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
@3498 Drace
How about a cross between Peter Pan and Captain Hook pantomime costumes.
This is just my suggestion:
Black shiny shoes with a decent heel and BIG shiny silver buckle. Stockings or tights, colour of your choice. Black pleated mini skirt or something like the Elizabethan male hose (don’t know the right name, but you see men wearing some sort of wierd inflated skirt type thing around the waist and below in old painitngs). Big shiny black belt and shiny silver buckle with curvy cutless hanging from it (just for effect, never to be used) and frilly white shirt. Lots of OTT silver and pearl jewelry, particularly earings.
In case pantomime is unknow outside UK, it’s staged generally for children at Xmas time and involves well known actors and actresses doing lots of cross dressing. E.g. Peter Pan must always be played by a woman. Cinderlla’s ugly sisters are always played by men, Widow Twanky is always played by a man and Aladin by a woman, etc…
Think Adam Ant (early 80s pop) with tights and heels.
Just my suggestion, but as we’re Pastafarians, you do whatever you like, just look Piratey… :-)
Rahmen.
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I tried to add black pepper to my spaghetti yesterday and they start to sneeze. Is that evidence?
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@Lisa the Pirate:
Photo, please.
:P
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@Lisa…
well, ok…
“…started to sneeze” ;)
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rofl!!!!! ALL HAIL THE FLYING SPAGETTI MONSTER!AND ALL HAIL THE FLYING RAMEN MONSTER OF ASIA!
rahmen! lmao
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@ 3495 – Tanya Jane -,
Tanya,
Please do come back and be with us for a while. As it has been said, “Come now, and let us reason together…” Isa 1:18. We need to talk about the needs that have driven you to so lucidly express yourself on our website. We mean no harm to you or to anybody else. We are directed to be calm, and gentle, and accepting of your dilemma, and we will try to help calm your fears and uncertainties.
Where do you get the idea that “Jesus Christ is the creator”? If it’s from your mis-translated and often mis-quoted book rewritten in 1611, I believe that the creator is אלהים. If I’m wrong, please explain my mistake, using the proper Hebrew of the original.
Please read the comment of Southern Ptarmigan (tenth down in the comments section). Here is a Christian Evangelist who is well educated and has this entire issue in perspective:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=letters-may-2009&sc=DD_20090508
I suspect that you believe whatever it is that you do believe in because it is what your parents believe:
http://www.sciam.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=why-people-believe-what-they-do-09-04-10&sc=DD_20090413
Since you seem to be so sure that we’re all lacking, and that you’re not, you may be stuck in the Authoritarian mold:
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/
RAmen
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@ 3498 – draca -,
Welcome aboard, and may the sauce be with you. If you go to the home page and scroll back through many previous entries covering FSM sightings, you will find examples of pirate wenches properly attired. A web search of “Female Pirates” will get you lots of references to historical and fictional female pirates and references to pirate costumes; those go from the real to the frivolous, and the choice is yours.
RAmen
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i’m a christian and i believe in god and SOME elements of creationism, but even i admit, some of the stuff in the bible is a little far fetched. i also believe in evolution. you can’t debate facts. this website is genius! regardless of what i believe, it shouldn’t be forced down other people’s throats. i know some christians who would raise hell if the creation beliefs of another religion were taught in school. I LOVE THE SM!!! i’m ordering the shirt lol. happy to be a follower =]
RAMEN~
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I’d just like to quote a fourth grader named Stan from a little show called South Park:
“Couldn’t evolution be the answer to how and not the answer to why?”
That is all.
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What about such things like “works” and “not works” and “works for what”.
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I hope that FSM is not against our researches of new flavors of ketchup
and other noodle products.
What if Creationism is not only about the origin of the things.
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In response to Mixed, may I offer Sriracha, or Cock Sauce. Sriracha is, in essence, spicy ketchup (chili sauce) used to flavor asian noodle dishes (or anything you can put it on). I have found nothing that is not improved by it’s addition, including pickles, icecream, especially scrambled eggs (cook em with some sauce in there, ahhhhhh), and when added to a traditional marinara, it is THE SHIT. You can get it at International stores and Winco, if they have them wherever you habitate. It comes in a big red bottle with a crowing rooster, hence cock sauce.
RAmen
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BRILLIANT! I AM CONVINCED
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Gavin, I appreciate your idea. Unfortunately the natural habitat of the ingredients we plan to use here are attics and garages and the International stores are not useful in the case but that’s not a problem because a lot of attics may have more corners than one big store.
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this is the most amazing thing i have ever seen. it’s just all kinds of wonderful!! thank god there are people in the world who have recognized the insanity of religion. i love the flying spaghetti monster!!
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA
creeeeeps(:
I dont believe spaghetti created the universe, i do however
believe it tastes very wonderful! YUMMMMM!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA
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@ 3508 – josh
Hey Josh, sounds like you need an electric monk. Let him believe all those conflicting things you believe!!!
You can then eat your pasta in peace, knowing that your electric monk can believe far more conflicting ideas without effort, than any human!
Rahmen!
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i cannot stress how amazing you are for creating this.
seriously.
I LOVE YOU!
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I am a bit torn here: I wish to seek the house of the FSM. However, I was diagnosed with Celiac about a year ago. For those without the skills of a google search, it means that I will become very ill if I eat gluten. With that as my reality, does that mean the the FSM does not live inside me – thus I am not blessed in his light? Why must I be forsaken?!
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You are my hero!!!! Often I have fights with christian fundamentalists about God and how illogical the idea is, but never before could I really put that into perspective for them as to why their beliefs are absurd. As soon as I saw this letter, I fell in love! Thanks for being brilliant!!!!
RAmen
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Haha duude this is hilarious. U r a very smart guy haha loved the open letter. Im glad to say I am a proud pastafarian now!
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If the inverse relationship between the number of pirates and global warming is valid, has the alarming increase in piracy in East African waters had any noticable effect on this trend? If more of us became pirates, would this induce a cooling effect?
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Ahhh! I bask in the glory of open mindedness and carbohydrates!
Probably one of the few intelligent / funny things I have read in a long while.
Ramen!
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@ Alec 3519
No worries – you have not been forsaken! The FSM encourages us to experiment and find the dishes that are right for us – vegans are free to abstain from the meatballs (or replace them with soy-based products if they wish), and the FSM welcomes you to partake of gluten-free pasta dishes or simply add a piratical touch to your usual fare (I recommend singing a rousing sea shanty while cooking). RAmen, and welcome aboard!
-Sarah
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@ 3519 – Alec – ,
Alec, the holy meal is to be eaten in the spirit of joy and tolerance, and to that end it is perfectly acceptable to use vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, or other modification as medically or philosophically necessary. I have said previously that I like to have my meal with a glass of Pinot Noir. It is even more acceptable to the FSM if you share your meal with one who is poor or hungry.
Welcome aboard; may the sauce be with you.
RAmen
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@ 3516 – Tanya Jane -,
We all agree with you that spaghetti and sauce taste wonderful. As I just mentioned to Alec, The FSM is most pleased when you share your repast with the poor or hungry.
I am still most interested in your answer to my question to you in # 3506. How do religious ideas permeate the brains of otherwise rational people?
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=religious-ideas-burrow-in-brains&SID=mail&sc=emailfriend
RAmen
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I have some concerns. I have a sailboat, I have a stripped shirt and a dog named Skipper. After looking at your website, I am feeling all-religeousy. Am I supposed to get down on my knees? Probably a dumb question – sorry, I used to be Catholic. My concerns: I already had feelings of Piratism before I saw your website, does this make me some kind of Prophet? A Pirate Prophet? The really strange thing though, whilst sailing one fine day, a cloud, just a single cloud – appeared in the sky. The cloud was white, fluffy and kind of cloud-like. Now that I’ve seen your drawings, I now know that the cloud was in fact a sign from the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Same shape, same color sort off. And, now that several years have passed, my memory has a certain maleable quality that allows me to believe that there were little stringy parts and meatbally thingys that for sure, must most certainly be a sign from He.
Now that I’m a true believing Pirate Prophet guy, can I sent you my money? Is it okay to eat spaghetti? Is it a sin to make home-made pasta? As a lapsed Catholic I’m very afraid of the whole graven image thing.
So many questions. If I eat spaghetti (I won’t until I hear from you) and then poop, am I supposed to perform some kind of ceremony over the toilet before I flush? I’ve eaten a lot of spaghetti, I hope I’m not in trouble with He.
Main thing, is it okay if I tell people I’m a prophet? Do I get to wear a special hat? Will women have to start being nice to me now?
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Bred Flink, you have the most profound questions and statements in this cerebral exchange! I wish to believe in FSM when your questions have been answered especially the last one! LOL
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Bred: You can wear pretty much any hat you want. A talking pirate parrot is also recomended, for they are the vessels for the FSM divine wisdom.
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@Bred Flink #3527
Answers to your questions in the order asked are:
No. No. Still No. Yes. Yes. No. No. Yes, but still incorrect. Yes. No.
RAmen
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I have read your letter and have found some things that i believe are wrong and some things i know are wrong. TFSM you belive created the universe just like i believed mine did.(similarity 1) You believe that your religion is fact and our religions and gods dont exist it is called faith. The Kansas school board are not allowed by law to preach,talk about yes preach no. This is why they declined your offer seeing it as a cult which is why they cannot teach about TFSM. …………….
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Fuck this shit
your relgion is a farce, as a member of the british armed forces i have seen people die and many of my friends have been injured and killed the latter of wich my best friend was kill a couple of weeks back and he would have been disgusted with the your veiws on faith. your sick in your money making ways. oh and for the record im an atheist and have faith that there is anything when we die. but this your opinion and its sick
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yoyoman…
First, seriously? SATIRE! IT IS FUCKING SATIRE!
Second, why is your faith better than ours? Because more people believe it? Well, a majority of people thought that the world was flat. Were they right? A majority of people also believed that the Earth was the center of the universe. The church actually punished people who didn’t believe that. They were wrong. Stands to reason that they could be wrong about a lot of other things.
If you have an argument to make then make it with facts instead of throwing around words like faith and cult. Just so you know, the bible does not count as a factual source. You can’t prove your god any more than we can prove ours. That is kind of the point…
My patience is running thin with people like you…
In Peace and Sauciness,
D&WC
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OMG that is so awesome. im totally converting all hail the frying spaggeti monster
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Wow. That just about sums it up, Kansas. And to think that all this time, I just assumed that MS or my home state of AR would be the bass ackwards crew that would go in this direction. Thanks for making us feel just a little smarter.
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WOTS WIFF ALLA THIS LARRD AN’ LADY HIGH TIPE TAWK !
Et be hodARRRRRR thin hell owt ‘ere abord shippe !
Enuff ove alla this ‘ere seryruss an hate stuff an gib us an ARGH !
All togeddarr now !
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!
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@Lance Corporal Harris
Sorry to hear about your friend. There are many military people who are members of our church, some active – one I know of who just recently returned from his second tour in Iraq, andother is a Vietnam veteran, many others who have served and who are serving in the US military, the UK military, and others. One of the things the so-called war on terror is supposed to be fighting for is freedom of religion. You wonder why some atheists have a nasty attitude towards major religions – read your post and see if you can tell me why. No one has any right to be disgusted with anyone else’s views on faith until that person tries to force their views on others. At that point, the proselytizer loses any right to respect for his views, since he has discarded all respect for the views of others. Freedom of religion includes freedom from persecution. It also includes freedom FROM religion. If you actually read the letter, perhaps you’ll see that the whole point of Pastafarianism is to keep so-called “intelligent design” out of science classes. Nothing in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is meant to cast aspersions on other religions. When we are attacked, we defend ourselves vigorously, but if you read the eight I’d Rather You Didn’ts, you’ll find that ours is a most tolerant creed.
And for the record, we don’t make any money. If you want to be angry at a religion for making money, there are plenty to choose from, but you won’t see any Pastafarian televangelists coaxing Grandma into sending her Social Security check along.
Thank you for serving in the armed forces. I and the vast majority of Pastafarians truly appreciate and are grateful for the sacrifices that people like you and your friend have made and continue to make. We don’t ask for much. Just a little respect and understanding.
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washed clean i was simply stating that the school board veiws your beleifs as a relgion not fact the school boards only talk about relgions in history/social studies since your relgion is new and has nothing to do with history yet. that is why they cannot teach it in school. If our youth wishes to worship TFSM so be it that is why we have freedom of relgion.
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so.. about your graph. Theirs less than 17 pirates left in the world now?
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one question for FSMISM if spaghetti wasnt invented in italy until after marco polo came back from Asia(1000 AD something) how is your god spaghetti? and created the universe as well?
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Again completely missing the point on the satire part… Are you really that dense yoyoman? Seriously? Obviously you must be if you can’t even figure out how to spell religion.
This is more of a separation of church and state organization. One that uses humor to make the point that intelligent design should not be taught in the classroom.
However, I am sure that you still don’t get it …
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Awesome, thats all I can say, Awesome.
RAmen
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yoyoman (#3538) stated “the school board veiws your beleifs as a relgion not fact “.
The point is the majority of the Kansas school board arrogantly viewed THEIR beliefs as fact, and tried to foist it on their students as such. Bobby (pasta be upon him) Henderson merely offered another alternative to ID.
Saying our religion is too new to have anything to do with history reminds me of the salient
point a Pastafarian made about the Buybull’s supposed legitimacy merely because of its age. To paraphrase:
“In a few hundred years will the deeds of Harry Potter become real?”
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@yoyoman
Spaghetti was created in his image.
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Since the FSM can influence anything, itsn’t it obvious? It was really the FSM that told the Italians how to make pasta.
Rahmen.
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…wow…
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From COLOMBIA:
EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!
I have not words to congratulate you in this great irony my friend…
All religious stuff must be expelled from education, specially that monoteistic shit… (Chatolic, Muslim and Jew)
Good work, and nice music you share on tpb
Dracorlando
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@ yoyoman:
one question for you y r u so dum?
Dude, it’s satire. How could you possibly read this letter through and not see that?
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“how is your god spaghetti? and created the universe as well?”
Where did you get the ridiculous idea that Our God IS spaghetti??
The One True Creator is The Flying Spaghetti Monster…NOT spaghetti!
Spaghetti was created in His image. The same can be said for the morphology of our brains, intestines, blood transport networks (veins) and most importantly our DNA.
Hail to His Noodly Appendage yoyo.
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Personally, I am a protestant christian. But I did not take any offence to your letter. In fact, I thought it was kinda funny. But, after reading some of the hatemail you’ve recieved, I would like to say something to those people: HE’S USING SATIRE AND METAPHORES!!!!! He isn’t the one who is retarded or fucked up, YOU PEOPLE ARE FOR TAKING THE LETTER TOO SERIOUSLY!!!!! He is protesting the Kansas Board of Eduction for thier decision to make the teaching of Intelligent Design mandatory, as well as Biological Evolution, in public schools. He even said, “I don’t have a problem with religion. What I have a problem with is religion posing as science. If there is a god and he’s intelligent, then I would guess he has a sense of humor.” I mean, look at the article on Wikipedia, and maybe youll understand his letter for what it really is. And Mr Henderson, if my interpretation of your letter is wrong, then I sincerely appologize for putting words in your mouth.
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