Is it permissible to ridicule sacred things? Many will say that this is absolutely unacceptable, pointing to the laws that prevent offending the feelings of believers in many countries. But what if the joke on religion becomes religion itself? Such a situation usually plunges the defenders of the traditional faith into a stupor - which, in general, is what the Pastafarians - followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster - want.
WELDED FOR OUR SINS
Yes, yes, you heard right - it was the Flying Macaroni Monster, invisible and omnipotent, but supposedly looking like a ball of macaroni with meatball eyes, who once created the world. Having drunk pretty much before that - that's why the creation turned out to be imperfect. All evidence of evolution was rigged by the Monster to test the faith of people, and the pirates were the first Pastafarians. Kind, peace-loving researchers who handed out sweets to young children, not at all like modern pirates, or "disinformation spread by Christian propaganda" in history books …
What, sounds like sheer nonsense? There is no reason to worry - this is how it should sound. Pastafarianism is conceived as a parody religion, a protest religion, thoroughly saturated with satire and absurdity. For example, sacred pirates arose when the movement's founder was in a heated debate with the Kansas State Board of Education over a misunderstanding of causality by members. He drew a comic graph showing a "direct relationship" between global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes and other disasters, and the decline in pirates since the mid-19th century. The arguments were not heeded - and the sea robbers soon became part of the newborn religion. We can say that it was thanks to the short-sighted Kansas officials that the Flying Macaroni Monster was born.
THE DIVINE KETTLE THEORY
The prerequisites were outlined earlier. In 1952, British philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell wrote an article for Illustrated entitled "Does God Exist?" The text was never published in the issue, but was later widely disseminated thanks to other sources. Russell, tired of arguing with believers who argued that it was impossible to prove the absence of God, gave an analogy. He placed a fictional porcelain teapot in orbit between the Earth and Mars, which cannot be seen through telescopes due to its small size. Russell argued that any reasonable person would call such an idea nonsense - but only if the existence of the teapot was not confirmed in ancient books, and its authenticity was not repeated for many centuries. The idea of Russell's divine teapot has been discussed for a long time,but flashed with a new light only after half a century.
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Already in the 21st century, the state of Kansas made the decision to teach the theory of creationism in public schools, specifically the direction of "Intelligent Design." This is the theological concept that all basic forms of organic life, including man, were created by God, and evolution never existed. The law caused a huge amount of controversy, and one of its most ardent opponents was the young physicist Bobby Henderson. Months of unsuccessful correspondence and even attempts to sue gave absolutely nothing - the religious needs of the population were raised by officials above others. During the struggle, Henderson became quite adept at jurisprudence and, in the end, decided on a desperate step - to create his own church, albeit purely speculative. The central deity? The invisible space teapot was already there, so why not add the Flying Macaroni Monster to it!Name? Take Rastafarianism and turn it into Pastafarianism with a simple pun.
RELIGION ON THE INTERNET
One can only guess at what size representatives of the Kansas State Board of Education in January 2005 looked at an open letter from an annoying critic. Bobby Henderson described himself as a "concerned citizen" representing over ten million followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and demanded that his religion be introduced to schools alongside creationism and evolutionary theory. The appeal remained unanswered, and in May 2005 it appeared on Henderson's website, from where it spread throughout the world in a matter of days. Some resented the mockery of Christian values, but the majority expressed all kinds of approval. Considering that Intelligent Design was pushed through not only in Kansas, people from all over the country signed up for Pastafarians. The letter was published in The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Chicago Sun-Times.and in November Henderson received an advance from Villard to write the gospel of the religion he had created. It turned out to be as satirical as anything else in the pasta movement, including eight "commandments" labeled "you better not do this", a humorous parable about the creation of the world, and a description of a Pastafarian paradise with a beer volcano and a striptease factory. The book sold over 100,000 copies and was a huge success. The book sold over 100,000 copies and was a huge success. The book sold over 100,000 copies and was a huge success.
RAMIN, BROTHERS
A number of Christian leaders, and primarily those who sympathize with "Reasonable Design" consider Bobby Henderson to be a convinced atheist and hater of faith. But the funny thing is that he never said that he did not believe in a Christian God, only opposing the teaching of creationism in schools. Two years after the open letter in Kansas, the adopted edits on the criticism of evolution were canceled. The Flying Spaghetti Monster movement quickly took on a life of its own, as it was not based on any postulates other than murderous self-irony. It is often used as a modern Russell teapot in religious disputes, since the existence of even such a delusional deity cannot be falsified. Pastafarians praise Fridaydeclared a holy day by Henderson, and hold parody festivals like Pastha and Ramendan (from Ramadan and the popular Japanese dish of ramen noodles), ending with the word Ramin. They arrange processions with colanders on their heads and even get the right to be photographed with them on a driver's license - solely in the name of the same playful religious protest. More seriously, the Pastafarian church can hold weddings for atheists in countries and states where such ceremonies are available only to clergy. The first officially approved marriage ceremony was held in New Zealand in 2016. They arrange processions with colander on their heads and even seek the right to be photographed with them on a driver's license - solely in the name of the same playful religious protest. More seriously, the Pastafarian church can hold weddings for atheists in countries and states where such ceremonies are available only to clergy. The first officially approved marriage ceremony was held in New Zealand in 2016. They arrange processions with colander on their heads and even seek the right to be photographed with them on a driver's license - solely in the name of the same playful religious protest. More seriously, the Pastafarian church can hold weddings for atheists in countries and states where such ceremonies are available only to clergy. The first officially approved marriage ceremony was held in New Zealand in 2016.
In addition to insignificant competition in the legal field, traditional religions should not be afraid of Pastafarianism - the latter never had the intention or the chance to become another sect. It is quite possible to close your eyes to "ridicule the saint". “If there is a god and he's smart, I would assume he has a sense of humor,” says Bobby Henderson in his famous open letter. And this postulate is difficult to argue with.
Maxim Filaretov