The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Product Description

This tongue-in-cheek tome has become firmly embedded in popular culture. In 2005, founder Bobby Henderson first conceived of the religion while writing a letter of protest to the Kansas State Board of Education over their decision to permit the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative theory to evolution.

A year later, Henderson published The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, the official holy text of his "Pastafarian" religion. The Gospel posits that the universe was created by a gigantic, sentient, flying tangle of spaghetti and meatballs. The reason why the Earth is so flawed, Henderson argues, is that the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) had created it while heavily intoxicated.

The Gospel discusses creation at length, but also launches into humorous and convincing descriptions of the Pastafarian Heaven and Hell (hint: both involve strippers), as well as a discussion of the hidden histories of the faith (Pirates!) and its holidays.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti monster, 10 years later, remains a cultural icon and internet phenomenon. Pastafarians are everywhere, sticking icons of the FSM on the backs of their cars and insisting on wearing pasta strainers on their heads (per their religious beliefs) while being photographed for their driver's licenses.

Is the FSM real? Is the Pastafarian religion a valid alternative to the Christian creationist theory? Does it deserve to be taught alongside evolution?