Comment on the Open Letter

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

2352 Responses to “Comment on the Open Letter”

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2221 - May 20th, 2008 at 2:01 pm - Meryn. Says:

Amazing, someone has the balls to stand up to the dominating christian religions, It’s a shame that more people wont do this and that atheists will continue to be treated as second class citizens.

I hope that you have the best of luck, It was a great idea.
2222 - May 21st, 2008 at 2:12 am - Anne Bonny Says:

I love reading that letter. it is very witty and completely sums up what The Church of the FSM is all about. what’s more, Its an excuse for me wearing pirate boots and a sash around my waist to school.
teacher: that is not school uniform, please wear the correct uniform tomorrow.
me: no can do, Its a religious thing.
2223 - May 23rd, 2008 at 9:10 am - Benny The Ball Says:

I am of the belief that the Open Letter is an exceptional piece of literature. It balances satire and seriousness perfectly. Hopefully the readership of this letter will continue to grow and make followers of other faiths not renounce but just question their beliefs. If just a few people do this then important questions will start to be raised about the church and why worshippers are told to live the way they do. I personally am of the belief that a world without religion is likely to be a bad thing. Otherwise, the concept of religion would not have been thought up and then created (by men). However, it is equally bad for people to blindly follow their faith and their teachings believing them to be ‘the word of God’. This can only lead to war, death and destruction. Hopefully, the letter to the Kansas Board will go some way in bringing this about. What would the problem be for people to admit that what they believe in is clearly nonsense but if they did not believe in it the world would be a worse place? This is how I interpret FSM and long may it continue.
2224 - May 23rd, 2008 at 12:12 pm - nathan tonge Says:

I recently became a loyal follower of the flying spaghetti monster and am loveing it. For some strange reason jesus, the bible, and god never made any sense to me and then when I hear about a spaghetti god it all seams so true the pirates, the the FSM and the creation of us all!!! just one thing how do I pray to him?
2225 - May 23rd, 2008 at 12:18 pm - nathan tonge Says:

i forgot to ask, in this religion is eating spaghetti a sin cuz its like eating our god
2226 - May 23rd, 2008 at 5:58 pm - gerbear Says:

Pastafarians……….
DYING HERE.

That’s all.
just…cannot…breath!!!!
2227 - May 23rd, 2008 at 8:39 pm - Dennis Says:

Fantastic! I laughed until I cried and coudn’t breathe! Bravo!
2228 - May 23rd, 2008 at 10:30 pm - The Sackless Monkey Says:

why do you demand to have schools teach the gospel of flying spaghetti monster along side the theory of evolution and the theory of intelligent design. i don’t see a third theory here but instead just a claim of who the intelligent designer is which of course is just a part of the theory of intelligent design. i think you need to identify what theory FSM falls under and fight for its rights under that theory instead of it being singled out and taught as something separate. it would be better to produce a different theory such as the theory of unintelligent design which claims the unintelligent designer is the FSM if you wish to seek equal support along side the other two theories
2229 - May 25th, 2008 at 8:09 pm - son of the ugly one Says:

I love this site,
.it is interesting to see who has a sence of humor in the entire thing. I have discussed the church with both of my sons and the response has been to Pass the Parmisan.
2230 - May 28th, 2008 at 5:43 am - well, lets say im trevor Says:

well, having read your letter, i have to agree that your theory is atleast as good if not better than intelligent design, the main reason is the fact we have to wear pirate costumes to teach it.
2231 - May 28th, 2008 at 12:58 pm - Dries Says:

I love this. FSM all the way.

This is just a brilliant way of making fun of religion and the people who follow it. The christians are using the same arguments against FSM that atheists use against christianity.
“No, there’s no way to proove that something doesn’t exist. But it totally doesn’t fit in nature laws, and besides, it’s just plain ridiculous. Why would you believe something that far-fetched, while you never got any indication it is true, but only the words of a few madmans?”

In fact, religion is just plain nonsense, created and followed by the weaker of the humans. It disgusts me to see so many people fool themselves for all their life.

RAmen!
2232 - May 28th, 2008 at 2:38 pm - Michael Firewalker Says:

detest arguing…detest religion…love Jesus…there’s room for all in love and spaghetti…

peace,
michaelfirewalker
2233 - May 28th, 2008 at 6:20 pm - Toni Maher Says:

As one who was raised in a non-religious household, but was taught in a “non-denominational” four-square pentecostal school (there weren’t many options available for higher education in my one horse town of origin) I not only “get” what you were trying to convey, I must proclaim it to be genius.
I battled my own wills when it came to religion, feeling in my heart that everything being fed to me was B.S., all the while fearing that their teachings were truth and I was shortly to be condemned to hell. (Mind you, this all began during my early junior high years.) My questions were not only scorned by many of the school’s teaching staff (”Why does god refer to himself as “Us” in the first few chapters of Genesis?” “Why were Adam and Eve even given a choice with the Tree of Knowledge? If god is all-knowing, wouldn’t he foresee their disobedience?” etc., etc.) they eventually were used as grounds for my expulsion from the school halfway through my sophmore year. I thought for years perhaps there was a higher being, but was unsure of exactly which higher being that was. I studied many different religions throughout my junior high/high school years, but never quite found one that answered every question I had.
Once my mid-20’s came around I finally bit the bullet and admitted to myself that I had no faith, and for the first time felt no guilt for doing so. I was, however, pummelled by as many religious fanatics as could seem to find me. (Wanna talk numbers? Wow!) I love religious debates, but each of these discussions quickly seemed to escalate from quiet beliefs passed back and forth to full-scale attacks from the other side trying to beat me into submission. These battles never seemed to go anywhere, and I became tired of the double-standard of acceptance that they seemed eager to force into my mental space.
As the years continue, I realize more and more how important the separation of church and state really is to the overall well-being of our country. We are a melting pot of cultures, beliefs and practices, and to try and force any one group to conform to the other is pure maddness. Your letter (as well as the tidal wave of actions that have since ensued) brought humor to an already hilarious situation. Keep up the great work, and I’ll keep watching with my smug smile of self-satisfaction. :)
2234 - May 31st, 2008 at 11:20 am - Bjarke DK Says:

This sounds like a great religion, you obviously have much more proof than those “christians”. I especially love your graph.
2235 - May 31st, 2008 at 2:32 pm - Tony S Says:

Are you suing schools yet? I have not heard any mention of FSM ‘faith’ being taught next to intelligent design.
2236 - June 2nd, 2008 at 8:50 am - Pravesh Kothari Says:

I hope people like you are able to save America. Loved it.
2237 - June 4th, 2008 at 6:15 pm - Paige Says:

Thank you so much for standing up for your/our beliefs! I believe in evolution, but the concept of the FSM is growing on me! I am psyched about FSM and Pastafarians, and I will hopefully be able to buy a shirt soon! Pravesh Kothari is totally right about the fact that people like you should save America.
2238 - June 6th, 2008 at 9:05 am - Luke Says:

Nice. I’m in no way against any religion, but it being taught in school as a science is ludicrous. If christianity *cough* creationsim is taught, then teach this too with equal bearing, and what about teaching other religions. They say creationism isn’t religion, they need to get a life and stop shoving their religion down our throats. They are in every way entitled to their religion BUT IT HAS NO PLACE IN SCHOOLS. CREATIONSIM IS NOT A SCIENCE!!!!

This site is great, and I think it was about time someone stood up to the horrible things boards are pushing on children. We are entitled to chose our religious standing. Thankyou once again. This is a great cause. You have as much scientific evidence as creationism.
2239 - June 6th, 2008 at 11:37 pm - Jesus N. Says:

Since I realized I’m the only Mexican visiting the page today I felt obliged to comment… something… anything… let me see…. I know! it’s a revelation; I’ll open a chapter of His Noodliness Church here in Villahermosa, Tabasco, MX thus helping to convey His holy and delicious message to every person in Tabasco. I just hope the inquisition doesn’t spot me right away cuz’ I’m kind of allergic to being burned on a stake… Well cheers and let’s hope it all goes well. May His Goodness be with us all. Ramen.

p.s. my name is really Jesus I didn’t make it up

p.p.s. there’s an evangelic marathon going on this week gathering thousands of people every day, (and surely thousands of pesos) do you think that’s a good place to start my noodly preaching? or am I possessed by a devil and have a death wish as I’ve been told?

The Force be with you.
2240 - June 7th, 2008 at 12:07 pm - Xeneizes Says:

Hack again?!

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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