JT of the Missouri State University Pastafarians has told me about some troubling discrimination.
The MSU campus is displaying a Holiday Tree and Menorah - but requests to put up a FSM Holiday display were denied, then false hurdles put in place, and now it seems that communication is being ignored.
It should be noted that Pastafarians are an officially recognized student organization at MSU, with the support of many of MSU’s finest faculty members.
It seems clear that the denial of the FSM display is due to the Dean of the Humanities Dept. and building coordinator, Dr. Lorene Stone.
The display is spectacular, and tasteful by anyone’s standards.
Take a look:
JT and MSU Chemistry professor Dr. Mark Richter have documented their correspondence with Dean Stone. It’s an extremely interesting read; everyone should take a look: JT’s blog post about this.
A note to Dean Stone: you’re running a school, NOT a religious organization. It’s not your place to push your personal beliefs on anyone, nor is it your place to reject beliefs that you don’t subscribe to or take seriously. Jesus would not approve of what you’re doing.
–UPDATE —
It seems the MSU administration is unwilling to discuss the matter. Dean Stone’s most recent correspondence said “I am VERY busy and do not have time to continue this e-mail dialogue with you.”
MSU President Dr. Michael Nietzel has been notified of the issue.
We need your help. We’d like the administration to get a sense of the number of people concerned about this issue. If you choose to write the administration with your views, PLEASE be courteous and respectful. The issue here is equality, not whether Pastafarianism is better than any other belief system.
Dr. Lorene Stone:
lorenestone@missouristate.edu
417-836-5529
Dr. Michael T. Nietzel:
President@missouristate.edu
Thanks for your help.
– UPDATE 2 –
I’ve been forwarded some replies by MSU President Dr. Michael Niezel, which, if accurate, indicate that the administration offered to allow the Pastafarian display to be placed in a different building.
I would like to know why the Pastafarian display is not allowed to be placed next to the other religious displays.
I believe Dr. Stone made the decision to deny the placement of the Pastafarian display based on her biased personal views, and that her decision is being upheld by the administration above her for political reasons.
My view is that a building administrator who allows a Christian and Jewish display, but denies a Pastafarian display has acted inappropriately.
What do you think? Is it enough to be allowed to place the display in another building?
My first post didn’t seem to “take”, so am re-submitting: How about having Pastafarian carolers in full pirate regalia singing at Dr. Stone’s house???? She’d probably love it, and the newspapers would too….
My Letter to the Benevolent Dr.:
Dr. Stone,
I am concerned about the discriminatory practices recently displayed concerning the requests of certain student religious organizations and their wishes to erect a holiday display on the University Grounds.
Your emails seemed tyrannical and smelled of dictatorship. (not a good smell.)
I recommend you reconsider your position and allow all religious groups the opportunity you have so benevolently allowed to the faithful followers of judaism and christianity. ARe they better people than the Muslims and Pastafari, or do they just have more money, or perhaps they have been around a lot longer than other groups and should be afforded more attention?
Jesse Stetson
How to resolve the obvious lack of humour and of ability to relativate displayed by people in charge? Nah, just give it a lot of publicity, until the people in charge get annoyed with it… YouTube can be a nice tool! And at the moment far more efficient than this very site, moderated in a quite sloppy way… grrr!
I shall be mailing Ms Stone immediately
Arrrrrrrr
I’d be more than happy to participate in an email or letter campaign.
Maybe all we need is for someone to go and blow themselves up somewhere for us to be named a respectable religoin….sorry. That was distasteful. And it breaks on the the i’d really rather you didn’ts….
Surely it is a Freedom of Speech and a Freedom of Religion issue?
Surely Freedom of Religion means you are free not to believe and to express that non belief in an appropriate manner?
I for one would be more than happy to sign a Petition addressing the issue on those grounds.
it must be spinach based pasta
Yay first post.
By peaceful solutions, do you mean no lawsuits? If they are an officially recognized organization then I think we have a case.
I’ve no doubt that JT and Dr. Richter will prevail. It’s fairly appalling that Dean Stone thinks she can dictate religious freedom (or the lack thereof) at MSU!
The fans of the TV show Jericho sent pound after pound of peanuts to the executives of CBS until they caved in to bring Jericho back (although it is only coming back for a half-season)…
Are there any places where we can order spaghetti online to be delivered to the school’s administrative offices?
Now that I think about it, it doesn’t have to be cooked spaghetti… we can send boxes of uncooked spaghetti!
I suggest the usual email dog pile that usually shows the level of support for FSMism. I have been surprised by the success we have had with email campaigns here in the past. Usually instructors have staff emails, lets post is and start the pile!I suggest the usual email dog pile that usually shows the level of support for FSMism. I have been surprised by the success we have had with email campaigns here in the past. Usually instructors have staff emails, lets post is and start the pile!
Keep fighting the good fight guys! Happy holidays to everyone, pastafarians included.
Yet again: how about Pastafarian carolers in full pirate regalia singing in front of
Dr. Stone’s house? Even her shrivelled Christian soul would melt, and the newspapers would love it……
makes me sad to be an MSU alum
Just sent out.
Dr. Michael T. Nietzel:
I am offering to chip in for a fund, to sue as many as possible -including individuals- who are instrumental in denying this holiday display of The Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Reverently,
Fizzmick Pa Chee
How about calling the local Newspaper / TV News Station. “Discrimination as MSU”. Include some of the blogs to them, Especially with Dean Stone. Universities generally do not want bad press so maybe that is a peaceful solution.
This just shows how accustomed to getting preferential treatment christians are.
What an outrage! It’s a perfectly ressonable display & should be allowed to stay up. His Noodly one be praised! Gold?
Gold? I remember reading about MSU a while back. Didn’t pastafarians and spagnostics make up the second largest religious group on campus?
In any case, this is starting to become a blatant injustice. I’m not even sure it’s about rligion anymore, i believe that CoFSM is now viewed to be a massive joke. I think someione needs to show them how serious we are. Oh, and JT never replied to my email :(