[Via NZ Herald – this is the Destiny Church, a controversial fundamentalist group]
The most recent NZ Stats Census found over 4000 Pastafarians in New Zealand. The NZ Herald notes that is three times the number of reported Destiny Church members (that’s a local fringe fundamentalist Church in NZ). [here’s the full article]
I’m glad to hear the Church is going strong in NZ. I lived there during college for a bit and was impressed, it doesn’t surprise me that the NZ people and its government have been so accepting of Pastafarians.
Checking the Minister registry, I see that we have over 250 Ordained Pastafarian Ministers operating in NZ. [You can get Ordained here]
Here’s a map of our ministers (locations jostled a bit for anonymity). I’m working on a way for ministers to connect with one another. I suspect that many ministers are not aware of nearby Pastafarian people.
Preshalin obtained his NSW driver’s license last year, and, at the time, was permitted to wear his religious headwear for his photograph. He has now been informed that he must surrender his present license and have a new photograph taken without his religious headwear, as the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is not a ‘recognised religion’.
The CFSMA has been fighting in court ever since, and today they were informed that a decision had been made to allow Pastafarians equal religious protection. Victory!
On behalf of the CFSMA I am delighted to announce that the Hon. Melinda Pavey, NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, has confirmed that the present policy enforced by RMS regarding religious head coverings in driver’s licenses (that specifically named Pastafarians as being subject to discrimination by not allowing our chosen head covering to be worn) will be changed. The new policy will reflect the fact that NSW Government Departments will show respect and consideration towards all people who wear a head covering. When the new policy is implemented, people will no longer have their stated religion checked against a list of ‘recognised’ religions.
Congratulations to the CFSMA
The Church of FSM Australia continues to blow me away. Tanya Watkins, Captain of CFSMA, especially, deserves a round of applause — she took it on herself to lead the fight, and after more than two years, won a victory for Pastafarians everywhere.
Sincere thanks, and congratulations, to Tanya and everyone from the CFSMA.
Good news: the Wisconsin Department of Transportation says Pastafarians are allowed to wear Colanders in their license photos (despite some having been denied in their earlier attempts).
Attorney Derek Allen deserves the credit — he wrote an impressive letter laying out in detail why DMV rules allow for religious headwear.
Here is Mr. Allen’s letter to the Wisconsin DMV, and their response — they are worth a read.
Great news, The Netherlands has recognized Pastafarianism as an official religion. There are efforts for recognition in a bunch of places — I find it interesting (and telling) the reactions from the various governments. Clearly The Netherlands is a great place.
The Metro has a nice article about the successful Netherlands effort here.
Good news — New Zealand has approved the Church of FSM to perform marriage ceremonies.
The application was approved under a sub-section of the Marriages Act, satisfying the registrar-general that the principal object of the organisation was to uphold or promote religious beliefs, philosophical or humanitarian convictions.
Montgomery said the purposes set out by the church were educating and training people, particularly atheists and superstitious people, about Flying Spaghetti principles and practices.
Those principles covered human rights, cultural and spiritual diversity, ethics, relieving poverty and advancing education.
“In considering the matter I have referred to the Objects of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, reviewed material available online about this organisation and considered other organisations already able to nominate marriage celebrants.
“A review of media and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster’s international website show a consistent presentation of their philosophies. While some claim this is a ‘parody organisation’, members have rebutted this on a number of occasions.”
I lived in New Zealand for a year in college and it does not surprise me that the NZ government has publicly acknowledged our legitimacy, both because they are a progressive open-minded people, and also because of the amount of drinking that goes on over there.
The BBC has endorsed (albeit subtly) our theory of the origins of the universe (that the Flying Spaghetti Monster created everything) in this animated video. The video is part of The History of Ideas, on the topic of The Big Bang and the origins of the universe. The FSM appears at about 1:30.
While it could have been made more clear they support our views – one could miss the FSM if not paying attention – I’m pleased that such a respected organization as the BBC finds it appropriate to include us. Thank you to everyone involved.
We do not solicit or accept donations -- the Church is funded by orders of Ordination Credentials. Please consider taking the next step of your Faith and become an FSM Minister.
Kiva is a platform where you can make small interest-free loans to people in poor areas that need help starting small business. The Church of the FSM has one of the top religious congregation teams on Kiva. Check it out.
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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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