Pastafarianism - Revision history

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-'''Pastafarianism''', also known as the '''Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster''', is a modern satirical religion and social movement centered on the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It began in 2005 after Bobby Henderson wrote an open letter to the Kansas Board of Education during debates over teaching intelligent design alongside evolution in science classes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flying Spaghetti Monster |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Flying-Spaghetti-Monster |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref>
+'''Pastafarianism''' is a modern satirical religious movement centered on the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
-== Overview ==
+== Related pages ==
-Pastafarianism uses religious parody, humor, and satire to criticize special treatment for religious claims in public policy, especially claims about creationism or intelligent design in science education. The Flying Spaghetti Monster is described as an invisible deity, usually depicted as a mass of spaghetti with meatballs and eyestalks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flying Spaghetti Monster |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Flying-Spaghetti-Monster |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref>
+* [[Religion]]
 [[Category:New Religious Movements]]

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{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; width:320px;"
! colspan="2" | Pastafarianism
|-
! Also known as
| Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
|-
! Family
| Modern / Satirical religion / New religious movement
|-
! Founder
| Bobby Henderson
|-
! Origin region
| United States
|-
! Founding period
| 2005 CE
|-
! Central figure
| Flying Spaghetti Monster
|-
! Sacred texts
| ''The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster''; ''The Loose Canon''
|}

'''Pastafarianism''', also known as the '''Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster''', is a modern satirical religion and social movement centered on the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It began in 2005 after Bobby Henderson wrote an open letter to the Kansas Board of Education during debates over teaching intelligent design alongside evolution in science classes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flying Spaghetti Monster |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Flying-Spaghetti-Monster |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref>

== Overview ==

Pastafarianism uses religious parody, humor, and satire to criticize special treatment for religious claims in public policy, especially claims about creationism or intelligent design in science education. The Flying Spaghetti Monster is described as an invisible deity, usually depicted as a mass of spaghetti with meatballs and eyestalks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flying Spaghetti Monster |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Flying-Spaghetti-Monster |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref>

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster presents itself as a welcoming religious community with members in many countries, Friday as a religious holiday, pirate regalia as a symbolic practice, and a humorous afterlife involving a beer volcano.<ref>{{cite web |title=Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster |url=https://www.spaghettimonster.org/ |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref>

== Key beliefs ==

Pastafarian beliefs are usually understood as satirical rather than literal dogma. Common themes include:

* The Flying Spaghetti Monster as a parody deity
* Rejection of religious dogmatism
* Critique of intelligent design arguments
* The idea that unfalsifiable religious claims should not be treated as science
* Use of humor to defend church-state separation and religious liberty
* Pirates as symbolic early Pastafarians
* The "Eight I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts" as a humorous code of conduct

Britannica notes that belief is not required of church members and that dogma is rejected.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flying Spaghetti Monster |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Flying-Spaghetti-Monster |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref>

== Practices ==

Practices associated with Pastafarianism may include:

* Wearing pirate regalia
* Wearing colanders or pasta strainers as symbolic religious headgear
* Satirical prayers, ceremonies, and public statements
* Online participation in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster community
* Weddings performed by Pastafarian ministers where legally permitted
* Legal and public challenges concerning religious equality, free expression, and state recognition

== Places of worship ==

Pastafarianism has no single required place of worship.

Possible gathering spaces include:

* Online communities
* Homes
* Public events
* Weddings or ceremonies
* Protests and free-expression events
* Local or national Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster groups

== Sacred texts ==

Important Pastafarian texts and materials include:

* Bobby Henderson's 2005 open letter to the Kansas Board of Education
* ''The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster''
* ''The Loose Canon''
* Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster website materials

== Holidays and observances ==

Pastafarian observances include:

* Friday, described by the Church as a religious holiday
* "Holiday", a late-December observance
* International Talk Like a Pirate Day, sometimes observed informally by Pastafarians
* Community-specific events, parody ceremonies, and public demonstrations

== Legal status ==

Pastafarianism has received varying legal treatment in different jurisdictions. Some Pastafarians have sought recognition for religious headgear in identification photos or for the right to perform weddings. Britannica describes varying success in several countries and jurisdictions, including legally recognized Pastafarian marriage activity in New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flying Spaghetti Monster |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Flying-Spaghetti-Monster |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref> Other courts have rejected Pastafarian claims, treating the movement as satire rather than a religion for particular legal purposes.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Dutch Court Has Ruled 'Pastafarians' Cannot Wear Colanders in ID Photos |url=https://time.com/5370043/pastafarian-religion-netherlands/ |work=Time |date=2018-08-17 |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref>

== Branches and related traditions ==

* [[Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster]]
* [[Discordianism]]
* [[New Religious Movements]]
* [[Unaffiliated and Secular Worldviews]]
* [[Atheism]]
* [[Secular humanism]]
* [[Philosophy of religion]]

== See also ==

* [[New Religious Movements]]
* [[Unaffiliated and Secular Worldviews]]
* [[Discordianism]]
* [[Atheism]]
* [[Secular humanism]]
* [[Philosophy of religion]]

== References ==

<references />

[[Category:Religions]]
[[Category:New Religious Movements]]
[[Category:Modern / Global]]
[[Category:Satirical religions]]