I wrote the Open Letter sometime around January of 2005 and posted it online several months later after receiving no reply from the Kansas School Board. Within days of posting it online, the letter became an internet phenomenon, generating tens of thousands of visits each day, as well as personal responses from the school board members themselves. To date (August 2006), the venganza website has received upwards of 350 million hits, and somewhere in the proximity of 15 million unique visits. This website operates on a dedicated server and uses 600 – 800 GB/month in bandwidth. I’ve received over 15,000 emails in response to the letter.
The letter, after being blogged heavily for months, was printed in several large newspapers, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Chicago Sun Times, and many others. The newspaper articles caught the attention of book publishers, and at one point there were six publishers interested in getting the Word of the Flying Spaghetti Monster out to the public. In the end, the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster was released by Random House in March of 2006.
It’s now been over a year since the FSM phenomenon started. I hope that a year from now we will be recognized as a legitimate religious organization, with all the same benefits *and tax loopholes* that the mainstream religions enjoy.
Please leave me a comment on the Letter, the FSM movement as a whole, or whatever you like. Thanks,
-Bobby
I agree the pirate data obviously needs to be updated, but I suspect the trend is consistent; after all the globe is still warming and the number of pirates seems still to be on the increase.
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don’t you think the word “overwhelming” could have been left out of that sentence near the end? it gives too much away…
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I LOVE THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER HE CHANGED MY LIFE WITH HIS NOODLINESS. I CANT BELIEVE PEOPLE DONT BELIEVE IN HIM HE IS THE GOD!!! WITH HIS BALLS OF SAUCE! AND MEAT!!!! LONG LIVE THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I was amazed and shocked. All hail the amazing flying spaghetti monster. Keep up the good work!
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I have sinned and just eaten a piece of FSM
FSM thank you for being my daily meat and please let me beg you to unlimit myself!
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I’ve never been a religious person. I was raised in Judaism but never really felt Yaweh. I tried Christianity but never felt Jesus. But now I understand what the Flying Spaghetti Monster symbolizes and why it is undeniably clear that he is the ultimate theory of intelligent design.
FSM, thank you for being my guiding light. By finding you, I have found myself.
PS: I’m sorry about all the parties I had at Olive Garden… how could I have known?
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@mike (3352): I wouldn’t say it gives too much away… Just read comments 3342 and 3349 for two recent examples of people who still don’t get it.
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Dear creator of the new spagetti God,
I thought your very clever dig at intelligent design was just fabulous. Coming from a country (Aust) where religous people do not relentlessly attack the teaching of science, I have always found the people behind Intelligent Design quite frightening. I hope you keep up the good fight for as long as possible and keep on coming up with new ways to demonstrate how truly ridiculous treating the bible as fact really is.
xox Girlfriday
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But is not the humble user of piratebay.org or some other such places do?
we are modern Pirates!
” Also, maybe al gore is part of an internet scheme to help global warming by inventing the internet and creating a world with lots of modern pirates? He also must believe in the church of the FSM… Fascinating “
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Yo i have no followers on twitter! http://www.twitter.com/EricRoberts5
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All hail the spaghetti monster!
I have always known that there was a great creator. Something amazing that science can’t explain. so whose to say that this fantastical creature is not the one true God. I want to know wether The Spaghetti Monsters Disciple Bobby wore a pirate outfit while writing that letter to the Kansas school board.
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But what our scientist does not realize is that every time he makes a measurement, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage.
ROFL – I like this so far. Noodly Appendage. Hehe.
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I love it! What a fantastic commentary on “Intelligent [sic] Design”. And of course, the one makes just as much sense as the other. All hail the Flying Spaghetti Monster and His Noodly Appendage!
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@3351 – May 4th, 2009 at – Clachair
No, no, no, no, no… does nobody take any notice of the real data??? The world has been cooling since 1998. Anything acredited to global warming is just hysteresis.
This corresponds so perfectly to the resurgence of piratism over the past 10 years, that pirates must be some sort of energy sink.
Right, gotta pay homage to the the almighty and make some spaghetti and meatballs.
Ramen.
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I know people, some friends, who belive in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and I was just curious about Him. All I know is that we were put here by something for some reason… And was wondering more about the Flying Spaghetti Monster and how He, himself, came to be…
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Pasta be PRAISED! I have seen the light, and the good Spaghediety reaching his Noodley Appendage out for my lost an tainted soul! Oh F.S.M, I once was lost, but I have been reclaimed! PASTA BE PRAISED!
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I just realized something horrible!!!
On the drawing of the midget and the spagetthi monster (Him), one of his NOODLEs is missing!!!
This letter was written in 2005. It was sent to Arkansas. I will bet you anything that his Noodlyness was actually planning this. He made me realize the errors of the ways of the letter.
We must engage all noodles in existence and warp them around the original letter, thus fullfilling his will.
I think
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What you can’t be serious, didn’t here this on southpark? the episode where eric got frozen. What is this some joke made up by a broed atheist? I belive in freedom of religion but if your serious you must be out of your mind get some help soon beforwe i get a fork and eat your spagetti monster.
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@ – Nameless #3370,
By all means, get your fork, and consume the pasta. It’s best if consumed with a beverage of your choice. I recommend Pinot Noir. If done in a joyful spirit, and especially if you share with a poor or hungry person, it is considered a sacrament.
Read what Southern Ptarmigan (tenth down on the comments thread), a Christian Evangelist, has to say:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=letters-may-2009&sc=DD_20090508
RAmen
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Praise to Pasta!
i used to be an ignorent atheist who was blind to the fact that science is incomplete and it surley can’t guide people to a better future and that some other greater thing is out there. but i know now! in my heart and stomach! His noodly Appendage!
my salvation was a miracle. it was last week if memory serves and i was hungry so i went to a resturant and i asked for the dish of the day and guess what; it was Pasta! coinsidence?! now i know it was not! and just as i ate the heavenly noodles and meatballs i though to my self heaven should be like this! and then it all became clear. his great noodly appendage. my life makes sanse now, i am touched by FSM. not just like the gravity thing, it is much more; He speaks to me, through my stomach mostly!
Praise to Pasta!
Arrrrrrrrgh!
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Your letter doesn’t even seem to fully understand what “Intelligent Design” theory teaches. I believe critical thinking is the most important element students should be taught, so I am in favor of neither 100% ID teaching nor 100% evolutionary theories. While evolution does exist on a micro scale (and has evidence of existing on a macro scale), it as yet does not explain all of the mysteries of the universe, including how human beings came into existence.
As for your “belief” that the Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe and everything in it and your wish the Kansas school board not exclude this, Intelligent Design doesn’t refer to one specific religion’s God being the end-all, be-all creator of the universe. It means that some grand designer had to have created space and Earth and everything on it, because the ecosystems of the planet and the creatures that inhabit them are far too complex to have evolved into existence.
The best and most relevant “religions” are ones that can back up their own statements.
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I used to be a Kitian,we believed that when you died, your soul was stuck in a tree. Of course, I found this to be completely untrue after I discovered Frisbeetarianism, where you believe that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof, and you can’t get it down. Now, I have seen the true light, and have been touched by His Noody Appendage. Let all the others fork themselves, I am now a Pastafarian.
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i love it it takes guts to go out their and tell them in such a bold mannor that they have no dea what is true anyone can say that they know the truth and there is no way to prove otherwise
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RAmen!
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@3372: I’m curious about your logic. You make the statement, “Evolution…as yet does not explain all of the mysteries of the universe, including how human beings came into existence.” I’ve listened to several attempts to convince me of “ID”, and I have yet to hear any argument for “ID” that doesn’t start with, “It’s just not possible for evolution to explain the diversity and complexity of life.” Essentially, they start with an hypothesis (above), and then proceed to find ONLY evidence that supports that hypothesis, rather than examining the evidence to see if the preponderance supports the hypothesis and none disproves it (which produces a theory).
So, does the fact that evolution doesn’t explain (to your satisfaction) how humans came into existence make evolutionary theories invalid? I think not, as there has been nothing (beyond, “It just can’t be!”) that convincingly disproves evolution, at least in my experience.
With regards the “Wolf to Chihuahua” commenter, since God isn’t provable, it’s never provable that, even if a team was able to produce a Chihuahua from Wolf stock, God wasn’t involved. All you have to do is say, “Ahh, see? Put in a Wolf and get out a Chihuahua. Isn’t the Lord glorious in His divinity!” and suddenly it’s back to creationism. In short, I’m wasting my time writing this, because only those who agree with me will continue to agree with me, and those who don’t will decide that I’m just one of God’s tests…
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THIS IS ALL A BUNCH OF CRAP. NOODLES WANT EVEN AROUND THAT LONG AGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Well I’m from the UK and where do i sign up to join the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster this is my kinda people.
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Aaron (#3372): If, as you believe,
1. There was a Creator with a plan
2. His design was to create man in his image
3. Only micro-level evolution is possible
Why then were BILLIONS of years* wasted in the formation of our planet?
Why not design the earth immediately for man and produce him?
What’s up with dinosaurs and other dead-end species?
Why do you and other ID proponents say certain organisms or specific parts are
too complex to evolve, given billions of years and trillions of trials? Because you
don’t have the scientific intellect to understand it, or because you already have an
answer in mind, to the exclusion to all else?
That last point is the primary reason for not allowing ID. Science observes and tests to
objectively come up with answers. ID is backwards: It has the answer it wants carved
in stone, and rejects any facts (like – all!) that contradicts it.
* Of course, you may believe the Earth is only a few thousand years old, in which
case you’re so far removed from logic that any debate with you is pointless.
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I just googled fsm to find out what the acronym meant in a work context – very glad I did! Thank you for enlivening my afternoon!
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# 3377 – Mal Blackshaw
“where do i sign up to join the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster”
Right here…you just signed up…assuming you dipped your fingers in pasta sauce prior to typing?
*passes the rum keg and a cutlass to Mal*
Welcome
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you are all crazy…..
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@3372 Intelligent Design (theory…lol) doesnt teach a damn thing. ID is a load of horsecrap, all dressed up to pretend to be science. ID is dead sir. Never had a chance. It has been dissected and destroyed by the good guys a long time ago. You are stuck living in the past, and in a little daydream bubble to boot. Try soaking up some real science at Talkorigins.org. When you get yourself an education in reality, come back and try again.
Your last sentence and I quote: “The best and most relevant “religions” are ones that can back up their own statements.”…alludes to some sort of evidence. I dont suppose you have any to present..do you? If you do, please enlighten us. Oh…the buy bull doesnt get entered as evidence!
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Found this site today. LOVE IT!!!!
The open letter is fantastic and the Kansas School Board responses……are very interesting.
You have a new convert as of today. Yarg….
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Hahhaha this was awesome, but now there are more pirates so..
i believe that we should teach the theory that an omnipresent but limited god exists who set the universe into motion but now can’t do anything. In practice this is no different than if no god exist…….hmmm
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I love you.
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@ – Jassmine – #3383,
Welcome aboard. May the sauce be with you.
RAmen
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I think you are amazing. I’ve been praising the Noodle Lord, but now that I’ve found your site I realize that the Noodle Lord is really the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Thank you for setting me stright on my Noodle God’s name.
P.S. I’ve noticed that about 70% of the hate mail recieved are from christans who just can’t get along with other REAL religions.
Flying Spaghetti Monster bless us Pirates.
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I love the hate mail section of the website. It only shows how rabid organized religions and their followers have become. And their lack of a sense of humor. Pastafarianism all the way!!!!
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Let’s take Aaron’s (##3372) statement “The best and most relevant (sic) “religions” are ones that can back up their own statements.”… and examine it a little closer.
I’ll assume you’re a Christian, Aaron, so let’s see you back up the statement that Jesus was divine. Hell, let’s see you prove Christ ever EXISTED!
Now, I know that there was no mass media back then (apparently God f@cked up here – nowadays he could preempt the networks) but there were many historians who chronicled the lives and special occurrences of the famous AND the not-so-famous. Also, the Romans kept scrupulous records of crimanal offences and punishments.
So how is it that a man who preached the Sermon on the Mount to THOUSANDS, who raised the dead – among other miracles, who was given such a horrific execution, is given NO mention by any historian of his day? NONE. Weird, huh?
Yes, some Christians will point to Josephus, but it is well known that references to Jesus were added to his writings hundreds of years later. They will also point to the BuyBull, but let’s face it: that mishmash of reedited plagarized fables is the sales brouchure for Christianity. There’s plenty of inaccuracies and forgeries in it.
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Mmm… spaghetti! Long live the all-mighty dinner-for-two… or… one in my case. But, anywho, FSM has truly enlightened me and now I shall become the ultimate pastafarian master of Spaghetti-Fu! Muhahahahahahahaaa!!!
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Man, you white people will do anything to get back in the spotlight. Now that Obama is in the White House, you all realize its not cool to be white anymore. Bottom line is….there is only one true god and creater of all….and that is GOD.
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Hahaha sure smiley, if you say so! You are sooooo cool, i wish i was black, imagine all the things i could if only i was black! Hahaha. And obama is pretty much white, he acts white, he talks white, he is white! Hahaha! But the flying spaghetti monster still loves you dumb dumb!
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First and for most Jesus himself existed. there are historical documents on him and even his disciples claimed everything he did was real. Also the most trusted book here to date the holy bible tells of Jesus life. Where is Jesus body gone because he resurrected Duh! If you believe he didn’t prove it!
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The Flying Spaghetti Monster has enlightened my mind and soul. He also has very cool website. Go Pastafarians! =D
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