Flying Spaghetti Monster
Un article de Vev.
The Flying Spaghetti Monster (also known as the Spaghedeity) is the deity of a parody religion<ref name="nytimes"> But Is There Intelligent Spaghetti Out There?
. New York Times Arts article
. Retrieved on 2007-02-05. </ref><ref name="usatoday"> 'Spaghetti Monster' is noodling around with faith
. USA Today Science & Space article
. Retrieved on 2007-02-05. </ref><ref name="cepa"> The dangers of creationism in education
. Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
. Retrieved on 2007-10-22. </ref> called The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and its system of beliefs, "Pastafarianism".<ref name="nytimes" /> The religion was founded in 2005 by Oregon State University physics graduate Bobby Henderson to protest 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.<ref name="openletter"> Henderson, Bobby
(2005)
. Open Letter To Kansas School Board
(HTML)
. Retrieved on 2007-01-09. </ref> He furthermore calls for the "Pastafarian" theory of creation to be taught in science classrooms.<ref name="wpost">"
Verbatim: Noodle This, Kansas " , Washington Post , August 28, 2005 . </ref>
Due to its recent popularity and media exposure, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is used by atheists, agnostics (known by Pastafarians as "spagnostics"), and others as a modern version of Russell's teapot.<ref> Wolf , Gary
. " The Church of the Non-Believers " , Wired News , November 14, 2006 . </ref>
Sommaire |
History and developments
The first public exposure of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (CoFSM) 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 an argument against the teaching of intelligent design in biology 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."<ref name="openletter"/>
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."<ref name="randi"> Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
. James Randi Educational Foundation article September 16 2005
. Retrieved on 2007-02-05. </ref>
The Board only responded after Henderson posted the letter on his website, gaining significant public interest.<ref name="openletterabout"> Discussion of the Open Letter
. Henderson, Bobby
. Retrieved on 2007-04-07. </ref> Henderson subsequently published the responses<ref name="openletterrespond"> Kansas School Board Responses to the Open Letter
. Henderson, Bobby (June 25 2005)
. Retrieved on 2006-01-09. </ref> he received from board members. On February 13, 2007, the Board voted 6 to 4 to reject the amended science standards enacted in 2005.
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.<ref name="spiegel"> A Tangled Tale of a Pasta-based Prophet
. Der Spiegel (2005-08-24)
. Retrieved on 2007-09-08.
“[FSM] has certainly caught the imagination of the online community [...] Henderson receives over 150 emails from supporters every day.”
</ref> The site was featured 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.<ref>"
The Flying Spaghetti Monster " , New Scientist , August 6, 2005 . </ref><ref> Rothschild , Scott . " Evolution debate creates monster " , Lawrence Journal-World , August 24, 2005 . </ref><ref> Boxer , Sarah . " But Is There Intelligent Spaghetti Out There? " , New York Times , August 29, 2005 . </ref> Henderson himself is surprised by its success, stating that he "wrote the letter for [his] own amusement as much as anything."<ref name="usatoday" />
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.<ref> Boing Boing's $250,000 Intelligent Design challenge
. BoingBoing.net (August 19 2005)
. Retrieved on 2006-06-11. </ref> The challenge is modelled 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).
In November 2007, three talks involving the Flying Spaghetti Monster were scheduled to be delivered at the American Academy of Religion's annual meeting in San Diego. The talks included titles such as, "Holy Pasta and Authentic Sauce: The Flying Spaghetti Monster's Messy Implications for Theorizing Religion".<ref> Religious scholars mull Flying Spaghetti Monster
. AP (2007-11-16)
. Retrieved on 2007-11-16. </ref> Academics say while its inclusion in the program may get laughs it is a serious debate on the essence of religion exploring questions such as "does religion require a genuine theological belief or simply a set of rituals and a community joining together as a way of signaling their cultural alliances to others?" or in short, "is an anti-religion like Flying Spaghetti Monsterism actually a religion?"<ref>Pasta Monster Gets Academic Attention AP November 17 2007</ref>
In December 2007, The Ledger reported that members of vengaza website, Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, sent emails to School Board members in Polk County, Florida, on the issue of intelligent design. <ref> John Chambliss
. " Satirical Monsters More Competition for Darwin " , The Ledger , 2007-12-11 . Retrieved on 2007-12-13 . </ref>
Beliefs
Henderson proposed many of the beliefs in reaction to common arguments by proponents of intelligent design.<ref name=gelf> Thierman , Jessica
. " Touched by his Noodly Appendage " , Gelf Magazine , September 18 2005 . </ref>
The canonical beliefs of Flying Spaghetti Monsterism are set forth by Henderson in the Open Letter,<ref name="openletter"/> the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and on Henderson's web site,<ref name="venganza"> Henderson, Bobby
(2005)
. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
(HTML)
. Retrieved on 2006-06-11. </ref> 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."<ref name="usatoday"/> 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."<ref name="openletter"/>
The Pastafarian belief of heaven stresses that it contains beer volcanoes and a stripper factory.<ref name="flashguide"> DuBay, Tim
(2005)
. Guide to Pastafarianism
(Shockwave Flash)
. Retrieved on 2006-08-26. </ref> Hell is similar, except that the beer is stale, and the strippers have VD.<ref name="hell">The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, p.83</ref>
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.
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 warmin'
According to the Pastafarian belief system, pirates are "absolute divine beings" and the original Pastafarians.<ref name="openletter" /> 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, and adds that modern pirates are in no way similar to "the fun-loving buccaneers from history." Pastafarians celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day on the September 19.
The inclusion of pirates in Pastafarianism was part of Henderson's original letter to the Kansas School Board. It illustrated that Correlation does not imply 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."<ref name="openletter" /> 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
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.<ref> Craig , Katleen
. " Passion of the Spaghetti Monster " , Wired News , December 22, 2005 . </ref> The book was released on March 28, 2006 (ISBN 0-8129-7656-Image:Cool.gif.
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).
Polk County, Florida
In December 2007 the Church of the Flying Spaghetti monster was credited with being at the forefront of successful efforts in Polk County, Florida to persuade Polk County School Board to withdraw from a potential challenge to new science standards mentioning evolution, raised as an issue after five of its seven members declared a personal belief in the concept of intelligent design. Opponents describing themselves as Pastafarians sent e-mails to Polk school board members, demanding equal time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism. The e-mail was dismissed as ridiculous and insulting by Margaret Lofton, one of the school board members supporting intelligent design, who said "They've made us the laughingstock of the world". The controversy developed, with scientists expressing their opposition to the claims of intelligent design. Hopes for a new applied science-focused campus of the University of South Florida being located in northeast Lakeland were reportedly in question, with university vice president Marshall Goodman expressing surprise and saying of intelligent design that "It's not science. You can't even call it pseudo-science." Lofton stated that she had no interest in engaging with the Pastafarians or anyone else seeking to discredit intelligent design, and while reaffirming her belief that the Bible is inerrant truth and the word of God, stated that she would not resign over the issue. Board members wanted simply to return to the day-to-day work of running the school district.<ref name=Polk> Billy Townsend
(December 22, 2007) . Polk Needled, Noodled In Evolution Flap . The Tampa Tribune
. Retrieved on 2007-12-23. </ref>
The Flying Spaghetti Monster in the news and popular culture
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- 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"<ref>http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/</ref>, 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".<ref> New York Dolls — Dance Like a Monkey
.</ref>
- 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 refers to the Invisible Pink Unicorn.<ref> Bob and George Comic from April 3, 2006
.</ref>
- [[Ctrl+Alt+Del]] is another webcomic where the Flying Spaghetti Monster is referred to as a savior for one of the protagonist's problems<ref> CTRL ALT DEL Well technically... from August 27, 2005
.</ref>.
- 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.<ref> Citizen Times article on Bryan Killian's suspension
.</ref>
- 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.<ref>"
Richard Dawkins / Salmon Farming " , Science Friday , NPR , October 6, 2006 . (English) </ref> Dawkins' animated counterpart in the South Park episode "Go God Go" referred to 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.<ref> The Flying Spaghetti Monster Holiday Pageant
. Hunger Artists Theatre Company
(December 2006)
. Retrieved on 2006-11-29. </ref> The production has spawned a sequel, to be performed in December of 2008.<ref> Hunger Artists Theatre Company's 2008 Season
. Hunger Artists Theatre Company (November 2007)
. Retrieved on 2007-11-16. </ref>
- 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.<ref> Year in Science
. Seed (2005-12-27)
. Retrieved on 2007-08-10. </ref>
- It was referred to in the webcomic AppleGeeks
- Pastafarianism was featured in a November 2007 issue of the science magazine New Scientist.<ref>Recognition for Our Noodly Friend</ref>
- On August 3, 2007 in the Netherlands, a demonstration was set up by Pastafarians to protest against the Evangelische Omroep (EO), a public broadcaster with a strong evangelical background, after the EO edited a BBC documentary to remove parts about evolution.<ref> Bekeren kan je leren
(Dutch) . Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (2007-08-03)
. Retrieved on 2007-08-06. </ref>
See also
References
External links
- Originating Website, including Henderson's open letter sent to the Kansas Board of Education
- Flying Spaghetti Monster Flying Spaghetti Monster entry at the Uncyclopedia
- Henderson news article
- Sampling of Evidence in Support of the FSM — from the Science Creative Quarterly
- The dangers of creationism in education (see Clause #52)
- The Creators of International Talk Like A Pirate Day give their support to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, HoboTrashcan.com interview
- News articles
- Modèle:Cite book
- Schofield , Jack
. " "Intelligent Design" and Pastafarianism " , Guardian Unlimited , August 20, 2005 .
- "
Evolution Debate Spawns a Saucy Monster " , Wichita Eagle , August 28, 2005 .
- "
In the beginning there was the Flying Spaghetti Monster " , Daily Telegraph , September 11, 2005 .
- "
Flying Spaghetti Monster gains following " , Associated Press , September 24, 2005 .
- Wolff , Eric
. " The $80,000 Pasta Bible Jackpot for unemployed slot-machine engineer and heretic " , New York Magazine , November 16, 2005 .
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