I am an ordained Minister of the Church Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster, a Totally legit religion. AMA

Do you have a strainer on your head in your driver’s license picture?

Actually yes, We is encouraged to wear strainers on our head for Passport photos, Drivers licences, e.c.t. Though we are not always allowed in countries that don't recognise us as a true religion. It is our Official headgear.

What is the most confrontational encounter you've had involving this religion? Has your belief in this religion been the main cause of any fights? What were they like?

Most people either dismiss me as stupid or are so ecstatic about learning about such a thing they won't stop coming back for more information about the religion. I've avoided telling people that may have a problem with me being a Minister, but i'd say the U.S Embassy might have a problem when I walk in for my passport photo with a strainer on my head...

This religion was made to criticize and mock the absurdity of religious beliefs, am I right? And if so, is that why you are a member?

It was created to contest the boundaries of what is a religion, In my country, People who are not Catholic, are, shall we say, Looked down on by some members of society, And I was previously an atheist, Our school system teaches Catholicism as a mandatory subject. In second level education its called "Religious Education" They do teach us about other religions but its 90% Catholicism, My school didn't put up much of a fight and I was given and exemption, But my Religion teacher doesn't know yet that Im a Pastafarian. I joined because, Like many other people, I just wan't to have an answer to questions like "are you religious?" Living in a Catholic Country, When your an Athiest, You feel alone, But when you have a Religion which was literally created to poke holes at Christianity, I feel alot stronger when standing up to the system and refusing to participate in catholic practices

I love that answer! How do I join?

We have no formal "joining" process as such, As it says on the website, If you wan't to consider yourself a member, Your welcome to do so. Buying the gospel and becoming a Minister are simply optional extras, We have a holy scripture called the "Loose Cannon" which you can read for free as a PDF, https://www.spaghettimonster.org/2010/07/the-loose-canon/

Thanks mate! I really appreciate people who don't take life so seriously. Have a good day! :)

RAmen!

R'amen Comrade!

Which pasta is superior?

all pasta is treated equally <3

What does the afterlife look like in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Heaven: Beer Volcano and stripper factory, And the flying spaghetti monster is there

Hell: Beer Volcano And stripper factory, Except the Beer is warm and the strippers have STDs

​

(this is probably why alot of countries are reluctant to recognise us as legit)

So does that mean you don't actually know if you're in Heaven or Hell until you try the beer?

Well, you'd see the flying spaghetti monster if you were in Heaven, and i'd imagine the palm trees in hell are dead

That’s badass

ikr

Oh yeah? I'm an ordained Dudeist Priest.

I've heard of it. Nice one

Do you get tax exempt status?

sadly no

Wtf why

Alot of countries don't recognise us as legit yet, Though we are always trying to get recognition

According to your scriptures, what is the origin story, the genesis so to speak of the FSM?

The Gospel Of The flying Spaghetti Monster is like 200+ pages long (yes i've read it start to finish multiple times) So ill try shorten it down as much as possible

The earth is 5000 years old, The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) arranged the universe to look much older than it was. Even placing Dinosaur bones in the earth

All humans are descended from Pirates, Those pirates descended from the first man Named "man" and first Woman named "Woman".

There are some stories that I can't really shorten down that tell how the first inhabitants of earth became pirates, but the gospel is like 10$ and it benefits the religion if you wanna go buy it yourself.....

I would go into more detail but the questions are flooding in :)

In thousands of years of adjustments, hearsay and deliberate corruptions do you think people will actually believe in this religion and these bible stories?

Unfortunately I think it will die out. All religions are dying because back when Christianity started to be a thing, There was no internet, no Conspiracies, So everybody believes everything they heard, The only reason people still believe in the case of Christianity is because of Social Pressure, (i know there are legit christians who are devout and believe everything in the bible but that number is falling fast) So as all other religions die, The Church Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster will go down with them, Because without other religions to stand up to, It serves little purpose. Though it will have served us well.

Dang you got a card?! I became ordained under the FSM back in 2013 and I don't believe it was an option back then. But I do have my official certificate which I hang proudly in my home!

R'amen! Aye, You can pick between getting the certificate or the card, or both now.

I can see a lot of potential negative reactions from people, especially businesses. Has there been any negative unforeseen effect of your being ordained in the religion? (and do you think you would recognize it if it had occurred?)

Because schools in my Country teach "Religious Education" (90% Catholicism 10% Other Religions) My school was certainly not happy, After writing a letter to the Principle requesting an Exemption, He gave it to me but never responded to the Letter, So it would stay informal. Alot of people i've told who are older and grew up in the Ireland (I live in Ireland idk if I mentioned that here yet) where you could loose your job for not going to church, and the local priest would come to your house if you didn't attend church, Certainly are NOT happy with these "young people" expressing their rights. As I said in another response, The Passports office won't be happy when their receive the photo of me with a Strainer on my head for my new passport.

So yeah I do think there have been negative effects, But its all worth it for getting to stand up against the old system.

Is eating pasta considered unholy or not allowed in your religion? If it is allowed what is your favorite pasta dish?

It is encouraged, But not 7 days a week, I think we are supposed to eat 3 bowls of pasta a week, Though the religion has no strict rules so, thats only a guideline.

Is the FSM the only one of his kind?

He is the only one, Our Noodly Master

How often are you touched by His Noodly Appendage?

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is forever touching us with his Noodly Appendage from our birth until our death, He presses down on our head to simulate gravity, Thats why Humans are getting taller, because there are more and more humans for him to hold down, And less noodly appendage to go around

Is the monster a monster like in horror films?

Not exactly, Here is a picture of him, He is a friendly fellow who likes humans, Specifically Midgets. And he enjoys hanging around the beer volcano in Heaven.

​

Theres a photo of him: https://imgur.com/a/jQJLX1O

Is COVID-19 in any way related to the number of pirates currently operating on the world's oceans?

The Number of Pirates is directly determined by global warming. The less global warming, The more pirates, Thats why one of our Slogans is "Stop global warming! Become a Pirate!" So, with COVID-19 causing alot of factories, flights and other things to close, Less global warming, More pirates.

How often do you have to deal with pasta jokes?

I get alot of slagging, Mostly friendly though, I don't tell everyone I meet, But eventually it gets out. Im not trying to hide my faith, But sometimes its easier if people don't know, Not to say I don't encourage people to join.

Is this the one where the ex porn star has her licence with strainer on her head?

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...... I have not been informed but ill get back to you on that one lol

Didn't a judge in Nebraska rule that the Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster was not a totally legit religion, but was instead "a parody intended to advance an argument about science, the evolution of life and the place of religion in public education."?

https://www.ktnv.com/now-trending/judge-rules-that-flying-spaghetti-monster-religion-is-a-parody

Pretty much yeah

Am just here to ask for your blessing🙌🏻?

May you be touched by his noodly appendage

R'amen

As an ordained minister are you legally allowed to perform marriages? I considered joining to see if I could so it for my friends

Depends on the Country, In the eyes of the Church Of the FSM, Yes, In the eyes of the state, They would be un-offical. In New Zealand our Marriages are recognised by the state, There is a video of the first one on YouTube, I think germany recognise our Marriages as well, If not they do recognise us as a religion. Check if your Country Recognises us, If they do, You can become a Minister for 15$ (31$ if you wan't the fancy certificate)

I now identify as a pastafarianist, or whatever the word it...what is it?

Pastafarian. Welcome, Comrade!

If I'm already an ordained Dudeist Priest, am I still able to join the Flying Spaghetti Monster sect?

https://dudeism.com/

You sure are, We allow people to join who are already members of other religions

Have you ever touched his noodley appendage?

We are all, Always being touched by his noodly appendage, He pushes down on our heads to simulate gravity.

Do confessions in your church start with “I have offended the Spaghetti and now I Regretti?”

We don't have traditional confessions, Though you could admit to the FSM you have sinned. Maybe some regional association could adopt that line, Lol

Did the flying spaghetti monster originate from chef boyardee in a Jesus / God sort of relationship or is boyardee the spawn of the spaghetti monster?

I don't think it is mentioned where he came from, He just sorta... appeared. And then got drunk and created the universe.

I have a vague memory of reading an article many years ago that stated you refer to yourselves as "Pastafarians". Am I correct or just confused with something else?

Thats us, We go by "The Pastafarian Church" But more commonly the Church Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster, And the followers as Pastafarians.

How long have you been involved with the Church? What made you join and eventually become an ordained minister?

I started getting involved with it about a year ago, Around summer 2019, By December I had been ordained, which is alot easier than you'd think, Since the religion has no strict rules, You just pay 31$, Which helps keeps the website running and keeps our Prophet Bobby Henderson afloat so he doesn't have to get a job, so he can work full time of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and representing us. I think the main reason I joined was because as I said in another response, Some people in my country don't like Atheists, And The Church Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster gives me something to use as my answer for questions like "oh so your not religious?"

Why this religion. Usually people who support religions have a testimony, it just seems like you’re establishing the legitamacy of the group. But i wanted to ask you why you’re an ordained minister?

Edited: too vague, ty OP

Theres no specific reason why this specific religion, There are other parody religious such as Judaism and the Banana Cult, Its just the Church of the FSM seemed the most absurd and is one of the bigger religions. I like to see the look on peoples faces when they ask how many members we have, The expect something like 100, or 200, Then you get to see the absolute awe when you say "Roughly one million, possibly more"

I decided to become a Minister simply to have more involvement in the religion, Since we have no formal joining process, It got my name on the books, and it was harder for other people to testify if im actually a legit member

Why do you think your method is effective in spreading atheism? And please answer seriously, don't tell me that you guys are theists. I'm sorry if something similar has been asked before.

We don't see ourselves as Atheists, but a large number of our members are converted Atheists. I'd support somebody becoming and Atheist just as much as joining the Church Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster. Though I think people join, Because it gives them something to say rather than "yeah im and atheist...." (i think you've made a minor grammar mistake in your question so sorry if this response is a bit half-assed)

How do you deal with being so epic and funny?

can you narrow down that question chief?

You guys seemed poised to take on religious freedoms abuses head on but didn't ever seen to do anything with your momentum early on. Meanwhile Satanists have been consistently there to show the hypocrisy of religion by erecting religious statues, handing out satanic coloring books, etc. What are your plans to actually do something positive with the clout you've seemed to squander? I love the idea. I just would love to see more progress

We are trying, The thing is, we dont really have that sorta organization's or money to put up statues, But for instance, We are an official option on the New Zealand Cencus, I personally hope and think it is possible to open Pastafarian schools, We just need a higher concentration of members in certain areas. Progress is slow, But we are working on it all the time, trying to get recognition and attention from media outlets. We do have the occational event that is posted about on our website where people dress as the FSM, Or pirates. We also have a documentary being made about us called "I, Pastafari"

Are we getting the beer volcanos?

if your good ;)

Have there been any schisms yet, and how do you think about people who justifiably point out that you are wrong about the beer volcano?

Firstly, I don't go parading around the streets saying "SAVE YOUR SOUL! JESUS LIED! JOIN THE CHURCH OF THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER!" So I haven't got into any heated arguments or fights yet,

Secondly, people think there is no beer volcano?

What’s your favorite Pastafarian holiday and how do you practice it?

I‘m a big fan of Talk like a Pirate day since before I even heard of FSM. Do you know if the original inventors of the holiday are Pastafarians?

We have three main holidays, Ramendam, Holiday, and Pastover

On Ramendam, you eat loads of Ramen Noodles

Holiday is just the same as Christmas

And Passover celebrates when the first pirates made their first ship, The Venganza. On this day, You prepare a large "Heaping bowl" of pasta, Smear some tomato sauce on your doorstep, And then eat the pasta, If you can't finish it, you have to give it to your in-laws

Does the FSM have meatballs? Are those meat meatballs or plant-based meatballs? Is there a place for vegan people in FSM?

They are meat based meatballs, but if you want to eat plant based meatballs, it wont offend the FSM

What do your parents think of your faith?

They are Atheists, so they think its pretty cool

Is your god edible? Would it be possible to taste the FSM?

I think it would be possible, but I don't think he would be very happy with you

Whats your favorite Copy Pasta?

I've never really read or watched any copy pasta, Lol, is copy pasta still a thing?

Do you think there should not be any countries based on religion? I am from israel, and we have a big problem separating religion and state. It is a called a jewish-democracy, and there is alot of friction between religious people and atheists here. On the one hand, we are a democracy (though it dosent feel like that sometimes..) and on the other hand, this really is the only country for jewish people to be without encountaring antisemitism. What do you think about this situation?

I think we at least shouldn't teach Religion in school, I think Ireland is one of the only countries in the world that have it as a Mandatory Subject. In Ireland, There is HUGE Social pressure for people to be Catholics, It doesn't matter if you actually believe in the bible or not, If your not at mass, The whole town will be talking about you, In the 70s and 80s and even a bit in the 90s You wouldn't be able to get a job if you weren't Catholic.

Its eased up alot now, But the same old System still exists. Correct me if im wrong but, In Israel, the conflict gets a bit more Violent than just Social Pressure?

How often do you shower?

i don't believe this is relevant to the AMA.... but every day...

How long does the ordination process take? Do you have to pay to receive your card?

As long as it takes to get mail from America to your country, You just pay either 15$ for your ID card or 31$ for a fancy cert and an ID card, there is no training like in the Christian Church. Alot of people just think its a sham Bobby Henderson is running for money, But once your in the inside of the Religion its very clear he isn't using the profits for his own Personal Gain. But you get all the propper benefits of being a Religious Leader, Such as being able to perform Holy Ceremonies such as Marriages.

Does your church compete with Dinkoism?

We wouldn't really compete with other religions (unless its one of the major world religions) We respect the members of our fellow parody religions

What inspired you to wake up and post this?

quarantine bordem. \._./

What is the community like? Do you talk to others in The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Do you know anyone/have any friends who have the same beliefs?

There are not many in my country though I know two other Pastafarians. The Community is filled with amazing people who are also flexing their rights as citizens of their country to express their religion. Our Prophet, Bobby Henderson posts updates on Pastafairan-related matters on our website every month or so

https://www.spaghettimonster.org/

Are you affiliated with the Temple of Floating Hokkien Beasts?

Temple of Floating Hokkien Beasts?

im not exactly sure what that is

What gender does the FSM identify as? Do they have a spouse/SO?

He is male, However he has no spouse, or mother or father.

What counties accept your religion?

Germany and New Zealand do, if I wen't digging there are probably a few more. They have a high Pastafarian Population so it was kinda hard to ignore them, In other countries they don't have many Pastafarians so its harder to get recognised, However in my country, I heard about it after a Pastafarian was interviewed on the radio.

How many members does your religion have ?

Since we have no formal joining process, But based of surveys and stuff, Its estimated around 1 million, but possibly more.

Edit: moved to comment thread.

Ahoy!

I have thought about this, But, Its not the believing in it that really matters. To keep the religion alive, I always say I do believe in everything in the Gospel of the FSM

The True meaning of the religion is to stand up to the system and to make a point that it doesn't matter how old, or how many members a religion has, Every religions story is as crazy as the others. So they all deserve to be recognised as true.

Which countries recognize you as legit and what is your expanding strategy? Do you know/have anybody in india?

I don't personally know any indian pastafarians, With roughly 1 million worldwide though there is bound to be some in India, For now, Germany and New Zealand recognise us and allow us to do marriages and ceremonies. As I said before though,they aren't the only two, I think there is one or two more.

What are the core beliefs of your religion?

The Flying Spaghetti Monster created the entire universe, He arranged it so it looked alot older than it actually is. He also controls gravity and got drunk during creating the eath. The stories in the gospel go into alot more detail,

What are your thoughts on other "parody religions (i think is the term)" like Discordianism and Last Thursdayism?

They are cool, I would have joined on of them, But once I heard the Church Of the Flying SPaghetti Monster was actually getting recognised by Countries, I couldn't pass up the opportunity, Lol

How can I get ordained?

https://www.spaghettimonster.org/ > Ordinations

What sin angers the FSM most?

Probably if you are a Sleazy loan shark or a boss that only pays your workers minimum wage. Other than that, he doesn't really care as long as your not a complete asshole. We have some guidelines but we are not required to follow them, as i said before we have no strict rules. They are called the 8 i'd really rather you didn'ts.

​

https://flyingspaghettimonster.wikia.org/wiki/The_Eight_I%27d_Really_Rather_You_Didn%27ts

What's the worst pasta pun you've heard? And is it true your HQ is based in Las Agneles?

Thats a good question, I haven't really got any memorable puns thrown at me, More just friendly slagging. There are people I know however that bring it up, arguably to much.

We don't have a "HQ" as such, Our Prophet Bobby Henderson, Last I heard he is living in the Philippines now, But he is American and previously lived in Oregon. I haven't heard anything about a HQ.

What would your reaction be if you found out that the spaghetti monster was actually real?

i'd probably start praying more. and of course inform other pastafarians, and then invite the flying spaghetti monster down to earth for a party

This still a thing?

I guess?