The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM), also known as Pastafarianism (a portmanteau of “pasta” and “Rastafarianism”) is a satirical faith commenting on religion and public policy. Its adherents describe it as “a real, legitimate religion, as much as any other.” The movement began in the United States in 2005 as a public response to efforts to introduce intelligent design into public school science curricula.
The concept of the Flying Spaghetti Monster was introduced in January 2005 through an open letter written by Bobby Henderson, a 24-year-old physics graduate from Oregon State University. Henderson addressed the Kansas State Board of Education, objecting to the board’s decision to permit intelligent design to be taught as an alternative to evolution in public schools.
In the letter, Henderson stated a belief in a supernatural creator resembling spaghetti and meatballs and asked that “Flying Spaghetti Monsterism” receive equal classroom time alongside intelligent design and evolution. He argued that intelligent design’s lack of specificity regarding a creator meant that any hypothetical designer, including the FSM, would qualify. Henderson noted that his broader concern was religion being presented as science, writing, “If there is a god and he’s intelligent, then I would guess he has a sense of humor.”
After receiving no response from the Kansas board, Henderson published the letter on his website in May 2005. The text spread rapidly online, and Pastafarianism soon became associated with critiques of teaching intelligent design in public schools. Fan sites developed, and the FSM version of the “Jesus fish” emblem quickly became a common symbol. Henderson published responses from board members who opposed intelligent design, as well as hate mail and death threats he received. Within a year, the website recorded tens of millions of visits.
The movement’s visibility led publishers to approach Henderson, and in November 2005 he received an advance from publishing house Villard to write The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The book was published in March 2006, expanding on Pastafarian ideas and presenting satirical critiques of arguments made both for and against evolution. It encouraged readers to experiment with the religion for 30 days, assuring them that “if you don’t like us, your old religion will most likely take you back.” The book sold more than 100,000 copies and was nominated for a 2006 Quill Award in Humor.
A second text, The Loose Canon: The Holy Book of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, was compiled from contributions submitted by members of web forums and completed in 2010. Henderson stated that “the only dogma allowed in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is the rejection of dogma,” though several satirical doctrinal elements developed within the movement.
The central creation narrative describes an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster who created the universe “after drinking heavily,” with the resulting imperfections attributed to this state. Pastafarianism also maintains that evidence for evolution was deliberately placed by the FSM to test adherents’ faith and that scientific measurements such as radiocarbon dating are manipulated through the FSM’s “Noodly Appendage.”
Pirates are identified as the earliest Pastafarians and are described as “absolute divine beings.” According to the movement, negative portrayals of pirates as criminals reflect later reinterpretations, whereas the original pirates were “peace-loving explorers and spreaders of good will.” The emphasis on pirates was initially used to illustrate the difference between correlation and causation. Henderson satirically claimed that “global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of pirates since the 1800s.”
Descriptions of the Pastafarian afterlife include a beer volcano and a stripper (or prostitute/paint-stripper) factory in Heaven, with Hell portrayed as similar but with stale beer and strippers afflicted with sexually transmitted diseases. Prayers conclude with “R’amen” or “rAmen,” blending “Amen” with “ramen.”
Pastafarian observances reflect the movement’s parody-based approach. Every Friday is treated as a holy day. “Pastover” involves eating large amounts of pasta, while “Ramendan” calls for consuming only ramen noodles. International Talk Like a Pirate Day, held annually on September 19, functions as a Pastafarian holiday. Around the same period as Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, adherents celebrate the loosely defined “Holiday,” which has no fixed date or required practices.
The Flying Spaghetti Monster has been widely used in philosophical arguments as a modern counterpart to Russell’s teapot. Advocates note that the FSM, as an unfalsifiable supernatural entity, illustrates arguments about the burden of proof in discussions of religious belief.
Pastafarians have also participated in public debates and local disputes connected to science education. In Polk County, Florida, organized requests for equal classroom time for FSM teachings contributed to the local school board’s decision to drop proposed science standards that would have included intelligent design.
Pastafarians have used their claimed religious identity to test the boundaries of religious freedom and anti-discrimination policies. Legal cases have included efforts to wear pirate-themed clothing in schools and to place FSM statues in public free-speech zones during religious display periods.
In 2016, New Zealand became the first country to grant legal authority to Pastafarian marriage celebrants, and the first legally recognized Pastafarian wedding was held on April 16, 2016. A federal court in Nebraska, however, ruled that The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is “plainly a work of satire” and concluded that Pastafarianism functions as a parody religion rather than a religion under U.S. federal law, denying it certain religious accommodations.
Key Sources:
BBC News. (2016, April 16). New Zealand stages first Pastafarian wedding on pirate boat.
Durando, J. (2015, November 16). Pastafarian can wear strainer on head in license photo. USA Today.
Henley, J. (2018, August 16). Spaghetti injunction: Pastafarianism is not a religion, Dutch court rules. The Guardian.
Park, E. (2022, October 21). Flying spaghetti monsters. New Humanist.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 