Pastafarianism: Brilliant, crazy, or just trolling?

[Kargathia]

Ok. First-off: this is based on the guy in this article, so please read that, otherwise the rest of this post isn't going to be making much sense.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14135523

I'm mainly curious here as to what you people think about him. Would you say he's trying to make a valid point about religion, is he just fucking around because he can, or is this a good ol' attention grab?

And if we assume that he's trying to make a valid point: should atheists more often start light-hearted "religious" groups, or would that be too disrespectful towards the ones that seriously believe in one of the many flavours of deities?

 

[tigermilk]

Hahahaha.

This makes me putting 'Jedi' and 'Dudeism' under religion in the last two UK Census forms* look amateurish.

*UK Census form is a form sne to all households once every five years (I think it is five) to gauge the economic and lifestyle background of the population.

EDIT: A lot of people put Jedi under religion in the 2006 census and 'Dudeism' (The Big Lebowski) in the 2011 Census.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Ok. First-off: this is based on the guy in this article, so please read that, otherwise the rest of this post isn't going to be making much sense.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14135523

I'm mainly curious here as to what you people think about him. Would you say he's trying to make a valid point about religion, is he just fucking around because he can, or is this a good ol' attention grab?

And if we assume that he's trying to make a valid point: should atheists more often start light-hearted "religious" groups, or would that be too disrespectful towards the ones that seriously believe in one of the many flavours of deities?

Reminds me of the Jedi thing over in the UK.

I've heard of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, but I didn't realize that 'The only dogma allowed in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is the rejection of dogma.'

Well, I'm now a Pastafarian. Anyone who doesn't respect my religious beliefs can bite my shiny metal ass.

More OT: What would his point about religion be? I didn't see him mention a point or anything in the article.

Edit: Ninja'd about the Jedi thing apparently.

 

[Kargathia]

More OT: What would his point about religion be? I didn't see him mention a point or anything in the article.

Ridicule.

"Mr Alm's pastafarian-style application for a driving licence was a response to the Austrian recognition of confessional headgear in official photographs."

 

[Kopikatsu]

More OT: What would his point about religion be? I didn't see him mention a point or anything in the article.

Ridicule.

"Mr Alm's pastafarian-style application for a driving licence was a response to the Austrian recognition of confessional headgear in official photographs."

Oh. Missed that.

Well, that seems like a silly point to go three years without a drivers license to make. I mean, I agree that they should either allow all headgear or none at all, but to go through all that just to make it. Eh.

On the other hand, now he has a certificate saying that he's sane!

 

[ChildishLegacy]

I think this man is a genius.
It's pretty funny that a pasta strainer sounds ridiculous to us, but other beliefs have some pretty strange mandatory apparel too.
I think anybody should be able to wear silly things on their head if others can claim they have to due to belief.

 

[Drakmeire]

He's kind of breaking one of the basic principles of Pastafarianism, there are no particular laws in the "Religion",, in the end it's just a way to say you respect religion but hate the people who use it for personal gain or hateful agenda. If you demand to be have special treatment then you're just falling back on one of the problems Pastafarianism was created to medicate.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Couldn't they just have told him,
"You aren't wearing one now, nor did you ever for any photographs taken of you in the past, there is no evidence of pasta strainers being a requirement of your religion you are not allowed to wear one (or must legally wear one in all future photographs under pain of a public bolognaising.)"

 

[Nikola Brankovic]

It's brilliant trolling. I'm loving it!

 

[Cyrax023]

they're brilliant trollers driving others crazy. next question.

 

[Kargathia]

(or must legally wear one in all future photographs under pain of a public bolognaising.)"

That probably would be the best treatment of this whole thing. Only too bad that then you get people screaming blue murder about misallocation of taxpayer money.

He's kind of breaking one of the basic principles of Pastafarianism, there are no particular laws in the "Religion",, in the end it's just a way to say you respect religion but hate the people who use it for personal gain or hateful agenda. If you demand to be have special treatment then you're just falling back on one of the problems Pastafarianism was created to medicate.

This actually made me look up their website, as you sound like you did the same. If I interpret it right they're dodging that problem with their "embracing of contradictions", in that they plainly state that they're doing the same thing as pretty much any other religion, but in a way that can be interpreted as ironic - even though they won't tell you whether they are, in fact, ironic.

Tbh it's mainly a mindfuck deluxe.

 

[MightyRabbit]

It was a parody-response to an open letter a Creationist wrote to the local school board, that spiralled from there. It's basically a parody of Creationism and their lack of scientific validity and basic logic. This seems to be taking it a bit too far, but hey, it is pretty hilarious.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

If I interpret it right they're dodging that problem with their "embracing of contradictions", in that they plainly state that they're doing the same thing as pretty much any other religion, but in a way that can be interpreted as ironic - even though they won't tell you whether they are, in fact, ironic.

Tbh it's mainly a mindfuck deluxe.

So they're a group of people forming a counter-culture to religions for the sake of irony and self-reference? ARGH, it's religious hipsters!

 

[Kargathia]

So they're a group of people forming a counter-culture to religions for the sake of irony and self-reference? ARGH, it's religious hipsters!

We'll know for sure as soon as accusations of "selling out" pop up ^_-

 

[IamQ]

It's a crazy idea that became brilliant once it worked, because it is indeed trolling.

 

[FalloutJack]

Pastafarianism is brilliant AND crazy, but it's not trolling.

It is more or less a discourse on how many who are members of a religion take it too far, take it way too seriously, and take it way too wrongly or ridiculously (or combinations of all of that). It's along the lines of "Well, if you can pull THAT in the name of an invisible man, I can worship a Flying Spaghetti Monster!", and it worked.

 

[KeyMaster45]

I think it started out as simple trolling but blew up into an internet meme from there. I can remember many a raid night where we would invoke the blessings of the great one's noodley appendage. And lo we would reap many a phat lootz and have many an epic tale to tell from those nights.

May you go with his noodley blessings my friend. Ramen.


(what worries me is future historians who look back, and only have part of the story, will take it upon themselves to decide it was a legitimate, albeit insane, religion for the first dwellers of the internet.)

 

[Nudu]

You realize this has been around for years, right? The argument goes like this: Someone says "Prove that the universe is not ruled by our almighty heavenly father, you dogmatic atheists!" and the atheist responds: "Right after you prove that the universe is not ruled by a Flying Spaghetti Monster."

 

[MorsePacific]

Pastafarianism has always been a satire on religion and really picked up steam when the debate over teaching creationism in US schools started up. That being said, The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is a great read and probably the best fifteen bucks I've ever spent.

 

[Farseer Lolotea]

"Brilliant, crazy, or just trolling?" I think I'm going to have to go with "all of the above."

Every faith has its quirks to which its adherents are oblivious, but which might seem utterly bizarre to an outsider. Pastafarians are just hanging a lampshade (or, rather, a colander) on that.