Category Archives: In the News

Pasta Strainers and Pirate Hats

I wanted to share an article I came across recently, published in the Guardian a few years back. The author did a good job of getting what we’re about — it goes a into the origins of the Church and also talks about the more recent work of becoming officially recognized.

Pastafarianism differs from other religions in that it doesn’t solicit funds from its followers, having no hierarchy and no physical places of worship to maintain. Its home is in cyberspace. And the only dogma is that there is no dogma. (Instead of 10 commandments, it offers eight “I’d really rather you didn’ts”.)

“We see FSM groups pop up all over the world,” Henderson says. “New groups might ask advice but they don’t ask permission any more – we’ve seen that change over just 10 years.”

The author captured this friendly jab at the Mormons which I have no memory of saying:

“Could it be that people joined up for other reasons, like self-improvement or polygamy? Who knows. But those scams have grown into huge institutions over time, for better or worse.

“I take from this that religion mainly is about community, and also that members shouldn’t have to justify the absurdity of their gospels. To Mormons, I’m saying it’s OK that your gospel story is nuts.”

Anyways… please take a look at the article. Here it is.