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Please make use of the FSM Holiday e-Card machine to send greetings to your friends and family this season. It’s up here: e-Card machine.
There are a few designs. This one is my favorite and historically has prompted the most salty comments from recipients:
I need to share some sad and disturbing news: the Russian government is persecuting some of our fellow Pastafarians.
The head of Russia’s Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Mikhail Iosilevich, has been arrested. His computers, phones, and passport have been seized, and access to his bank accounts have been blocked.
Mikhail has been charged with working with a democratic opposition group, Open Russia, that was outlawed by Putin’s government. He is being investigated for allegedly hosting lectures for independent election monitors, held at the premises of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, last month.
A number of “witnesses to these activities” have been targeted for investigation by the State. They have been questioned, and have had their homes searched.
One of the associates who was targeted was Mikhail’s friend Irina Slavina, a journalist and activist. Her home was raided by government investigators and armed police in the early morning a few weeks ago. Tragically, it was the last straw for Irina. She had felt bullied by the oppressive authoritarian government for years. The day after her home was raided, she died after settting herself on fire in front of the headquarters of the Interior Ministry, a final act of protest. She was 47 years old.
I am in contact with Mikhail’s people in Russia. They have asked for our fellow Pastafarians to spread the word of these events. With international attention, it will be more difficult for the authoritarian government to unjustly imprison Mikhail and subject Pastafarians and free-thinkers to intimidation and persecution.
Below are a few articles that explain what has been happening.
- This BBC article is about Irina’s last few days and the events that caused her to take her own life. Here.
- This The Times article explains about Mikhail’s recent arrest. Here
Please spread the word if you can, and let’s figure out what we can do to help.
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster strongly condemns the intimidation and persecution of Pastafarians and free-thinkers.
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I wanted to share this Newweek article about Mike Arthur’s Church of the FSM documentary I, Pastafari. It’s great.
“They’re asking the question: Why does it matter if I believe in Thor or God or Allah or Poseidon or the Flying Spaghetti Monster or no god at all? Why does that impact my rights? Why does that impact my freedoms? Why in a secular democracy does that matter? Why are we not treated equally?” Arthur said. “It’s impossible to prove or disprove a real religion.”
The irony of releasing the film in the midst of a pandemic as people are debating the science surrounding facts isn’t lost on Arthur. “Right now in the U.S., science is treated almost as another belief system,” he said. “We have a global pandemic right now, but people won’t listen to experts, because a too-large-to-ignore population of the country thinks that science is just an opinion, and Pastafarianism was really created based on this idea, based on exposing this false-equivalency.”
You can read the article here.
The documentary is streaming now on Amazon Prime (rentals), Google Play, and others.
Great news, the Church of the FSM documentary I, Pastafari by Mike Arthur is now available for streaming on iTunes / Amazon / Google Play.
I was pleased with the way the film came out. Mike did an amazing job on a subject that is tricky to describe. The reviews have been great — people seem to get the message of the film (and maybe the Church of FSM in general).
Newsweek covered the film:
The irony of releasing the film in the midst of a pandemic as people are debating the science surrounding facts isn’t lost on Arthur. “Right now in the U.S., science is treated almost as another belief system,” he said. “We have a global pandemic right now, but people won’t listen to experts, because a too-large-to-ignore population of the country thinks that science is just an opinion, and Pastafarianism was really created based on this idea, based on exposing this false-equivalency.”
Read the full Newsweek article here
The Hollywood Reporter also put up a review:
I, Pastafari feels little urge to become a full-blown doc about church and state, and who can blame it? Like its heroes, it walks a fine line between pointing out the ridiculousness of the world’s creation myths and not wanting to insult those who use faith to aid and comfort their fellow humans. Given how often godlessness is repped by insufferably smug folks like Bill Maher and Ricky Gervais, it’s a relief to see the same points made by mild-mannered folk willing to sit in front of judges and lawmakers wearing salad strainers on their heads.
Read the full Hollywood Reporter article here
You can watch a clip from the film here:
To watch the documentary, you can go onto iTunes / Amazon Prime / Google Play and search “I, Pastafari”.
Direct link to the Amazon Prime Rental is here
Thanks to Don for the photos of this Pastafarian Wine spotted in Australia. I’m afraid I don’t know too much about how this wine came to be. What do you guys think, was this inspired by the Flying Spaghetti Monster or just a coincidence? Anyone else come across it? Don said it was good.
I just wanted to make it clear that medical professionals are allowed and encouraged to wear PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).
The N95 and similar [1] masks are recognized by the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as acceptable alternative religious garb.
Religious texts tell us early Pastafarians wore bandanas and similar over their faces to protect against disease. They likely would have worn modern equipment had it been available in their time.
The right to wear religious garb at work is protected by state and federal laws. Any church members who are denied their right to wear appropriate religious garb should consult with an attorney. And let us know if we can help.
Let’s all stay safe.
Note- Some dispute whether the mask should go under or over the eye-patch. I would think under, but I am not a doctor nor do I wear an eye-patch. Beards also prevent the masks from sealing optimally. Also the man in the photo is a statue.
[1] Please consider all similar mask types as official holy garb: N95, N99, N100, P95, P99, P100, FFP1, FFP2, FFP3, KN95
and I feel frustrated.
Frustrated at the government response, at the mis-information and propaganda surrounding the crisis, and at the few people taking advantage of the situation.
A few thoughts about the CoronaVirus pandemic:
It is serious: please follow the recommendations of the science community and health professionals. [Even though we Pastafarians are suspicious of “science”, better safe than sorry on this one.]
Pastafarian top tips for reducing the spread of the CoronaVirus:
- Practice social distancing
- Stay home if you can
- Wash your hands
- Dont excessively touch stranger’s faces and/or groins (the face of the pelvis)
- Pirate-bandana can be used as a face-mask in a pinch but it is not ideal
- Avoid social gatherings, yes even Church.
If I can shame a few reilgious leaders for a moment
I don’t want to talk shit about other religious leaders, and I’m not even saying most, or even many, religious groups are handling this crisis wrong … but some religious leaders are being so wildy irresponsible I’d like to mention them:
“Maybe you’d like to sow a $91 seed.” Here’s Paula White, head of the White House’s Faith and Opportunity Initiative, selling spiritual protections against the coronavirus.
Here’s TeleEvangelist Kenneth Copeland curing his viewers of the virus through the television. I can’t stress this enough: do not under any circumstances touch this man’s hands.
TV Pastor Jim Bakker says his Silver Solution elixer will cure you of the CoronaVirus. Looks like he may get in trouble for fraud (again) for this.
Here’s Jerry Falwell Jr on Fox & Friends pushing a conspiracy theory that the coronavirus is a plot by the Chinese and North Koreans. Falwell was forced to shut down classes at his Liberty University when the Virginia governor limited crowd sizes.
“We’re raising up revivalists, not pansies”. Here’s a pastor encouraging people to shake hands.
Enought of that.
What should the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster do to help? Please send me suggestions here in the comments, twitter (@henderob) or email. Thanks!
We’re looking for legal help in the Quebec area. I received this message from a longtime member and minister in Quebec:
I am a secondary school teacher living in Quebec, Canada. I am a Pastafarian. On March 28th, 2019 a bill was passed (bill 21) by the very racist and xenophobic provincial government presently in power. The bill prohibits people from wearing religious symbols in the workplace. It specifically applies to government workers, teachers, people in positions of authority or influence, etc.
While, on the surface, this may seem to be a secular move (something in line with Pastafarianism), the reality is that this bill disproprortionately affects religious minorities (muslims, jews) and also disproprotionately affects women. It also puts power in the hands of people who may have specific biases or agendas.
He started wearing a Colander at work around the time the bill was passed. His employer is attempting to force him to remove it under threat of disciplinary action. He has been issued a directive to remove the religious headwear and a threat of suspension or further escalation if he does not comply.
We are looking for help. Is there someone in the Quebec area that would be willing to provide legal advice and assistance? Please get in contact with me and I will forward the information. Thanks very much.
Update 2/25 — Wow this one is more controversial than I realized. More than a few “how dare you” type messages :) … I don’t know that much about this bill. I understand some view the bill as a step forward towards secularization of government, albeit imperfect. Others see it is as legislated racism.
I personally don’t have an issue with people wearing religious symbols/headwear in work, I suspect most Pastafarians don’t either. What we worry about is a religious person using a place of authority to push their beliefs on others, but it’s two separate things.
What do you guys think?
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An elaborate spoof on Intelligent Design, The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is neither too elaborate nor too spoofy to succeed in nailing the fallacies of ID. It's even wackier than Jonathan Swift's suggestion that the Irish eat their children as a way to keep them from being a burden, and it may offend just as many people, but Henderson puts satire to the same serious use that Swift did. Oh, yes, it is very funny. -- Scientific American.
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