Flying Spaghetti Monster Inspires Wonky Religious Debate

Article from: Wired Mag





The Flying Spaghetti Monster may look funny, but he was taken very seriously by a panel at the American Academy of Religion annual conference.
Image: venganza.org
SAN DIEGO -- To a group of earnest academics who study faith, the Flying Spaghetti Monster -- the spiritual icon of a new internet-based religion -- is more than just a spicy pop-culture dish.

They use words like "didactic device" to describe the beloved but carb-heavy god of Pastafarianism. They say the FSM is cloaked in a "folk-humor hybrid body," and reveals a web-fueled movement toward "open source theology" that challenges existing beliefs.

Pastafarianism is "quite clearly confronting order with disorder, a profound kind of religious activity that we often overlook," said religious-studies professor and author David Chidester on Monday during a panel discussion about the belief system at the American Academy of Religion's annual conference in San Diego, which drew 9,000 attendees.

Sober words for a male deity made of two meatballs and a "noodly appendage." The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has largely been popularized through the internet. The church boasts of a long history and "millions, if not thousands of devout worshippers," according to its website. But it only entered the public sphere after self-described prophet Bobby Henderson, an unemployed twenty-something physicist from Phoenix, demanded in 2005 that the religion receive equal time in Kansas schools.

At the time, education officials in the state wanted to raise the profile of "intelligent design" in public schools and offer it as an alternative to evolution.

Henderson says Pastafarianism -- the official religion of the Flying Spaghetti Mon

rest of the article @ link: http://www.wired.com/culture/education/news/2007/11/flying_spaghetti_monster

gads!

Most religious people prefer using established theologies like Christianity because of their larger installed user base.

Plus there are a lot of themes for the GUI: Protestantism and Catholicism UIs are very popular. Some have even installed and run Mormonism (it's a newer theme and finally out of beta now), but have some interface problems in certain parts of the country.

Take Heed!

After all, W got whacked with His Noodly Appendage and look what happened!

On the other hand, it may all be in His great plans for all of us. After all, we need someone to run the beer volcano, and maybe W'd be good at that! Well, the one in hell where the beer is stale.

He is a great spagediety!

Go FSM! :woohoo:

Yo-ho and Ra-men!

Now that's what I call progress! Next thing you know, they'll be demanding that Incompetent Design be taught in Utah, Alabama and Idaho public schools!