Flying Spaghetti Monster
Pastafarianism, also referred to as Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster("FSM"), is a parody religion invented in 2005.[1] Although the Flying Spaghetti Monster is used by atheists, such as Richard Dawkins[Citation Needed], as a modern version of Russell's teapot, the original point was a critique of the Kansas Board of Education's actions involving Intelligent Design and the notion of "teaching the controversy" by constructing a clearly ridiculous theological system and then demanding that it get equal time.[2]. Pastafarianism took as its basis the decision by the Kansas board of education to redefine science in order to include ntelligent Design. The definatory change from science as "natural" explanation to science as "logical" explanation enabled Henderson to construct a theory which, if accepted as science, could be considered a better scientific theory than intelligent design. Whilst Intelligent Design claims to explain the origin of life Pastafarianism claims to also explain Global Warming (reduction in the numbers of pirates) and gravity (the Flying SPaghetti Monster holding things down with His noodly appendages). The Discovery Institute has argued that the FSM is an attempt to mock "traditional religion."[3] Indeed, self-professed believers in the Flying Spaghetti Monster have called themselves "Pastafarians". A book was released in 2006, to explain most of the religion.[4] The religion itself is anti-dogmatic, much unlike most western religions.