Do you want the unity of a religious base without the pressure of attending church? Do you want connection with a higher being? Are you sick of scandals in your religious structure? If you answered yes to any of these questions, Pastafarianism is for you!

Pastafarianism originated in the United States in a public satirical letter used to “demand” the teaching of intelligent design alongside evolution in public schools in Kansas. According to Pastafarian beliefs, evolution- the Christian concept of intelligent design, and the Pastafarian “design by noodle” should be taught equally in all schools.

The Pastafarian deity, Flying Spaghetti Monster, is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a giant, flying pile of noodles and meatballs that has sentience and allegedly created the world after a night of heavy drinking, accounting for its numerous flaws. Pastafarians also believe that the decline of pirates is the cause of global warming.

At this point, it seems fair to mention that those who practice Pastafarianism are not exactly devout. It is a satire on religion, mostly used by atheists to protest the teaching of religious beliefs in otherwise secular schools.

At last census, the Pastafarian belief had over 10,000 followers internationally. They’ve made national news a couple of times, too, mostly for protests of creationism as curriculum but also for repeated attempt to have official photos taken with colanders on their heads: they consider it “religious headgear”. Most have been unsuccessful, but in more liberal states such as California they’ve been allowed to.

Though ordination is available on the Pastafarian website (for a fee of $20) the only country that recognizes Pastafarianism as a legitimate means of marriage is New Zealand. The American Supreme Court has ruled that Pastafarianism is not a legitimate religion but this only adds to its appeal.

Would-be converts to the religion can read The Loose Canon (the FSM take on the Bible) and learn more about the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster through their website. They can also celebrate “Holiday” at an unspecified time and date in December. Another significant date in the Pastafarian calendar is international talk like a pirate day on September nineteenth. There are no delegations of Pastafarians in our area, but if you want to be part of the world’s star guest religion, you can simply claim to be.