The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

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The Gospel of the
Flying Spaghetti Monster
The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.jpg
First edition cover – designed to look like a hardback
AuthorBobby Henderson
Country United States
Language English
Genre Satirical religious text
Publisher Villard Books
Publication date
March 28, 2006
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages192 pp
ISBN 0-8129-7656-8
OCLC 65065501
818/.607 22
LC Class PN6231.R4 H46 2006

The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is a satirical book written by Bobby Henderson that embodies the main beliefs of the parody religion of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Pastafarianism. [1] [2] The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) was created by Bobby Henderson in an open letter to the Kansas State Board of Education in which he parodied the concept of intelligent design. After Henderson posted the letter on his website, it became an internet phenomenon and was featured in many large newspapers, which caught the attention of book publishers. Released in March 2006 by Villard Books, The Gospel elaborates on Pastafarian beliefs and practices established in the open letter.

Contents

The Gospel includes a creation myth, set of eight "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts", a guide to evangelizing, and discusses history and lifestyle from a Pastafarian perspective. Henderson uses satire to show flaws with creationism and prove the Flying Spaghetti Monster, offering an alternative to the intelligent design movement in the process. The book, which has sold more than 100,000 copies, [3] was generally well received.

Background

In 2005, Bobby Henderson, then a 24-year-old Oregon State University physics graduate, parodied the concept of intelligent design by professing belief in a Flying Spaghetti Monster in an open letter to the Kansas State Board of Education. [4] [5] He sent the letter prior to the Kansas evolution hearings as a satirical protest against the teaching of intelligent design in biology classes. [6] In his letter, he noted,

I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; One third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence.

— Bobby Henderson [7]

In May, having received no reply from the Kansas State Board of Education, Henderson posted the letter on his website. [8] Shortly thereafter, Pastafarianism became an internet phenomenon. [2] [9] As public awareness grew, the mainstream media picked up on the phenomenon. The Flying Spaghetti Monster became a symbol for the case against intelligent design in public education. [6] [10] [11] The open letter was printed in many large newspapers, including The New York Times , The Washington Post , and Chicago Sun Times , [12] and received "worldwide press attention" according to one journalist. [13]

According to Henderson, newspaper articles attracted the attention of book publishers; at one point, six publishers were interested in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. [12] In November 2005, Henderson received an $80,000 advance from Villard to write The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. [14] Henderson said that he planned to use the proceeds to build a pirate ship, with which he would spread the Pastafarian religion. [15] The book was released on March 28, 2006. [16]

Summary

The book is necessary so that people see how much hard evidence supports the existence of the FSM. You can make a pretty strong argument for His existence. Especially if you use the same sort of reasoning the [intelligent design] people do: specious reasoning and circular logic.

— Bobby Henderson, explaining why he wrote The Gospel [15]

The Gospel presents the tenets of Pastafarianism—often satires of creationism—elaborating on the "beliefs" established in the open letter. [2] [17] It includes a creation-myth, a "propaganda" guide for evangelizing, some pseudo-scientific "proofs", and several pasta puns. [2] Along with crude drawings and altered stock photography, Henderson employs irony to present perceived flaws with evolution and discusses history and lifestyle from a Pastafarian perspective. [17] The book also provides a Pastafarian "Guide to the Holidays." [18] Furthermore, Henderson discusses the original Pastafarian "belief" that the decline in the number of pirates, who are revered by Pastafarians, has directly led to a rise in global temperature. He provides further "evidence" of this relationship with the observation "that many people dress up as pirates for Halloween, and the months following October 31 are generally cooler than those that precede it." [13] This and other scientific claims made by Henderson are intended to be disputed. [19] The claim that declining numbers of pirates have resulted in rising temperatures is meant to demonstrate that correlation does not imply causation. [20]

The book urges readers to try Pastafarianism for 30 days, saying, "If you don't like us, your old religion will most likely take you back." [21] Henderson states on his website that more than 100,000 copies of the book have been sold. [3]

Pastafarian creation myth

The Gospel begins with the creation of the universe by an invisible and undetectable Holy Flying Spaghetti Monster. [13] On the first day, the Flying Spaghetti Monster separated light from darkness; on the second, because He could not tread water for long and had grown tired of flying, He created the land—complemented by a beer volcano. [19] Satisfied, the Flying Spaghetti Monster overindulged in beer from the beer volcano and woke up hung over. [22] Between drunken nights and clumsy afternoons, the Flying Spaghetti Monster produced seas and land (for a second time, accidentally, because he forgot that he created it the day before) along with Heaven and a "midget", [23] which he named Man. [24] Man and an equally short woman lived happily in the Olive Garden of Eden for some time until the Flying Spaghetti Monster caused a global flood in a cooking accident. [19]

This creation is described as having happened only 5,000 years ago. [19] Because of evidence of things dating before 5,000 years, Henderson satirically retorts that the Flying Spaghetti Monster presented all evidence to the contrary in order to test Pastafarians' faith. [25] In addition to parodying certain biblical literalists, Henderson uses this unorthodox method to lampoon intelligent design proponents, [19] who, he believes, first "define [their] conclusion and then gather evidence to support it". [25]

Captain Mosey and the Eight "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts"

FSM giving the "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts" tablets to Captain Mosey MEVyMosey.png
FSM giving the "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts" tablets to Captain Mosey

The book contains the Eight "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts", adherence to which enables Pastafarians to ascend to heaven, which includes a stripper factory and beer volcano. [26] According to The Gospel, Mosey the Pirate captain received ten stone tablets as advice from the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Of these original ten "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts", two were dropped on the way down from Mount Salsa. [27] This event "partly accounts for Pastafarians' flimsy moral standards." [28] The "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts" address a broad array of behavior, from sexual conduct to nutrition. [26] One reviewer commented that this parody of the Ten Commandments "reads like a bitter shopping list of the same criticisms" given to organized religions. [1] One commandment is "I'd really rather you didn't build multimillion-dollar synagogues / churches / temples / mosques / shrines to [His] Noodly Goodness when the money could be better spent ending poverty, curing diseases, living in peace, loving with passion and lowering the cost of cable." [27]

Translations

Translations of The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
YearLanguageTranslatorTitlePublisherNotes
2006 Japanese Natsumi Kataoka空飛ぶスパゲッティ・モンスターの福音書 Tsujiki Shokan  [ ja ] ISBN   9784806713401
2008 French Diniz GalhosL'Évangile du Monstre en spaghettis volant Le Cherche Midi ISBN   9782749111186
2008 Italian Marco LunariIl libro sacro del Prodigioso Spaghetto Volante Mondadori ISBN   9788804574491
2008 German Jörn IngwersenDas Evangelium des fliegenden Spaghettimonsters Goldmann ISBN   9783442546282
2010 Turkish Umut Ulus, Uğraş Turan ÖnerUçan Spagetti Canavarı'nın kutsal kitabı Altıkırkbeş Yayın  [ tr ] ISBN   9786055532093
2015 Russian Mikhail SaminЕвангелие Летающего Макаронного Монстра ISBN   9785447496692
2016 Danish Inger WinkelmannEvangeliet om Det Flyvende Spaghettimonste Gyldendal ISBN   9788702210330

Critical reception

Scientific American described The Gospel as "an elaborate spoof on Intelligent Design" and "very funny". In 2006, it was nominated for the Quill Award in Humor, but did not win. [3] Wayne Alan Brenner of The Austin Chronicle characterized the book as "a necessary bit of comic relief in the overly serious battle between science and superstition." [17] Simon Singh of the Daily Telegraph wrote that the Gospel "might be slightly repetitive... but overall it is a brilliant, provocative, witty and important gem of a book." [13] Reviewers at both the University of Pittsburgh [1] and Penn State [29] were generally positive about the book. In his book The God Delusion , biologist Richard Dawkins commented: "I am happy to see that the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has been published as a book, to great acclaim." [30]

Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute, the hub of the Intelligent Design movement, labeled the Gospel "a mockery of the Christian New Testament". [31]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creationism</span> Belief that nature originated through supernatural acts

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Intelligent design (ID) is a pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, presented by its proponents as "an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins". Proponents claim that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." ID is a form of creationism that lacks empirical support and offers no testable or tenable hypotheses, and is therefore not science. The leading proponents of ID are associated with the Discovery Institute, a Christian, politically conservative think tank based in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parody religion</span> Constructed mock religion

A parody religion or mock religion is a belief system that challenges the spiritual convictions of others, often through humor, satire, or burlesque. Often constructed to achieve a specific purpose related to another belief system, a parody religion can be a parody of several religions, sects, gurus, cults, or new religious movements at the same time, or even a parody of no particular religion – instead parodying the concept of religious belief itself. Some parody religions emphasise having fun; the new faith may serve as a convenient excuse for pleasant social interaction among the like-minded.

John Corrigan "Jonathan" Wells is an American theologian and advocate of the pseudoscientific argument of intelligent design. Wells joined the Unification Church in 1974, and subsequently wrote that the teachings of its founder Sun Myung Moon, his own studies at the Unification Theological Seminary and his prayers convinced him to devote his life to "destroying Darwinism." The term Darwinism is often used by intelligent design proponents and other creationists to refer to the scientific consensus on evolution. He gained a PhD in religious studies at Yale University in 1986, then became Director of the Unification Church's inter-religious outreach organization in New York City. In 1989, he studied at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a PhD in molecular and cellular biology in 1994. He became a member of several scientific associations and has published in academic journals.

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The Kansas evolution hearings were a series of hearings held in Topeka, Kansas, United States from May 5 to 12, 2005 by the Kansas State Board of Education and its State Board Science Hearing Committee to change how evolution and the origin of life would be taught in the state's public high school science classes. The hearings were arranged by the Board of Education with the intent of introducing intelligent design into science classes via the Teach the Controversy method.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flying Spaghetti Monster</span> Satirical deity

The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is the deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or Pastafarianism, a parodic new religious movement that promotes a light-hearted view of religion. It originated in opposition to the teaching of intelligent design in public schools in the United States. According to adherents, Pastafarianism is a "real, legitimate religion, as much as any other". It has received some limited recognition as such.

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<i>Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District</i> 2005 court case in Pennsylvania

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religious satire</span> Satire referring to religious beliefs

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Boyles, Michael (March 30, 2006). "A buffet of carbs for your soul". U. Pittsburgh: BOOK REVIEW. Financial Times Ltd. Retrieved January 28, 2010. The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is a light and enjoyable read that takes a humorous approach to the Intelligent Design/Evolution debate, leaving neither side unscathed in the process.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Vergano, Dan (March 27, 2006). ""Spaghetti Monster" is noodling around with faith". USA Today Science & Space article. Archived from the original on June 23, 2006. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 Henderson, Bobby (2006). "The FSM Book". Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Venganza.org. Archived from the original on April 27, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Verbatim: Noodle This, Kansas". The Washington Post . August 28, 2005.
  5. ↑ Page, Clarence (November 15, 2005). "Keeping ID out of science classes". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  6. 1 2 Boxer, Sarah (August 29, 2005). "But Is There Intelligent Spaghetti Out There?". The New York Times Arts article. Retrieved February 5, 2007.
  7. ↑ Henderson, Bobby (2005). "Open Letter To Kansas School Board" . Retrieved January 9, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Discussion of the Open Letter". Henderson, Bobby. Retrieved April 7, 2007.
  9. ↑ "In the beginning there was the Flying Spaghetti Monster". London: Daily Telegraph. September 11, 2005. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
  10. ↑ "The Flying Spaghetti Monster". New Scientist. August 6, 2005. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008.
  11. ↑ Rothschild, Scott (August 24, 2005). "Evolution debate creates monster". Lawrence Journal-World.
  12. 1 2 Henderson, Bobby (August 2006). "Comment on the Open Letter". Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Singh, Simon (September 3, 2006). "Was the world created by god, evolution or pasta?". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  14. ↑ Wolff, Eric (November 16, 2005). "The Case For Intelligent Design: Spaghetti as the Creator". New York . Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  15. 1 2 Craig, Katleen (December 22, 2005). "Passion of the Spaghetti Monster". Wired News. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  16. ↑ "The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster". Random House . 2009. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012.
  17. 1 2 3 Brenner, Wayne (April 14, 2006). "The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster". The Austin Chronicle . Austin Chronicle Corp. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
  18. ↑ The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, p. 123
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Van Horn, Gavin; Lucas Johnston (2007). "Evolutionary Controversy and a Side of Pasta: The Flying Spaghetti Monster and the Subversive Function of Religious Parody" (PDF). GOLEM: Journal of Religion and Monsters. 2 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 16, 2009.
  20. ↑ Savino, John; Marie D. Jones (2007). "Wrath of the Gods". Supervolcano: The Catastrophic Event That Changed the Course of Human History: Could Yellowstone Be Next. Career Press. p. 56. ISBN   978-1-56414-953-4.
  21. ↑ The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, p. xiv
  22. ↑ The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, p. 70
  23. ↑ "Open Letter To Kansas School Board « Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster". venganza.org.
  24. ↑ The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, p. 72
  25. 1 2 The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, p. 37
  26. 1 2 Grus, Doel (2009). "Pastafarianism is False". Your Religion Is False. Brightwalton LLC. p. 74. ISBN   978-0-9824818-0-6.
  27. 1 2 Citta, Kyle (December 14, 2008). "CITTA: Pastafarianism garners as much hard evidence as intelligent design". Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  28. ↑ The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, p. 77
  29. ↑ Rundle, Megan (April 7, 2006). "Henderson tackles Intelligent Design with humor". Penn State: BOOK REVIEW. Financial Times Ltd. Retrieved January 28, 2010. The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is a humorous and refreshing poke at a serious and controversial topic.
  30. ↑ Dawkins, Richard (2006). "The God Hypothesis". The God delusion. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006. p. 53. ISBN   978-0-618-68000-9 . Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  31. ↑ Luskin, Casey (December 25, 2006). "'Celebrating' Christmas at the 'Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster'". Evolution News & Views. Discovery Institute . Retrieved November 26, 2009.

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