Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Created | Updated Aug 13, 2007
In may 2005 the kansas School Board held a 4 day hearing into how pupils in the state should be taught about the origins of life. The result was a close vote amongst the board members, 6-4 in favour of allowing the teaching of 'Intelligent Design' (ID) alongside Evolutionary theory.
Intelligent Design is the proposition that existing scientific theory on evolution cannot adequately explain the complexity of life on earth. Proponents point to highly complex systems which, they claim, can only be the result of a 'designer' or creator. The vast majority of scientists oppose this view and writers such as Richard Dawkins have made vigorous defences of the evoution of complex sytems such as the human eye (see Climbing Mount Improbable 1996) For a proponents overview of Intelligent Design visit
http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org/
Bobby Henderson, a 24 year old of "negligible education", has made an impassioned and well reasoned assault on the principles that underpin the decision of the Kansas School Board. rather than attacking the principles of ID he has put forward a compelling case, in an open letter to the board members, that alternative forms of ID should be taught alongside traditional Christian creationism.
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (I've been touched by his noodly appendage) proposes that the world was created by the aformentionaed FSM. Followers of the FSM are refered to as Pastafarians and are identifiable by their full pirate regalia. The text of the letter to the Kansas School Board is reproduced below. For an image of the FSM visit:
http://www.venganza.org/images/spreadword/obey1.jpg
OPEN LETTER TO KANSAS SCHOOL BOARD:
CC:
DOVER SCHOOL BOARD (PENNSYLVANIA)
OHIO STATE SCHOOL BOARD
RIO RANCHO SCHOOL BOARD (NEW MEXICO)
GRANTSBURG SCHOOL BOARD (WISCONSIN)
COBB COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD(GEORGIA)
SHELBY COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD(TENNESSEE)
CHARLES COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD(MARYLAND)
NAPERVILLE SCHOOL BOARD(ILLINOIS)
DARBY SCHOOL BOARD (MONTANA)
BLUFFTON-HARRISON SCHOOL BOARD (INDIANA)
(note -- who am I missing?)
I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution. I think we can all agree that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them. I am concerned, however, that students will only hear one theory of Intelligent Design.
Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.
It is for this reason that I’m writing you today, to formally request that this alternative theory be taught in your schools, along with the other two theories. In fact, I will go so far as to say, if you do not agree to do this, we will be forced to proceed with legal action. I’m sure you see where we are coming from. If the Intelligent Design theory is not based on faith, but instead another scientific theory, as is claimed, then you must also allow our theory to be taught, as it is also based on science, not on faith.
Some find that hard to believe, so it may be helpful to tell you a little more about our beliefs. We have evidence that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. None of us, of course, were around to see it, but we have written accounts of it. We have several lengthy volumes explaining all details of His power. Also, you may be surprised to hear that there are over 10 million of us, and growing. We tend to be very secretive, as many people claim our beliefs are not substantiated by observable evidence. What these people don’t understand is that He built the world to make us think the earth is older than it really is. For example, a scientist may perform a carbon-dating process on an artifact. He finds that approximately 75% of the Carbon-14 has decayed by electron emission to Nitrogen-14, and infers that this artifact is approximately 10,000 years old, as the half-life of Carbon-14 appears to be 5,730 years. But what our scientist does not realize is that every time he makes a measurement, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage. We have numerous texts that describe in detail how this can be possible and the reasons why He does this. He is of course invisible and can pass through normal matter with ease.
I’m sure you now realize how important it is that your students are taught this alternate theory. It is absolutely imperative that they realize that observable evidence is at the discretion of a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Furthermore, it is disrespectful to teach our beliefs without wearing His chosen outfit, which of course is full pirate regalia. I cannot stress the importance of this enough, and unfortunately cannot describe in detail why this must be done as I fear this letter is already becoming too long. The concise explanation is that He becomes angry if we don’t.
You may be interested to know that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s. For your interest, I have included a graph of the approximate number of pirates versus the average global temperature over the last 200 years. As you can see, there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature.
http://www.venganza.org/images/spreadword/pchart1.jpg
In conclusion, thank you for taking the time to hear our views and beliefs. I hope I was able to convey the importance of teaching this theory to your students. We will of course be able to train the teachers in this alternate theory. I am eagerly awaiting your response, and hope dearly that no legal action will need to be taken. 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.
Sincerely Yours,
Bobby Henderson, concerned citizen.
P.S. I have included an artistic drawing of Him creating a mountain, trees, and a midget. Remember, we are all His creatures.
www.venganza.org/images/wallpapers/noodlycreation.jpg
Just a fad? The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has been a phenomenal success. At the time of writing nearly 20 million hits have been recorded on the the Venganza web site. A track of internet trafic through search engines shows an early peak but traffic is still strong. This has caused some observers to refer to the phenomena of Pastafarianism as "the worlds fastest growing religion".
http://www.trendmapper.com/charts/pages/FlyingSpaghetti-01092005-4020.html
Rather than attempt to steal Bobby's thunder here on H2G2 I would invite all of those who BELIEVE to visit his web site. If nothing more there is a great online game where you get to play the noodly appendage of the FSM and convert people to full pirate regalia Pastafarianism
http://www.venganza.org/www.venganza.org
Intelligent Design is the proposition that existing scientific theory on evolution cannot adequately explain the complexity of life on earth. Proponents point to highly complex systems which, they claim, can only be the result of a 'designer' or creator. The vast majority of scientists oppose this view and writers such as Richard Dawkins have made vigorous defences of the evoution of complex sytems such as the human eye (see Climbing Mount Improbable 1996) For a proponents overview of Intelligent Design visit
http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org/
Bobby Henderson, a 24 year old of "negligible education", has made an impassioned and well reasoned assault on the principles that underpin the decision of the Kansas School Board. rather than attacking the principles of ID he has put forward a compelling case, in an open letter to the board members, that alternative forms of ID should be taught alongside traditional Christian creationism.
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (I've been touched by his noodly appendage) proposes that the world was created by the aformentionaed FSM. Followers of the FSM are refered to as Pastafarians and are identifiable by their full pirate regalia. The text of the letter to the Kansas School Board is reproduced below. For an image of the FSM visit:
http://www.venganza.org/images/spreadword/obey1.jpg
OPEN LETTER TO KANSAS SCHOOL BOARD:
CC:
DOVER SCHOOL BOARD (PENNSYLVANIA)
OHIO STATE SCHOOL BOARD
RIO RANCHO SCHOOL BOARD (NEW MEXICO)
GRANTSBURG SCHOOL BOARD (WISCONSIN)
COBB COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD(GEORGIA)
SHELBY COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD(TENNESSEE)
CHARLES COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD(MARYLAND)
NAPERVILLE SCHOOL BOARD(ILLINOIS)
DARBY SCHOOL BOARD (MONTANA)
BLUFFTON-HARRISON SCHOOL BOARD (INDIANA)
(note -- who am I missing?)
I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution. I think we can all agree that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them. I am concerned, however, that students will only hear one theory of Intelligent Design.
Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.
It is for this reason that I’m writing you today, to formally request that this alternative theory be taught in your schools, along with the other two theories. In fact, I will go so far as to say, if you do not agree to do this, we will be forced to proceed with legal action. I’m sure you see where we are coming from. If the Intelligent Design theory is not based on faith, but instead another scientific theory, as is claimed, then you must also allow our theory to be taught, as it is also based on science, not on faith.
Some find that hard to believe, so it may be helpful to tell you a little more about our beliefs. We have evidence that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. None of us, of course, were around to see it, but we have written accounts of it. We have several lengthy volumes explaining all details of His power. Also, you may be surprised to hear that there are over 10 million of us, and growing. We tend to be very secretive, as many people claim our beliefs are not substantiated by observable evidence. What these people don’t understand is that He built the world to make us think the earth is older than it really is. For example, a scientist may perform a carbon-dating process on an artifact. He finds that approximately 75% of the Carbon-14 has decayed by electron emission to Nitrogen-14, and infers that this artifact is approximately 10,000 years old, as the half-life of Carbon-14 appears to be 5,730 years. But what our scientist does not realize is that every time he makes a measurement, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage. We have numerous texts that describe in detail how this can be possible and the reasons why He does this. He is of course invisible and can pass through normal matter with ease.
I’m sure you now realize how important it is that your students are taught this alternate theory. It is absolutely imperative that they realize that observable evidence is at the discretion of a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Furthermore, it is disrespectful to teach our beliefs without wearing His chosen outfit, which of course is full pirate regalia. I cannot stress the importance of this enough, and unfortunately cannot describe in detail why this must be done as I fear this letter is already becoming too long. The concise explanation is that He becomes angry if we don’t.
You may be interested to know that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s. For your interest, I have included a graph of the approximate number of pirates versus the average global temperature over the last 200 years. As you can see, there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature.
http://www.venganza.org/images/spreadword/pchart1.jpg
In conclusion, thank you for taking the time to hear our views and beliefs. I hope I was able to convey the importance of teaching this theory to your students. We will of course be able to train the teachers in this alternate theory. I am eagerly awaiting your response, and hope dearly that no legal action will need to be taken. 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.
Sincerely Yours,
Bobby Henderson, concerned citizen.
P.S. I have included an artistic drawing of Him creating a mountain, trees, and a midget. Remember, we are all His creatures.
www.venganza.org/images/wallpapers/noodlycreation.jpg
Just a fad? The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has been a phenomenal success. At the time of writing nearly 20 million hits have been recorded on the the Venganza web site. A track of internet trafic through search engines shows an early peak but traffic is still strong. This has caused some observers to refer to the phenomena of Pastafarianism as "the worlds fastest growing religion".
http://www.trendmapper.com/charts/pages/FlyingSpaghetti-01092005-4020.html
Rather than attempt to steal Bobby's thunder here on H2G2 I would invite all of those who BELIEVE to visit his web site. If nothing more there is a great online game where you get to play the noodly appendage of the FSM and convert people to full pirate regalia Pastafarianism
http://www.venganza.org/www.venganza.org
