received a reported USD $80,000 advance to pen ''The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster''. Henderson said he plans to use the proceeds from the sale of the book to build a pirate ship, with which he may travel the world in order to convert heathens to the Pastafarian religion.^[19] The book was released on March 28, 2006 (ISBN 0-8129-7656-8).
''The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster'' is the Pastafarian equivalent of the Bible. It parodies biblical figures with characters such as Captain Mosey, a pirate and the FSM equivalent of Moses. The Gospel contains the aforementioned Eight "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts." It also provides information on how to convert non-"Pastafarians" and explains many of the religion's beliefs (for example, that lack of pirates causes global warming).

The Flying Spaghetti Monster in the news and popular culture

The FSM logo is a parody of the Ichthys or "Jesus Fish". It contains the basic body shape of the Ichthys, two eye stalks, six "noodly appendages", and the initials "FSM" for Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Billboard in Baltimore spoofing the city's "BELIEVE" campaign and local dialect.

★ In August, 2005, the Swedish concept designer Niklas Jansson created, "pretty much free to use for press and such as far as I'm concerned"^[20], a subverted adaptation of Michelangelo's ''The Creation of Adam'' (superimposing the Flying Spaghetti Monster over God) which became and remains today the FSM's de facto brand image.

★ The band New York Dolls added the FSM to their music video "Dance like a Monkey".^[21]

★ A section of the open letter to the Kansas School Board appeared in the January 2006 edition of ''Playboy''.

★ The popular sprite comic ''Bob and George'' featured the Flying Spaghetti Monster during a brief series of gags explaining why there were no new comics in the current storyline. The comic also references the Invisible Pink Unicorn.^[22]

★ Bryan Killian, a High School student in Buncombe County in North Carolina, was suspended for wearing "pirate regalia", which he said was part of his faith. Killian protested the suspension, saying it violated his right to religious freedom.^[23]

★ The Flying Spaghetti Monster has been used by Richard Dawkins in his book ''The God Delusion'', to demonstrate ideas from that book. It has also been featured in several other media outlets, including ''The Colbert Report'', ''The IT Crowd'' and ''Science Friday''.^[24] Dawkins' animated counterpart in the ''South Park'' episode "Go God Go" references the Monster in an argument against religion.

★ The Hunger Artists Theatre Company produced a comedy called ''The Flying Spaghetti Monster Holiday Pageant'' in December of 2006, detailing the history of Pastafarianism.^[25]

★ The Flying Spaghetti Monster was featured in the Dec/Jan issue of the science magazine ''Seed'' in a section dedicated to the year in review 2005.^[26]

★ On 2007-08-03, In the Netherlands, a demonstration was set up by Pastafarians to protest against the Evangelische Omroep -a public broadcaster with a strong evangelical background- after the EO censored a BBC documentary by leaving out the parts about evolution.^[27]

See also

★ Creation-evolution controversy

★ Criticism of Religion

★ Church of the SubGenius

★ Discordianism

★ Frisbeetarianism

★ Invisible Pink Unicorn

★ Last Thursdayism

★ Open source religion

★ Religion and the Internet

★ Russell's teapot

★ Sentient puddle

References

1. But Is There Intelligent Spaghetti Out There?
2. Open Letter To Kansas School Board Henderson, Bobby
3. Verbatim: Noodle This, Kansas
4. The Church of the Non-Believers Gary Wolf
5. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
6. Discussion of the Open Letter
7. Kansas School Board Responses to the Open Letter
8. A Tangled Tale of a Pasta-based Prophet
9. Intelligent Design and Pirate Global Warming
10. The Flying Spaghetti Monster
11. Evolution debate creates monster Scott Rothschild
12. But Is There Intelligent Spaghetti Out There? Sarah Boxer
13. 'Spaghetti Monster' is noodling around with faith
14. Boing Boing's 0,000 Intelligent Design challenge
15. CA:341: Hovind's Challenge
16. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster Henderson, Bobby
17. Guide to Pastafarianism DuBay, Tim
18. The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, p.83
19. Passion of the Spaghetti Monster Katleen Craig
20. http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/
21. New York Dolls—Dance Like a Monkey
22. Bob and George Comic from April 3, 2006
23. Citizen Times article on Bryan Killian's suspension
24. Richard Dawkins / Salmon Farming
25. The Flying Spaghetti Monster Holiday Pageant
26. Year in Science
27. Bekeren kan je leren

Further reading

★ The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, , Bobby, Henderson, Villard Books, 2006, ISBN 0-8129-7656-8

★ "Intelligent Design" and Pastafarianism Jack Schofield

★ Evolution Debate Spawns a Saucy Monster

★ In the beginning there was the Flying Spaghetti Monster

★ Flying Spaghetti Monster gains following

External links

★ Originating Website, including Henderson's open letter sent to the Kansas Board of Education

★ Flying Spaghetti Monster entry at the Uncyclopedia

★ Henderson news article

★ Sampling of Evidence in Support of the FSM—from the Science Creative Quarterly