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LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) -
After months of research and countless calls to state and local authorities, Eddie Castillo finally got approval to wear a pasta strainer on his head in his official ID photo.
It sounds like a joke, but it's actually a political statement from a group of atheists who "worship" the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The group members, who call themselves "pastafarians," were inspired by a satirical letter written in 2005 to protest the Kansas School Board teaching intelligent design.
Castillo, a Texas Tech student, is the first person in the country allowed to wear this kind of religious headgear in a legal identification photo.
Castillo's church is using humor to bring attention to some very serious issues, namely, how different levels of government interpret the separation of church and state.
Castillo says he's trying to make a point about acceptance and expose people to a different outlook.
Pastafarian creation myth
The Gospel begins with the creation of the universe by an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster.[13] On the first day, the Flying Spaghetti Monster separated the water from the heavens; on the second, because He could not tread water for long and had grown tired of flying, He created the land—complemented by a beer volcano.[19]
Satisfied, the Flying Spaghetti Monster overindulged in beer from the beer volcano and woke up hungover.[22] Between drunken nights and clumsy afternoons, the Flying Spaghetti Monster produced seas and land (for a second time, accidentally, because he forgot that he created it the day before) along with Heaven and a midget, which he named Man.[23] Man and an equally short woman lived happily in the Olive Garden of Eden for some time until the Flying Spaghetti Monster caused a global flood in a cooking accident.[19]
Captain Mosey and the Eight "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts"
The "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts" address a broad array of behavior, from sexual conduct to nutrition.[25] One reviewer commented that this parody of the Ten Commandments "reads like a bitter shopping list of the same criticisms" given to organized religions.[1] One commandment is "I'd really rather you didn't build multimillion-dollar synagogues / churches / temples / mosques / shrines to [His] Noodly Goodness when the money could be better spent ending poverty, curing diseases, living in peace, loving with passion and lowering the cost of cable."[26]
Q: A lot of Pastafarians seem to be anti-religion and/or atheists (why is this?)
A: We’re not anti-religion. This is NOT an atheists club. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join our church including current members of other religions. In addition to the Atheists, Agnostics, and Freethinkers who have joined us, we have a number of Christian (and Muslim, and Hindu and Buddhist …) members and I would love to have more. Note to the religious: You are welcome here.
Let me make this clear: we are not anti-religion, we are anti- crazy nonsense done in the name of religion. There is a big difference. Our ideal is to scrutinize ideas and actions but ignore general labels.
How to help the church
You can do that by spreading the word. Tell people about Pastafarianism. Point out that we’re the world’s most peaceful mainstream religion, having started no wars in our God’s name. As far as I know there are no deaths attributed to our religion.
Can I be a member if I don’t literally Believe in the FSM?
Yes you can. For the same reason that many in other religions don’t literally believe their scripture, you can be a Pastafarian without being a True Believer of our scripture. In other words, do you know Christians who don’t take the Bible literally – but who consider themselves True Christians, nonetheless? So do I. In fact, True Belief is not often a requirement of religion. Most religions are comprised of a group of people with similar – but not exact – world views. Pastafarianism is no different in that regard.
I find the whole issue amusing!
The Pastafarian rally in Russia on August 17th began in a light-hearted manner, as members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster took to the streets of Moscow wearing strainers on their heads and carrying various types of pasta to celebrate the tenets of their faith.
However, the day quickly took a dark turn, as members of a Russian Orthodox group as well as the police physically attacked the group, knocking some to the ground and verbally harassing them. Eight Pastafarians were detained and charged with organizing an unsanctioned rally.
However, not everyone feels so joyful about the recognition of the Pastafarian Church, particularly members of the Orthodox group God's Will, who told Utro that "glorification of the Great Flying Spaghetti Monster offends their religious feelings.” Dmitry Enteo, the founder of God's Will, posted on Twitter that "Pastafarianism is a blasphemous smear against Christianity," according to NBC.
The ensuing video shows members of the police chasing Pastafarians through the streets, who can be recognized by the strainers on their heads.
Acceleration procession of believers in the Spaghetti Monster
Pastafarians are part of an international 'religious' movement founded in the U.S. in 2005 in opposition to the teaching of intelligent design and creationism in public schools. It has become an international movement, generally recognized as satirical poke at organized religion. But its adherents insist that it’s a 'real religion' and the dogma they follow is the rejection of dogma. They claim to have 15,000 adherents in Russia.
(Bows to the almighty Pasta Noodle) So is hell a boiling pot that never turns off or the back of a fridge as a forgotten leftover?
The Invisible Pink Unicorn (IPU) is the goddess of a parody religion used to satirize theistic beliefs, taking the form of a unicorn that is paradoxically both invisible and pink.[1] She is a rhetorical illustration used by atheists and other religious skeptics as a contemporary version of Russell's teapot, sometimes mentioned in conjunction with the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[2]
It is saddening that some people's biggest aim in life and the thing towards which they exert their efforts and TIME is somthing that they don't even really believe in.
The Interesting Irony is that they are denying and riduculing something that they believe doesn't exist
What an utter waste of life!!
Sure,
But can pink unicorns join the party?