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.
Not to fear! His Noodly Goodness will overcome all prejudice and hate in the end! For who can withstand the everlasting Majesty of the FSM? None, I tell you! Noodles and hate cannot coexist!
RAmen.
We will prevail, even if we have to wander for 10000 years on college campus’s we will prevail. We are the CHOSEN people of the FSM.
ramen praise the nooddley apendage! we seem to have their balls in a vice and soon we will push hard! whats to say that crhistianity isnt a joke or judeism its only because their are more of them then us and they think we are differnt and their for dont have the same rights i can only hope their eyes are opened to the wisdom of the holy fsm may your apendage be nooddley always
Hmmm, what happens if the sea is calm? Wait until it rages?
Well stick that in their juice boxes and suck it! At least they were stupid enough to write down the hate messages! HA!
Now I wanna start a Pastafarian Club! How cool would THAT be?
Ive started a group for FSM lovers at my school. The christians just think were crazy.
peace love and pirates
RAmen
Brothers and Sisters of Ramen, do not fret! The Flying Spaghetti Monster does not preach a message of hate, but rather a message of love, acceptance, and slow-cooked tomato sauce. Let us rejoice in his wondrous wisdom and his noodly goodness!
My son has just introduced me to FSM. I went to the website and emerged limp
from laughter. Is this not proof that I have been Touched by His Noodly Appendage?
But wait, there is more! Just before this blessed moment I had been helping out with
a local dinner theatre fundraiser. The play this year: “The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree”.
All the helpers were decked out in pirate gear. Surely this synchronicity is further proof
of His power.
len,
.
You have, in deed, been touched by His Noodly Appendage. Another convert! Yaaar!
.
RAmen
As a graduate of MTU (I was a physics major and graduated in 1986), I am glad to see your organization on campus!
In the days before the great FSM, we formed a student organization on campus (PPSA) which later languished and faded away. We promoted skepticism and were somewhat there simply to provoke the status quo and people/groups that take themselves way too seriously. (We were the first organization to ever show a pornographic film on campus, “Debbie Does Dallas”. Of course, we also had annual showings of Monty Python movies, once the other achieved its goal of proving we could do it and making us enough money to order a bunch of pizza and go skiing.)
Keep fighting the good fight!
Yar indeed. I have felt the presence of His Noodly Appendage upon me, and, in a totally spiritual way, smelt the marinara-like truth of his, er, truthiness. Avast ye scurvy idjits! All your bases are belong to FSM!!!
I’ve just found this website in the last couple of days. I thought all religions were supposed to be about love, peace & understanding.
Fear not brethern we shall overcome this prejedes AND WILL SHOW ALL NONE BELIEVERS WHAT HELL TRULY IS… MAD TV.
Hail his noodlely goodness
SUCK ON THAT CHRISTIANS
to be honest i think they should be expelled regardless of religion the fact they had the thought of going against one is nessisary for the boot regardless of wat it is.
This is a hate crime!
“Not to fear! His Noodly Goodness will overcome all prejudice and hate in the end!”
-what FSM do you worship? The FSM I worship is a vengeful FSM. He also encourages hateful actions when they can be rationalized, a meatball for a meatball. But then again I am more of an old testament Pastafarian.
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what is the email address of the dean of mtu? in all fairness he should become aware of how many people are paying attention to the decision that will be made at his university. he may be underestimating the size of the audience of this conflict, and underestimating the scope of reaction/publicity to decisions made at his university regarding this matter.
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The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster if properly interpreted, clearly sends the message that one need not believe to be a faithful Pastafarian.
The beauty of the Pastafarian text is that, unlike other belief systems, does not require faith, belief, or understanding.
Praise be the Noodle. (capitalization not absolutely required.)