Hope it’s not too late to get the Glorious Word out …

Greetings. I am writing to you from Switzerland, as a European Pastafarian.

May I applaud your open-mindedness in supporting the teaching of Creationism (crossed out) Intelligent Design in the schools of your area. It is always good to hear of someone bravely challenging the Theory of Evolution, despite the fact that Evolution is supported by a vast amount of evidence. We believers should never let a bit (or even a lot) of evidence get in the way of our faith.

As you state:

“The entire theory of evolution is not scientific fact. Intelligent design balances it out.”

Indeed it does. And, in turn, the Pastafarian beliefs balance out both of them.

The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is spreading widely in the academic communities in the USA, and throughout the world. This glorious Gospel needs to be heard more widely. Your students need the facts so they can decide the truth!

I realise that you may take this amiss, coming as it does from outside the States. But please remember that true faith knows no boundaries. Even as I write there are Christian missionaries from the States working in far-flung corners of the world. We Pastafarians are similarly reaching out to non-believers across international borders with the Good News of his Noodly Appendage.

It would be so wonderful if you would support not only the teaching of the Theory of Evolution, and the beliefs of Creationism (crossed out) Intelligent Design in your schools, but also the beliefs of us Pastafarians. Then your students would get a truly balanced view.

May His Noodly Appendage touch you, and guide you in this brave decision of yours.

With my best wishes,

8:00 English
9:00 Math
10:00 Intelligent Design
11:00 Voodoo!!!!
1200 Lunch
1:00 Numerology++
2:00 Science (covering ALL of the science to include biology, chemistry, geology etc… and of course evolution)

(did I forget Music and Art? Oh right, they’ve been dropped from the curriculum due to all of the competing ‘disciplines’)

Finally at 3:00 Timmy hops on the bus, excitedly chatting with all of his classmates about his upcomming field trip to Salem, MA and his upcomming inquistion project which is due next week!

I feel that your “word” has spread quite well without the use of our federally funded school system. There is such a thing as secularity. Oh wait a minute, He has not guided you to read the first ammendment, has He?

What they are all saying is that they see ID as a valid ’scientific’ theory that can be taught alongside evolution. It is not someone’s belief in ID that upsets the scientific community, but the idea that it is science, where it is clearly not. Please see Greg’s letter above for how to get more information.

I thought one of the most commonly used refrains from the atheist / scientific materialist side against religion / creationism was that religion prevents original thought and critical thinking. Now, it seems, it is the scientific / evolutionist side that is most interested in preventing the propagation of what they see as opposing points of view.

Hello, thank you for being open to ideas and accepting mail from the public! As a student of science, I am thrilled to hear that you are open to teaching various theories, and I have noted that you are now teaching Intelligent Design. I really think it is admirable that students are being taught to look beyond the evidence. But I am very concerned that Pinellas County Schools are not fairly representing all scientific theories equally! I am referring, of course, to the outrageous lack of Pastafarianism in your schools. We believe from our Gospel that the Flying Spaghetti Monster created a midget, trees, and a mountain, and that all people today are direct descendents of pirates. I know this is true because I have felt the touch of His Noodly Appendage in my life. But this is not just a religious feeling, it is a scientific theory! The facts are on our side. No one has disproven that the Flying Spaghetti Monster has simply made the world looking as if we all evolved from a common ancestor. In addition, humans share only about 96% of their DNA with apes, whereas they share 99.9% of their DNA with pirates! For more information concerning pirates and global warming, visit www.venganza.org. In the meantime, please give equal representation to everyone who has an idea about the way the world works! Or, of course, you could remove both Pastafarianism and Creationism (oops, Intelligent Design) from your classrooms and simply teach the only theory that the evidence supports and scientists accept: evolution.
I trust the Flying Spaghetti Monster will reveal himself to you. RAmen.
Sincerely, Daniel

Aaarrrr!!!

Members of the Pinellas County School Board:

My name is Chris Green, I am currently in my third year of study working towards a combined honours degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry at Dalhousie University. I am writing in support of your decision to expand the scientific curriculum in your school district, but I must also express my concern that you are taking the wrong route. The alternative evolutionary theory that has by far the most support from the academic community is the creed preached by the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and I think that any science curriculum that does not include His teachings is unbalanced.

I think this is particularly important because, unlike myself, hundreds of thousands of pastifarians around the world are still too afraid to make their views known to the world, for fear of persecution by their peers. I believe in my heart that if His teachings are taught in the science classroom, alongside the alternative theories of evolution and intelligent design of course, students will draw on their scientific and religious backgrounds and certainly make the right choice. Not only will the secret pastafarians of the world feel it is time to finally make their views public, but many non-believers will see the logic and integrity of His word, and convert.

Again I must reiterate, I think you are certainly taking a step in the right direction, but to not give equal time to the FSM theory of creation, which has such widespread support throughout the academic community, you are doing a great disservice to the children of your district. If you have any questions regarding how to incorporate the FSM theory of creation into your classrooms please do not hesitate to contact me. Also, if you would like more information about the church itself, I would be happy to help spread His word to you.

May His Noodly Appendages guide you to make the correct decision.

-Christopher Green

It is unfortunate that you are supporting the religion of Intelligent Deisgn. Such a thing is a violation of Tammy Kitzmiller, et al. v. Dover Area School District, et al., the Lemon Test, and other federal lawsuits (available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitzmiller_v._Dover_Area_School_District and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_test#Lemon_test ). Intelligent design is little more than a thinly veiled attempt to push the majority religion (in this case Christianity) onto the entire populace. Such a thing only goes against the Lemon Test.

In addition, the adoption of Intelligent Design is inherently flawed. In doing so, you are removing all other forms of religious creation stories, including the idea that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Under the Lemon test, you (as a government lawmaking entity) must do the following:

1. The government’s action must have a secular legislative purpose;

2. The government’s action must not have the primary effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion;

3. The government’s action must not result in an “excessive government entanglement” with religion.

In adopting Intelligent Design, you are no longer having a secular purpose, as you are adopting a religious belief in the school setting. You are advancing a religion in this case, as Intelligent Design is primarily a Christian invention. In wanting to adopt Intelligent Design, you are possibly engaging in “excessive entanglement with religion” by taking a Christian Creationism stance.

It only takes one of those points to fail the Lemon Test, yet by adopting Intelligent Design you are clearly violating two points of the Lemon Test and possibly violating the third one. I urge you not to commit an unconstitutional and unscientific mistake.

Respectfully

Greg

Ramen be upon you

I, a believer in the tenants of Pastafarianism as well as Deism, feel that, in spite of my Christian ties, intelligent design should not be taught in school, based on a few basic and unavoidable flaws in its practice. The first being that following the law there is to be a separation of church and state. Where can I find information on how you justify the creationistic teachings as not breaking this key law. The next point is that the word science has a definition. This is, as stated by dictionary.com;
1. a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws: the mathematical sciences.

2. systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation.

3. any of the branches of natural or physical science.

4. systematized knowledge in general.

5. knowledge, as of facts or principles; knowledge gained by systematic study.

6. a particular branch of knowledge.

7. skill, esp. reflecting a precise application of facts or principles; proficiency.

All of these definitions have one similarity and that is that they point to a study of factual, earthbound laws, not beliefs. Darwinism follows this and is science theory. A theory is not a fact and as such is not saying that ID is not right but instead that evolution is a possibility currently supported by the scientific community. I use this argument to say that ID should not be taught in a science class that or any class that it would, by being in it, be a contradiction to the very class.
Lastly my Pastafarian beliefs hold me to point out that ID could be done by many forces other then God. There are other divine forces in belief on the earth. God, Ala, Buddha, the Hindu gods, as well as the Flying Spaghetti Monster, as well as many more. My focus, however, will be on the latter. He has just as much grounds as all other ID beliefs and, to my knowledge, more scientific backing. Do we really have enough time in the school year to teach all of the possible religious creation possibilities that spring up. Do we base it on the number of followers of a given religion to give its support validity? I would assume that the only fair way to teach it is to teach all beliefs and in that it would cut down on all the other more scientific teachings in the already cramped curriculum. Is that fair to the future generations or society as a whole, I think not.
I would like to thank you all for your time. I hope my view may enlighten you to a new side of the issue. I do not expect to change your view on your religion or life in general, but I do hope you will see the other side for the sake of science and the constitution.

Sincerely,
Craig Schambers

Your e-mail will be shared with the Board Members.

Debbie
Deborah E. Beaty
Adm. Assistant to the Board
Pinellas County School Board
Phone: 727-588-6300 Fax: 727-588-6477

my letter:

As a student training in Earth and Environental Sciences I appreciate your open minded approach to teaching various theories of the origins of Man, the Earth and the Universe.

There are many theories and I hope you cover as many as possible. Even the Wapanoag Indian turtle myth though it does seem a little silly.

One theory that is not silly of course, should definirly be in the curriculum, That theory is Flying Spaghetti Monsterism. The theory that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created everything.

An open minded scientific evaluation of FSM theory shows it has more scientific validity than either Intellegent Design or Creationism and as such should be taught along side them in the classroom as an altenative to evolution.

I thank you for your progressive intellectual attitude.

Capkicks

Capkicks