Flying Spaghetti Monster

2005

Date: June 2005 · Place: Bobby Henderson's open letter to the Kansas State Board of Education · Figures: Bobby Henderson, 24, physics graduate, Oregon State · Tags: Satire, Pastafarianism 01. Open Letter to Kansas In June 2005 Bobby Henderson, a 24-year-old Oregon State physics graduate, posts an open letter to the Kansas State Board of Education, which is debating whether to teach intelligent design in public-school science classes. Henderson argues that if intelligent design qualifies as science, his belief that the universe was created by an invisible Flying Spaghetti Monster also qualifies and must receive equal classroom time. The letter goes viral on early-blog channels and forums within weeks. Pastafarianism is born as a deliberate, well-written satire. 02. Colanders on Driver's Licences By 2007 Pastafarians in several countries have won the right to wear colanders on their heads in government ID photographs on freedom-of-religion grounds. The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster registers as a religion in the Netherlands (2016), Australia (rejected 2015), and elsewhere. FSM is the era's most successful piece of policy-targeted satire. The meme works as a wedge against intelligent-design pedagogy in school boards from Kansas to Florida. The satire is the argument. "I would like to know what evidence there is to support intelligent design over my Pastafarianism." — Bobby Henderson, open letter to Kansas Board of Education, June 2005 Sources • Bobby Henderson, The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Villard, 2006) • Original open letter, venganza.org (Wayback, June 2005) • Washington Post, 'Pastafarian wins right to wear colander' (2014)