# Flying Spaghetti Monster Dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 15, 2016, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265 "2016-04-15T13:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/1 "2016-04-15T13:27:32Z")
A USA federal judge has ruled that my religion is no longer valid. [I weep.](http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/04/pastafarianism-is-satire-and-not-protected-religion-court-rules/) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/2 "2016-04-15T13:31:56Z")
Reported for move out of General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/3 "2016-04-15T13:35:54Z")
**Moderator Action** Since there’s no question here, let’s move this to MPSIMS (from GQ). ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/4 "2016-04-15T13:37:18Z")
What’s the legal definition of religion? ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/5 "2016-04-15T13:37:56Z")
He was born a pauper to a pawn On a Christmas day When the New York Times said FSM is dead and the war’s begun. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/6 "2016-04-15T13:38:12Z")
Next I suppose they will tell me Jedi isn’t a religion. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/7 "2016-04-15T13:48:15Z")
First they came for the Flying Spaghetti Monster worshippers, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Pastafarian. Then they came for the Subgenii, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Yeti. Then they came for Cecil Adams, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Charter Member. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/8 "2016-04-15T13:51:20Z")
Oh. Based on the thread title, I momentarily thought that someone had discovered another manuscript by Nietzsche. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/9 "2016-04-15T13:59:46Z")
The belief in the Holiest and Wonderfulest Great Spaghettiest Monstrosity is still protected, and speech of such a belief is also protected. It is the _practice_ that is regulated, if such regulations are not intended to limit the above two protected rights. Inmates are to wear bright and distinguishing clothing so that they are easily and quickly recognized. This regulation is in place for what ever reasons none of which are intended to suppress any religious belief. For example, some churches in the USA offer grape juice for communion to those under 21 years of age, even though the Bible specifically says it will be wine. Belief is protected, practice is not. I’m not lifting my prohibition on manicotti until they pry it from my cold dead paws. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/10 "2016-04-15T14:01:11Z")
Too bad, some nice stuff came out of It’s noodlely noodle. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/11 "2016-04-15T14:05:26Z")
Well, we still have Scientology, thank Og! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/12 "2016-04-15T14:58:23Z")
The difference is that there are people who actually believe in Scientology and more mainstream religions. There isn’t a person in the world who actually believes in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and the judge quite correctly ruled accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/13 "2016-04-15T15:02:59Z")
How many people _will_ need to believe? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/14 "2016-04-15T15:08:00Z")
I’ve been telling people all along that their pretense of worship to this running Internet joke was not going to help them once the stars align and mighty Cthulhu arises from sunken R’lyeh ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/15 "2016-04-15T15:10:28Z")
Other countries have accepted Pastafarianism to varying degrees as a “real religion” including Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. There is something wonderful about the following sentence from the end of the OP’s link: > [@](#): > > “The essence of this action,” the state wrote, “is that prison officials believe the Plaintiff is not sincere in his religious beliefs about a flying lump of spaghetti that first created ‘a mountain, trees, and a midget.’” But this leads to an interesting question about measuring other people’s religious beliefs. This guy was very likely trying to play the system but once the state gets to decide who is a True Believer or not there’s a potential for it to become a very slippery slope indeed. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/16 "2016-04-15T15:11:01Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The difference is that there are people who actually believe in Scientology and more mainstream religions. In other words, it’s only a real religion if nobody is in on the joke. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/17 "2016-04-15T15:11:38Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The difference is that there are people who actually believe in Scientology and more mainstream religions. > > There isn’t a person in the world who actually believes in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and the judge quite correctly ruled accordingly. That is certainly true, but I’m surprised that a court in the US would render such an opinion in light of the First Amendment. Isn’t there a mail-order “church” that will ordain anybody so that he or she can perform a marriage? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/18 "2016-04-15T15:19:54Z")
One of the things the inmate requested was the right to wear religious garb. A pirate costume. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/19 "2016-04-15T15:20:13Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The difference is that there are people who actually believe in Scientology and more mainstream religions. > > There isn’t a person in the world who actually believes in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and the judge quite correctly ruled accordingly. Actual belief in the FSM is not needed to be a Pastafarian, He doesn’t mind if you join only for the cool hat or something. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265/20 "2016-04-15T15:22:55Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The difference is that there are people who actually believe in Scientology and more mainstream religions. > > There isn’t a person in the world who actually believes in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and the judge quite correctly ruled accordingly. Bullshit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-spaghetti-monster-dead/752265.md?page=2)