PZ Myers. 2005 Jun 22. A better alternative to ID. <http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/a_better_alternative_to_id/>. Accessed 2008 Nov 20.

Posted on M00o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr on Wednesday, June 22, 2005

A better alternative to ID

It's called Flying Spaghetti Monsterism. I find it seductive and compelling.

I’m sure you now realize how important it is that your students are taught this alternate theory. It is absolutely imperative that they realize that observable evidence is at the discretion of a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Furthermore, it is disrespectful to teach our beliefs without wearing His chosen outfit, which of course is full pirate regalia. I cannot stress the importance of this, and unfortunately cannot describe in detail why this must be done as I fear this letter is already becoming to long. The concise explanation is that He becomes angry if we don’t.

It's a powerful theory that also explains global warming. If we let Intelligent Design creationism into our schools, I just don't see how we can rationally exclude the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

(Thanks be unto Adam Kiesling for this revelation.)

Posted by PZ Myers on 06/22 at 08:57 AM
Creationism • 1 TrackbacksOther weblogsPermalink
  1. I saw its picture as revealed.

    I am certainly convinced. Especially since communion, if applied in the Catholic sense, would be very tasty!
    #: Posted by John M. Price  on  06/22  at  09:10 AM
  2. Plus there is actual evidence of the existence of both pirate regalia and spaghetti.

    Which is more evidence than the IDers have provided...
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  09:41 AM
  3. Besides, how do ID'ers know that it wasn't a Flying Spaghetti Monster that created the universe? They claim that the "intelligent designer" doesn't necessarily have to be the Judeo-Christian God; so why not the Spaghetti Monster?
    #: Posted by Orac  on  06/22  at  09:55 AM
  4. Know your spaghetti history
    #: Posted by Les Lane  on  06/22  at  10:10 AM
  5. Also, as one of the few sources of origins information that presents it in pirate mode, I think I should have a shot at the Flying Spaghetti Monster papacy.

    Man, think of the hat the Pirate Pope could wear.
    #: Posted by PZ Myers  on  06/22  at  10:20 AM
  6. The name alone was enough to make me a true believer. Are there separate sects for marinara and pesto?
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  10:23 AM
  7. Are there separate sects for marinara and pesto?

    Give it a moment -- it usually takes a couple days for schism to develop. I expect the first dispute to be over whether the Flying Spaghetti Monsterite priestly hierarchy is the sole arbiter of the perfect degree of al dente or whether every Flying Spaghetti Monsterite can determine al dente for him or herself.
    #: Posted by paperwight  on  06/22  at  10:47 AM
  8. We can worship at Italian Ristorantes. The infrastructure is already in place. We can evangelize in the pizzarias.

    Unfortunately, I do have my doubts that the Olive Garden is in communion with the revealed truths of the great spaghetti monster. They seem blinded by profit and wealth. Do you think about 95 theses will fit on a customer comment card?
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  11:48 AM
  9. Let me assure you that the Spaghetti Monster did not create life on earth. The earth and all its life forms was pooped out by me quite some time ago, long before I destroyed those uppity sub-deities (e.g., your so-called "God") a few years ago.

    Surely you have heard of Enterocraftic Theory by now. Do a Google search.
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  12:31 PM
  10. The post was hilarious, but some of the above comments are even funnier.

    Teach the controversy, I say!
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  12:51 PM
  11. This theory begs the infinite regress question: If the flying spaghetti monster created everything, then who boiled him/it to al dente perfection in the first place? Has the flying spaghetti monster simply been here always?

    Regarding the cooking explanation, would the theoretical boiling time be eight literal minutes?
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  12:51 PM
  12. I have a sail boat and know how to fence so the pirate life sounds good to me, unfortunately spaghetti makes me nausous so the spaghetti god ain't gonna be real happy with me. I guess I'm a spaghetti god atheist.
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  01:24 PM
  13. More disturbing to me, is the compelling scientific evidence they have presented that world temperatures are increasing with the corresponding decrease in pirates. I think something needs to be done to rectify this.
    #: Posted by Joseph ODonnell  on  06/22  at  01:51 PM
  14. Personally I think visitation by aliens is a better alternative theory than ID...
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  02:08 PM
  15. Regarding the cooking explanation, would the theoretical boiling time be eight literal minutes?

    There's a more troubling interpretation. In light of:

    It's a powerful theory that also explains global warming.

    It's just seems much more likely that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is not cooked yet.
    Once the world reaches the right temeprature though, then the cosmic cheff will add the spagehti and the Flying Spaghetti Monster will be born(reborn?) from the ashes of our planet.
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  02:25 PM
  16. It is a proven fact, known as Belson's Law, that bowls of sphagetti do not asseble themselves under random undirected fortuitous blind chance processes.
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  02:52 PM
  17. Heathens! All will bow before the Gliding Ravioli Monster and pay for their blasphemy!
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  02:52 PM
  18. Well, I'm not completely sold, but they've presented a more compelling argument than Michael Behe did. And the Pirates/Temperature correlation is chilling....
    #: Posted by Jeff Fecke  on  06/22  at  05:00 PM
  19. Arrrgh!!!
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  06:45 PM
  20. "Heathens! All will bow before the Gliding Ravioli Monster and pay for their blasphemy!"

    As I said earlier spaghetti makes me want to hurl but if the worship service involves me running a Jolly Roger up the mast of my boat and comitting piratical acts of mayhem I say "Praises to the Big Ragu" ... or something like that.
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  07:18 PM
  21. ....and the skinny ones are Hair Angels? Tortellini, Maccaroni, Fetuccini...are those castes?
    #: Posted by coturnix  on  06/22  at  08:19 PM
  22. Avast, PZ! (That should get the pirate mode into a self referential pit!)

    What would his Holiness be callin' his good self?
    #: Posted by John M. Price  on  06/22  at  09:30 PM
  23. Why, he'd be none other than the Pope Blackbeard I. It's not like other popes haven't ganked someone else's name, and how cool would it be to have people acknowledge His Holy Eminence with one eye shut and an "arrrr" escaping their lips?


    (And the best is the communion rum!)
    #: Posted by  on  06/22  at  09:55 PM
  24. "It is a proven fact, known as Belson's Law, that bowls of sphagetti do not asseble themselves under random undirected fortuitous blind chance processes."

    But... but... that's what happens when my boyfriend makes spaghetti.
    #: Posted by  on  06/23  at  08:49 AM
  25. The Flying Spaghetti Monster is a half-boiled theory yet. FSM requires eight minutes to reach perfection ("rupture"?) so humanity has to work on it four minutes more. Of course a FSM minute is like an eternity, so there is time to prepare the table and open the bottle of Chianti.

    BTW, FSM answers prayers. "Oh! Mighty FSM, in your eyes oceans are - a drop, millions of years - a minute, millions of dollars - a quarter... Grant me a quarter!".

    "No problem. In a minute".
    #: Posted by  on  06/23  at  10:13 AM
  26. Scientists (Evolutionists) are justified in their theory of Evolution based strictly on their observations and years of research. All thats fine. But we can't reject the possiblity that all these evidences and justifications for Evolution were purposefully planted by an Intelligent entity. This is exactly what the Flying Spaghetti Monster theory tells us.

    More FSM stuff here: http://www.outlookindia.com/submain1.asp?mode=25&refer=50553
    #: Posted by  on  08/12  at  03:27 AM