The Michigan Tech University Pastafarian club has been the victim of harassment even before their first meeting. The MTU Lode reports:
Two individuals are currently undergoing disciplinary procedures through the Dean of Students Office after an investigation by MTU Public Safety determined that they posted a threatening message on the door of the President and Vice President of a recently-formed student organization called the Pastafarian Club.
Some background on the MTU Pastafarian club’s leaders:
According to the president of the Pastafarianism Club, Matt Halberstad–who identifies as agnostic–the group is a parody “religion.” But the group’s purpose isn’t to attack religion, and one would be hard-pressed to find a member of the group who truly believes in their parody deity–the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
The vice president of the Pastafarian Club, Steven Wheeler–who is atheist–believes that Henderson’s argument boils down to the main belief of the Michigan Tech chapter of the Pastafarians: creationism, whether or not one believes in it, is not a science, and should not be taught in a science classroom.
I agree with that, but there are people - maybe not in this particular club - who do truly believe in the FSM. Also, I want to make the point that there are plenty of Christians who are members of the Christian religion without truly believing in the deity God/Jesus.
The harassment was hateful, not unlike some of the messages I receive. In part, the message said:
they [Pastafarians] should be shot and hanged from the tallest redwood and then thrown to the raging sea.
The individuals who left the hate messages were caught and are now facing a hearing:
The Bias-Related Harassment and Violence section of MTU’s Code of Community Conduct covers threats due to one’s “race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious or cultural identity, sexual orientation, gender-identity or gender.” The penalties for violating the Bias-Related Harassment and Violence section range from disciplinary probation to expulsion.
The outcome of this will be very interesting. Even if the death threats were not meant to be taken seriously, they were still hateful messages directed at members of a religious group on campus. What if the harassment had been instead directed at an Islam club? I strongly suspect the kids would be expelled.
I wonder if the school admins are willing to make the statement that Pastafarians deserve less protection against religious harassment than other mainstream religions.
That said, I don’t think these kids should be expelled. But it would upset me if a Pastafarian organization received less protection than another religious organization (or any other organization).
I guess we’ll see what happens.
Read more about it here.
They should absosmurfly be forgiven… but then heckled mercilously for being kill joy stick in the mud uptight pricks. Then they should be showered with affection… cause everyone needs that.
I think rather than expulsion they should have to make a public and written apology to the every student and member of staff.
And ware a pointy dunces hat wile on campus or attending any University related trips and events, even reunions 30 years from now.
I’m with His noodly appendage all the way. If He’s happy, I’m happy. I’m sure they’ll be forgiven, once they realise what’s truth and what’s not. I feel sorry for the Pastafarian group as well, no-one should be denied of His noodly love.
I hope they aren’t expelled. Perhaps if they were required to wear Pirate regalia for a week, His Noodly Appendage would touch their hearts and they would find peace.
what retards! Get rid of pastafarianisim!
Since the sky opened and His Noodly Love showered upon me, I have had nothing but peace and forgiveness for those who cast ill upon my love for His Noodliness. Perhaps these students need nothing more than to be bathed in the sauce of the FSM and cry the tears of joy that come from being swaddled in… a hell, just fork ‘em.
I think they should have to write a huge essay on how the behavior displayed by them was completely unjust and is not something a “good” Christian should do…anyone who’s so serious about something so ridiculous needs a head check…
Arrr…Dip them in a big pot of boiling pasta sauce!
they should be made to wear placards bearing the statement “leave religion alone ! well alone !” on one side and “holy war wholly wrong” on the other - pirate outfit optional. then feed and forgive them.
It is only a sense of irony that separates (most of)us from the animals.
That and the ability to make pasta.
First of all I have been open minded and really, really think about things like this before I “judge” them, so I have a couple of points I would like to say, first, the school should learn if you put up a Christmas tree and Menorah you are automatically showing religion, also here (Tijuana BC Mexico) and please don’t find it offensive if I don’t say it properly, some people pray at 12 ‘ o clock (I’m thinking Muslims’??) and even in middle of the class or exam or anything they can go out and pray also we did put our spaghetti tree plus use pirate regalia almost every day, the school should learn not to lightly judge people base on there believes, simple example….
What would happen if you were a Jew in Nazi Germany??? Ok you could say its different, I say why?? Pastafarians have there believes and if you accept other you should also accept them, we area all equals in front of any religion… I like to believe in the you believe your stuff & I will believe mine, as long as you don’t start saying stuff about my religion, self or self expression, also I believe in the US you have an amendment for self expression… the threat plus the “we wont put the FSM tree” next to the xmas tree is against that isn’t…. well the point is al shall always be respect the other one as you would like to be respected…. We respect them as you respect us.
Regards, Grave (Christian)
PS. In Mexico there area a LOT but a LOT of Pastafarians, I know at least 20 plus the ones that I only chat with…
They have Redwoods in Michigan? And just how far is Michigan from the raging sea?
damn, ya’ll some snitches…wah wah wah…don’t ruin someone’s life because you can’t take a fucking joke.
zipperhead
Jan 15th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
damn, ya’ll some snitches…wah wah wah…don’t ruin someone’s life because you can’t take a fucking joke.
fixed your comment for you
zipperhead
Jan 15th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
damn, ya’ll some bitches…wah wah wah…don’t threaten someone’s life because you can’t take a fucking joke.
It is a curious thing that the people who usually whip up such intolerance and hatred for other religions (parody as they may be) rely on textual resources they have apparently memorised but do not have any actual experience of any notional spirituality… only experience of rote-learning texts which refer to other people’s alleged experiences… or they could just invent religious experience which seems to be the most likely explanation for the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Joseph Smith who’s story changed umpteen times… and OMFG the angel was called Moroni (that’s ‘moron’ with an ‘i’ for the dyslexic amongst us)… ack… how funny is that… of course one may easily mispronounce the Church of Mormon as the Church of Morons… but I wouldn’t do that… oops…
The Bible: http://emeraldsandash.blogspot.com/2008/01/bible.html
FSM: http://emeraldsandash.blogspot.com/2008/01/church-of-flying-spaghetti-monster.html
:-)
@ Zipperhead
You must be a fundi-christian with that ” it has to be someone else’s fault for my bad actions” attitude. How very christ like, Indeed!!
RAmen!!
I’d like to take this time to tell you that I, first hand, have witnessed the almighty powers of The Spaghetti Monster. I was walking along a street corner, when I noticed many posters blowing in the wind. I couldn’t make them out, until I chased them along the dirt road away from the city. I picked up these papers and what I saw was the most magnificent Taco art you have ever seen. Then, to my amazement, I look up and I actually am confronted by the Flying Spaghetti Monster himself! His noodle appendages were so large and thick, covered in a thick, red, zesty sauce, which would come down in blotches onto my face. I wiped my eyes in amazement and only to see him zip, zooming, and flying away.
What the spaceship looked like:
The weird thing about it was it looked like a typical spacecraft that you see in Sci-Fi movies. It was grey, and it had circular windows in the middle of it. The Spaghetti Monster’s head sat snugly above the craft, in fact, it was actually larger than the spacecraft itself. It looked as if the Spaghetti Monster knew of how antigravity worked as well. There’s much more to my story, but I have to go, every day at 8:30, I go back to that same dirt road in hopes that he comes back.
Signing off,
Tom G. Harrington
They should be forced to eat spaghetti until their bowels bust. Only this would satisfy the bloodlust of our Lord, the FSM.
i think the people should be treated just the same as any other hate crime offenders. they did the same thing. just because the flying spaghetti monster isnt exactly a legitimate belief does not mean it should be treated differently
EQUALITY PEOPLE
Does not the gospel of his “noodlyness” teach tolerance? Shame on those who wish to punish these individuals. The ignorant are also entitled to an opinion. But if they pull any more of that crazy shit i will pesonally seek out the wankers in question and paper-cut little pirate fish onto their eyelids. VIVA REVOLUTION!!!