FSM Holiday e-Card Machine

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As a church that values the separation of religion and politics, we’ve always avoided political messaging. However, recent developments concerning religious freedom compel us to remind our members about the importance of civic participation.

Current Concerns

Across the United States, we’re witnessing unprecedented efforts to integrate specific religious teachings into public institutions, particularly schools. While we respect everyone’s right to their religious beliefs, we maintain that public institutions should remain neutral spaces where all beliefs are treated with equal respect.

Recent developments include:

• Oklahoma has mandated Bible studies in public school curricula for grades 5-12
• Louisiana now requires Ten Commandments displays in every public school classroom
• Multiple states have passed laws allowing religious chaplains in schools
• In the past year, dozens of bills concerning religion in public education were introduced across 30 states

These actions represent a significant shift in how religious content is being integrated into public education, raising important questions about religious freedom and constitutional rights.

The Impact of Your Vote

While our church maintains strict political neutrality, we encourage all members to participate in the democratic process. Every election cycle brings decisions that affect how our society handles religious diversity and maintains the constitutional separation of church and state.

We encourage you to:

1. Stay informed about local and national policies affecting religious freedom
2. Research candidates’ positions on separation of church and state
3. Exercise your constitutional right to vote
4. Engage in respectful dialogue about protecting religious neutrality in public spaces

Taking Action

To ensure your voice is heard:

• Verify your voter registration status
• Mark your calendar for upcoming elections
• Stay informed about local school board decisions
• Communicate with your elected officials about religious freedom concerns

Our Position

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster stands for religious freedom and the principle that no single faith should dominate public institutions. We believe that public spaces should remain neutral ground where all beliefs – or none at all – are respected equally.

However, If religion is to be allowed in public institutions, we will demand equal representation for the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Yours in faith,
Bobby

Here is some more reading:

• How states are testing the church-state-divide in public schools
• Religion in state education policy

The post Let’s vote appeared first on Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

What are some other common ones?

* No work on our religious holidays (Fridays)

Please let me know what we need, I’ll work on making some drafts.

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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.

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This year, we have a new selection of card designs imbued with the spirit of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Whether you’re looking to spread holiday joy or just reach out to those you care about, please go send some cards. It is free as always. All information will be kept private.

Please get started here: app.spaghettimonster.org/card/create

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What Can We Do?

Understanding the need for respectful dialogue and legal awareness in these situations, we’ve developed a specialized letter-generator. This tool is designed to help Pastafarians request exemptions from workplace dress codes in a manner that is respectful, effective, and legally informed.

How Does It Work?

The letter-generator simplifies the process of drafting a request for religious accommodation. It guides users through essential elements including:

• An introduction from a representative of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
• A list of specific religious practices for which accommodation is sought, such as wearing colander/tricorn headwear, pirate regalia, growing long hair and beards, and displaying tattoos and piercings.
• An explanation of the religious significance behind these practices.
• A reference to the legal framework that supports religious accommodations in the workplace.
• A courteous request for the revision and adaptation of existing dress code policies to include these religious practices.

What’s The Point?

Our goal is to affirm that every individual, including Pastafarians, has the right to religious expression, whether at work or in school. This letter-generator is a step toward ensuring that Pastafarians can practice their faith openly and without discrimination.

Call To Action

We encourage all followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster to use this tool to assert their rights to religious freedom and expression. Here is the tool: Religious Attire Request Generator. Your feedback and stories about the results are greatly valued.

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Latest Developments

The Alaska Watchman has published an article with developments. It seems the invocations – well, just those from diverse groups – may be coming to an end. Mayor Peter Micciche has introduced a resolution to restrict who can deliver the opening prayers, limiting it to official borough chaplains from the fire and emergency services. That will certainly lead to prayers by just the mainstream groups.

For years now, the assembly has endured formal appeals to Satan thanks to a 2018 Alaska Supreme Court opinion that claimed the borough could not bar Satanists from prayer without violating their First Amendment religious liberties.

Multiple satanic prayers have since been delivered by a Kenai resident who uses the invocation time to attack religious belief and offer praise to her Dark Lord.

…

The current policy allows “private” citizens to sign up on a rotating basis, which opens the door for all manner of “prayers,” some of which have been overtly political, agenda driven, farcical, and even satanic.

-Alaska Watchmen

The Watchmen article is quite salty to say the least.

The inclusion of invocations by various citizens, including unconventional ones, has sparked debates about who should be permitted to deliver such prayers in civic meetings. The Watchman article does not mention it, but the controversy surrounding invocations also suggests a larger point: why are government meetings allowing religious services in the first place? These are official government proceedings after all, these are not places of worship.

A Pastafarian Perspective

As part of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, our participation in the assembly’s invocations extends beyond making a statement on religious diversity or questioning the mix of religion and government affairs. Our aim is to authentically share our beliefs and values, which center on critical inquiry, and a scientific approach to understanding the world. It was our study of observable facts that led us to our conclusions – that these conclusions led us to believe in an almighty Spaghetti Monster and that Pirates were our ancestors is merely the end result. Certainly it would have been easier to join in more mainstream beliefs.

Our invocations are heartfelt expressions of our Pastafarian faith. We feel it is our duty to share our findings with the world, to contribute to the community’s spiritual tapestry and invite reflection on the diverse beliefs that shape our society.

The Challenge Of Inclusivity

The proposed amendment by Kenai’s officials might streamline meeting protocols, yet it could also exclude many voices, including ours, which goes against the inclusivity that is foundational to our nation’s values. We advocate for a policy that either embraces all expressions of faith or opts for a neutral, secular space that truly accommodates everyone.

As the Kenai Borough Assembly considers policy changes, we underscore the importance of upholding the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution — the freedom of and from religion. It’s crucial to preserve the right for all faiths, including those like ours, to share our beliefs in public forums.

In Conclusion

The Church of FSM is committed to the open sharing of our faith through any channel available. We are hopeful for a respectful exchange that respects both the historical role of faith in public life and the necessity of adapting to our diverse modern society.

We remain ready to engage in Kenai Borough Assembly meetings, promoting tolerance, inclusivity, and enlightenment, in true Pastafarian spirit.

R’amen

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Filmmaker Alex Alford has traveled to Germany to make a short documentary about Rüdiger Weida aka Bruder Spaghettus, and his Pastafarian church in the town of Templin.

… when I actually met Rüdiger I discovered there was much more to his story than initially met the eye. As a student growing up in oppressive East Germany post-WWII, he fell in love with satire as a means of speaking out against an unjust government. In fact, this led to him being aggressively spied on by the German secret police (and boy, does he have many crazy stories about this). Now, later in life, he has found satire through Pastafarianism as a way to speak out against a new enemy – the German church.

Alex

Bruder has been fighting for legal recognition of the Church for years – he is a fascinating man and I found Alex’s documentary very well-made and interesting. Highly recommended.

Here’s the Trailer:

And here’s the Documentary:

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Great news — Pastafarian minister Micheal Lusefovich has been released from prison after nearly 2 years, and is currently living in Israel.

Micheal was the head of Russia’s Church of the FSM. He was charged unjustly for working with a democratic opposition group, Open Russia, that had been outlawed by the Russian government. The conviction was related to hosting lectures for independent election monitors, held at the premises of the Church of the FSM.

I am very happy to hear that he is free, living in Israel, and doing well.

Here is a message he has sent to us:

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The fight continues. Vancouver’s ICBC department says Pirate Hats and Colanders are not acceptable religious headwear. Gary Smith of the Church of FSM of British Columbia has been battling the department for some time. I’m sure all of us are looking forward to the time when this department respects religious freedom.

“Ultimately, religion is a choice,” said Smith, the Canadian representative with the International Pastafarians’ Captains Conclave. “But not so much for members of a certain sect.”

ICBC doesn’t see it that way.

“We have advised Mr. Smith on numerous occasions that we do not recognize him as a member of a religious group that requires accommodation in the context of a service customarily available to the public under the British Columbia Human Rights Code,” ICBC said in a Jan. 24 statement to Glacier Media.

VancouverIsAwesome

Please check out Jeremy Hainsworth’s excellent article about the dispute here at VancouverIsAwesome.

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To all those who celebrate, Happy Holidays.

This tree-topper was Created by Katherine

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Happy Holidays everyone. I wanted to remind people the Holiday e-Card machine is up. Also if you are stuck on gift ideas, please consider nominating someone to the Ministry.

Holiday e-Card Machine

Feel free to use the Holiday e-Card machine to send festive greetings to your friends and family.

Gift an Ordination

You are welcome to nominate someone to the Ministry, if you feel they are ready for the immense responsibility. Order here

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