For years, I have been forced to call myself a Taoist

For years, I have been forced to call myself a Taoist, noting that the rabid believers of God (also known as Allah) stare down my back everywhere I go, demanding that I follow one of their churches. I remember a particular fellow: Anwell, who demanded that I join the Christian faith.

But being an Atheist for years, I could not accept the notion of this perfect deity who demands that we believe in him or go to some horrible afterlife. I remained a steadfast Atheist, and pitied the Christians for their insanity.

In high school, which was not long ago, I overheard one of my classmates speaking of an ‘invisible pink unicorn,’ and a larger group scoffing at the idea of a ‘flying spaghetti monster.’

I had heard that these were the hopes for people like me who wanted to counter those blasted Christians, but I had no idea how to find them.

Then I overheard my roommate, who is of the Jewish faith, listening to a song… A song depicting the fight between these two deities on Youtube.

And I realized that it wasn’t a mere talk of legend. I realized that such a movement was truly going on!

Filled with excitement, I scampered to the computer and did some research. Soon, I learned of Pastafarianism, and I must say that I applaud your work here. I am considering joining the Pastafarian faith, and, out of curiosity, I must ask you: Are you aware of how many Pastafarians have actually joined the faith (roughly, of course), or is this movement still fairly unknown?

RAmen

With deep respect,
Zhang

170 Responses to “For years, I have been forced to call myself a Taoist”

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 » Show All

  1. 1 - Nospoon - Nov 26th, 2007

    There are lots. Millions. How can anyone resist the truth of the pasta?

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  2. 2 - El Peatieablo - Nov 26th, 2007

    Yeah, all the cool people are doing it (peer pressure is fun). Anyway, thar be a lot of us here piratey followers, some of the deal with the press coverage. FSM be a very public spagadiety and His Word has spread as far as places like Belgium. If ye haven’t already, I recommend picking up a copy of the Gospel and an eye patch (maybe a cutlass, peg leg, hook, and parrot if you have the money).

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  3. 3 - lilwench - Nov 26th, 2007

    And remember, our faith comes with a thirty-day guarantee. If you are somehow not feeling His Noodley Appendages, Taoism will most probably take you back.

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  4. 4 - Pixel Pete - Nov 26th, 2007

    We have millions, maybe even thousands of followers!
    RAmen

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  5. 5 - Peter Popoff - Nov 26th, 2007

    -YAWN-
    Kinda lame Bobby.
    Don’t ya got something more interesting to put up as mail?

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  6. 6 - Peter Popoff - Nov 26th, 2007

    Hi Jr.

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  7. 7 - Maxglobs - Nov 26th, 2007

    Heh, a some of my Asian friends have actually had to pretend to be Buddhists (as opposed to atheists) to avoid hostility from their families.

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  8. 8 - Assassin Sheepdog - Nov 26th, 2007

    It’s definitely not unknown of. Just look at the guest map and you will see the ideas are very widespread (but mainly in Americas / Europe). There are prob around a million followers actually. The Facebook group for the FSM has 23301 people in it. Pretty much the highest amount any group gets to is 1.5 million people (very few get past that). If you divide 23301 by 1.5 million, then you get around 0.016, or 1.6%. This means 1.6% of people between the ages 13-25 (general age group for facebook users who join groups they support) are Pastafarian. Around 10% of the 300 million Americans are from this age group, so thats is 30 million people. 1.6% of 30 million is 480,000. This means around 1/2 million Americans are Pastafarians. We will assume that Americans make up around 1/2 the Pastafarians, so the best educated guess would be that there are a million Pastafarians in the world today.

    I’m pretty sure that would classify this movement as fairly known of. Plus looking at the news articles on the main page about this stuff, I would say it is.

    (If anybody cares to know, I just did his research right now, because this truly did make the interested so this isn’t anything outdated or whatnot)

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  9. 9 - Saucyballs - Nov 26th, 2007

    @Zhang
    I’m just curious, but was your classmate named Nicole who has an e-mail posted in the hate mail section? She mentions..”swimming unicorn of wonder”. What’s with the unicorns? No resemblance to the only true FSM although I’m sure he could take on any form of unicorn. The main difference between the FSM and a unicorn is that a unicorn isn’t real. Sheesh!
    I do applaud you in possibly converting to Pastarianism. May his great noodlely appendage reach out and touch you.

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  10. 10 - Saucyballs - Nov 26th, 2007

    I had to correct my spelling. Pastafarianism. Damn my fat fingers!

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  11. 11 - Cottura 5 Minuti - Nov 26th, 2007

    Congratulations on a great choice. The IPU has nothng on the FSM.
    .
    And I claim oxygen, since I got started on the periodic table on the other thread.

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  12. 12 - Cottura 5 Minuti - Nov 26th, 2007

    Oops, I left the browser window open while I was checking something else and ended up with sodium, not oxygen.

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  13. 13 - Etay - Nov 26th, 2007

    I didn’t read past the second comma…
    .
    So, you’re saying that you have faith in a race from Warhammer 40K?
    Freaky, man. Freaky.

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  14. 14 - Peter Popoff - Nov 26th, 2007

    Hello to you too!
    Spanky.

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  15. 15 - Bombadil - Nov 26th, 2007

    10 million. i love that youtube video btw. HE FLIES OH HE FLY-IES

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  16. 16 - Seeker of the Truth - Nov 26th, 2007

    Hey youse guys only counted the 13-25 age group. I am a couple of generations older and I’m a believer (Sorry Monkeys). I am sure there are lots of us O.F., male and female, who are believer but perhaps are afraid to say so. And don’t forget the PhD’s, I am sure all are over 25. There are most likely a lot of “closet Pastafarians”. At first I was but now I am spreading the word. So come on all you so called “over-the-hillers” RAISE YOUR VOICES, stand up and be counted. Remember, “Asked not what the FSM can do for you. Ask what you can do for him or her whatever the case may be.” Isn’t plegerism fun?

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  17. 17 - Red DutchPasta Wench - Nov 26th, 2007

    Assassin Sheepdog : I live your logic! Great thinking :))
    (Even though I’m a little bit older than that age-group :))) )

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  18. 18 - PirateHooker - Nov 26th, 2007

    Dearest sir, there are billion of pastafarians. Ya, sure, of course our planet is populated with heretical denial of His noodley majesty..but for the large part, the universe bows down to his Deliciousness.

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  19. 19 - pastaman - Nov 26th, 2007

    what’s the name of that song?

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  20. 20 - rmw - Nov 26th, 2007

    Hello Zhang. I’m not sure of the numbers of followers, but from reading some of the other posts, it looks like we may have enough to be considered a “real” religion and thus qualified for tax-exemption status. Please, join our noodly and piratey religion. Or, feel free just enjoy a bowl of spaghetti and maybe watch “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Either way, it’s cool. May you be touched by his noodly appendage.

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  21. 21 - Cap’n Bob the Spanky - Nov 26th, 2007

    @ Seeker of Truth
    Count us nonagenarians in as well.
    PS. Is “plegerism” anything like plagiarism?

    @ Peter Popoff
    Yes? Did you want me?

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  22. 22 - Boarg - Nov 26th, 2007

    Welcome to the fold, er, pirate ship, Zhang. Enjoy beer and strippers and keep a sharp eye out for ninjas. Belief in the afterlife is about to get a whole lot more enjoyable.
    RAmen

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  23. 23 - ID LOL - Nov 26th, 2007

    @Cottura 5 Minuti
    Yeah the periodic table cought on, I’m Vanadium not too sure what that is but oh well.

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  24. 24 - PacificPam - Nov 26th, 2007

    I have counted…1,652,987,456.25

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  25. 25 - Jennyanydots - Nov 26th, 2007

    But what do you move onto once you exhaust the elements. Loads of messages on here get well above the early hundreds.

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  26. 26 - storm petrel - Nov 26th, 2007

    Compounds, and if we ever manage to run out of them…we’ll just find a Pastafarian scientist to make us some more.

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  27. 27 - PacificPam - Nov 26th, 2007

    how bout pasta?
    .
    I call, penne. I call linguni!

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  28. 28 - rmw - Nov 26th, 2007

    @PacificPam–in that case, I call ravioli and rigatoni.

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  29. 29 - storm petrel - Nov 26th, 2007

    I call angel hair and fettuccini so, probably spelt wrong, but anyway.

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  30. 30 - rmw - Nov 26th, 2007

    And if we run out of noodles, we can start calling specific pasta dishes, like lasagne or spaghetti bolognase (sp?).

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  31. 31 - storm petrel - Nov 26th, 2007

    I don’t see any reason why not.

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  32. 32 - Jennyanydots - Nov 26th, 2007

    Can’t think of a more relevant current thread than the membership numbers one – apologies it isn’t too relevant but thought you might be interested in this one – might get a few more members coming along… http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5izIdAiH7TCkYQq8AvK6KbH480paAD8SUOUQG1

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  33. 33 - PacificPam - Nov 26th, 2007

    hahahahahahaah…what happens when all the italian dishes are done?
    .
    will it be the end of the world and we will have to go to a cave?

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  34. 34 - El Peatieablo - Nov 26th, 2007

    @PacificPam
    “what happens when all the italian dishes are done?”
    Ok, so we will first finish off the elements, then the compounds (which should take a while considering all the slight alterations you can make to proteins and nucleic acids), then Italian dishes. After that we can start calling jokes. Theres this one guy, Pluto (maybe you’ve heard of him?), who has a never ending supply of jokes that should last us until the ADD kicks in and we move to a new thread (and thus calling elements again).
    .
    By the way, for my joke I call the New Jersey Devils (honestly could you ask for a funnier joke?).

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  35. 35 - El Peatieablo - Nov 26th, 2007

    @Jennyanydots
    I checked out your link. It was pretty cool. Did anyone else notice that the acronym for the “American Academy of Religion” is “AAR” and that their website is “aarweb” something or other? It would appear that a major organization is finally recognizing, nay, encouraging a connection between pirates and religion. With the American Academy of Religion’s support I think it’s safe to say that we’ve gone mainstream!

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  36. 36 - Jennyanydots - Nov 26th, 2007

    I wonder if we can get any conference procedings?

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  37. 37 - Jácob - Nov 26th, 2007

    I wonder if Bobby will make priests and priestesses…like the IPU

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  38. 38 - PacificPam - Nov 26th, 2007

    @El Peatieablo – Pluto? nope, never heard of him….hahahahaahaha I have asked him where the hell does he gets all those jokes…no answer.
    .
    Can you tell the New Jersey Joke…I don’t know it.
    .
    I love the Hind Lick one!

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  39. 39 - El Peatieablo - Nov 26th, 2007

    @PacificPam (I’m trying to post the end of the URL to a wikipedia article, I hope it works)
    wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_Devils
    It’s a hockey team that I hate (they beat the Detroit Red Wings in the playoffs when I was really little and I never forgave them). Also, their logo is a wrench- not a wench, a wrench. That’s almost as bad as the Colorado Avalanche (I hate them too) with their giant foot logo.

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  40. 40 - Starbuckaneer - Nov 26th, 2007

    You hate the Avalanche? (Well of course you do because you’re a Red Wings fan!) I was a big fan until Patrick Roy retired… The WALL!!!! Personally, I’m a Sabres fan…

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  41. 41 - PacificPam - Nov 26th, 2007

    Hockey, I like Hockey…I love all the blood.

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  42. 42 - Starbuckaneer - Nov 26th, 2007

    Like a bloodbath on ice. It’s a beautiful thing.

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  43. 43 - El Peatieablo - Nov 26th, 2007

    Yeah, the Sabers are decent. I seem to remember Vernon (the backup goalie) besting ole’ royboy in the playoffs. The reason I don’t like the ‘Lanche is because of that Series towards the end of the playoffs in the mid 90s (Colorado beat Detroit) when Sakic (I think it was him) never got called for tripping/crosschecking. Granted I was like 8 and extremely biased, but that’s how I remember it and no amount of evidence will change that (sound familiar to any fundies out there?).
    .
    I really wish I had a television/a three hour block of time to watch some hockey right about now… :(

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  44. 44 - PacificPam - Nov 26th, 2007

    I love that when they smile…they have no teeth at all!

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  45. 45 - Starbuckaneer - Nov 26th, 2007

    I know how you feel… I’m still bitter about the Stanley Cup 1999…. they got cheated. That’s why I hate the Stars.

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  46. 46 - Starbuckaneer - Nov 26th, 2007

    But I hate the new Sabres uniforms…. I like the black & red.

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  47. 47 - PacificPam - Nov 26th, 2007

    I like Raul from the Real Madrid….=)

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  48. 48 - Ubi Dubium - Nov 26th, 2007

    @ Saucyballs
    “What’s with the unicorns? No resemblance to the only true FSM although I’m sure he could take on any form of unicorn. The main difference between the FSM and a unicorn is that a unicorn isn’t real. Sheesh!”
    .
    Of course unicorns are real! The most real of all is the holy Invisible Pink Unicorn, who is able to be both invisible AND pink at the same time. (We know she is invisible because we can’t see her. We must have faith that she is pink.) She is a goddess who does not concern herself with people, only their laundry. See her wikipedia entry here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_pink_unicorn
    .
    She has personally visited her holy color on my laundry several times, poked holes in my clothes with her horn, and raptured many of my kid’s socks directly to sock heaven. (I bet she’s taken some of yours too!) I have more direct evidence for her existence than for any of the so-called “real” religions.
    .
    I don’t see anything in the “I’d really rather you didn’ts” about being forbidden to believe in other fictional deities. And people have known about her (and daring the Fundies to prove she doesn’t exist) since 1990.
    .
    So that’s what’s with the unicorns.
    .
    RAmen
    .
    (Hey, where did my other sock go?)

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  49. 49 - PacificPam - Nov 26th, 2007

    hahahahaaha I have to read about this unicorn!

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  50. 50 - El Peatieablo - Nov 26th, 2007

    @Starbuckaneer
    I haven’t seen the new Buffalo uniform, but I never like the new uniforms as much as the old ones.
    Where do you live that you have such diverse tastes in sports teams (Colorado to Buffalo)?

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An elaborate spoof on Intelligent Design, The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is neither too elaborate nor too spoofy to succeed in nailing the fallacies of ID. It's even wackier than Jonathan Swift's suggestion that the Irish eat their children as a way to keep them from being a burden, and it may offend just as many people, but Henderson, described elsewhere as a 25-year-old "out-of-work physics major," puts satire to the same serious use that Swift did. Oh, yes, it is very funny. -- Scientific American




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