Spaghetti Forgetti - Pastafarianism Rejected in Australia : Mad Scribbler

A blow has been struck against the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster in Australia on June 18, 2021. The South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has, after a lengthy hearing, concluded that the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is little more than satire, and as such not protected as an organized religion – far closer to spaghetti forgetti than properly strained noodly appendages.

To be fair, Pastafarianism is absolutely satire, poking fun at the upended Russell’s teapot and calling the separation of doctrine ‘Old Testicle’ and ‘New Testicle’. This doesn’t mean that the entity, as it exists in many parts of the world where they aren’t executed for not following specific religions, isn’t an overall force of good and communal gathering.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has, in independent pockets on an international scale, worked together to help feed and care for the less fortunate while challenging religious conventions that are oft-touted as existing on the same basis as fact¹. There are those within the belief system that, through satire, realize that the best they can do with the limited time on Earth is help others, and that’s arguably better than what many religions have, or will, offer to humanity. If this isn’t realized, spaghetti forgetti could be imminent.

Funny = Bad

Is the existence of satire enough to dash an entire system from government protections? I’d love to not pay taxes, too, and I’m not wealthy enough to go about it as Jeffery Bezos and Elon Musk tend to. The scripture of The Flying Spaghetti Monster similarly posits an invisible God who works in ‘confusing ways’ which believers or followers, seek to please.

The only big difference is that there is humor within the scripture. Now, Australia may have accidentally made Pastafarianism even closer to an actual religion. This could be concerning for some, as there is now arguable oppression against the believers, and holy shit does that turn everyone into a martyr. Spaghetti forgetti me not.

Before we get too into this, there’s something that is important to note. It’s difficult to explain beliefs in the same means as one would examine and test fact. They are deeply personal structures typically rooted in childhood or a desire to be better, with criticism and skepticism of said beliefs often being tantamount to brutality. If you, personally, have found a belief system that quantifiably turns you into a greater version of yourself, then there’s no foul to be found by any competent human. But to quantify Pastafarianism, we must look at other religions.

Forcing Thoughts of Oppression

Locally, Christianity is absurdly huge. Signs everywhere have people sharing their beliefs, bumper stickers extol sects of the overarching religion as ‘superior’. Still, there is constant talk of Christianity (the world’s largest religion) somehow being oppressed². Now, these discussions of oppression typically occur after someone wasn’t allowed to force their belief system onto non-believers 😠, but that conviction that ‘the world is out to get them’ is a monumental force.

But That’s Different!

Slap my ass and call me Sally, but there are some outlandish incorporations of religion into the government, and it’s only called foul by those who are trapped increasingly by a populace eager to express their beliefs.

My daughter went to kindergarten a few years ago, after my wife and I went through painstaking discussions about what everyone does and does not believe. We simply want her to have an open mind, although neither my wife nor I believe in any religion. Roughly three months into her first introduction into school, she finally asked if everything was created by God (presumably of the Christian flavor).

It was frustrating but we worked through it, once again explaining that the entire world has hundreds of different takes on what is and is not, fact versus belief, scientific theory versus religious belief, and the entire exhausting conversation. When I posited my frustrations to my father, he was damn near jubilant.

Until I proposed that he would whistle a different tune if the local public school was extolling the virtues of Islam.

‘But that’s different.’ No, it isn’t, it just isn’t what the population follows – it seemingly has as much credibility as Christianity as far as religions go. What’s the difference?

Frankly, this has been a force for eons, stretching as far back as Sumerian mythos. The idea that others hate what you stand for is one of considerable force, and one that continues to be used today for multiple movements: Black Lives Matter, religion, the Thin Blue Line, and all the other movements with relatively rabid fanbases.

So Pastafarianism being rejected is, against all rational thought, a fantastic first step. Especially considering that the batshit religion of Scientology was also initially rejected in Australia, then granted protection by the High Court of Australia³. Worth noting that Germany still looks at Scientology as a fraud religion that is actually a business, likely helped by the fact that founder Ron Hubbard expressed the ease of setting up a religion for profit prior to aliens moving into volcanos.

While many non-theists may look at The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster being struck by Australia as a religion a negative, it could be a positive. I just don’t think there is enough suppression of humans for it to be a real religion just yet. Nor is there a necessary danger of Pastafarianism being forgotten about entirely – the spaghetti forgetti that was prophesied appears to be a safe way off still.

RAmen.

Sources

Crowley, J. (2020, July 16). “I, Pastafari” doc chronicles the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/i-pastafari-church-flying-spaghetti-monster-interview-1515169.
Yancey, G. (2019, August 19). Is There Really Anti-Christian Discrimination in America? The Gospel Coalition. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/anti-christian-discrimination-america/.
Schneiders, B. (2021, April 1). Scientology shifts millions to Australia, books multimillion-dollar profits. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/scientology-shifts-millions-to-safe-haven-australia-and-books-multi-million-dollar-profits-20210325-p57e18.html.

Spaghetti Forgetti – Pastafarianism Rejected in Australia

William Braddock – Acting Hard When You Can’t Get Hard