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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21 - September 15th, 2006 at 4:33 pm - Windcoarse Says:

You are truly a brilliant man, and a king amongst prophets. However, I am currently distressed. I am currently a pastafarian, however my wife is catholic. I’ve agreed to have our child baptized, so long as it is done in meatsauce and the service is performed by Johnny Depp in full regalia. Is that particularly blasphemous? Will our great lord forgive me this trespassing? Should I avoid having this done in a church so as not to offend the FSM? I was also wondering which the FSM prefers, Del Monte, or Newman’s Own? I don’t wish to offend him, or ruin the baptism. If it doesn’t make a difference, I prefer Newman’s myself. I look forward to your response wise and venerable leader.
22 - September 15th, 2006 at 8:11 pm - Cecilia Says:

this is a joke, right?
23 - September 15th, 2006 at 8:58 pm - The Gooeld Says:

I believe the baptism is kosher (yes, the religious cross is intentional), but the ceremony must be performed on a pirate ship…in full regalia, in order to not offend His Noodly Greatness.
Ramen
24 - September 15th, 2006 at 10:30 pm - Pennhigh Says:

Hello All!

I was just wanting to offer to you all a couple of books that I believe would be very helpful and insightful, because it seems that not many people taking part in this page have done any REAL research. I am truly not trying to be offensive in any way. I have a lot of compassion for people who have not really delved into the facts deep enough, and so are confused. These books are:

“Answers to Tough Questions: Skeptics ask about the Christian Faith” (By: Josh McDowell and Don Stewart)

(And/Or “Evidence That Demands a Verdict” (By Josh McDowell)

and “Who is This Jesus, Is He Risen?: Examining the Truth About Jesus” (By: D. James Kennedy, Ph.D. with Jerry Newcombe) — which can be gotten from: Coral Ridge Ministries
P.O. Box 40
Fort Lauderdale, Fl
33302

I truly hope, because I really care about each individual, that you all will really read these books…because I know it will be difficult to even pick one of them up due to lack of desire to find the real truth — and maybe even due to fear of finding the real truth (for some people). There have been prominent men who have delved into the research to the greatest extents in order to get all the facts — only to find out who Jesus really is, that he really lived, and that he really rose again — and those men who were determined to tear down the Christian faith ended up developing an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ instead.

What I am saying here, is that these facts definitely make it something to at least seriously look in to. I am not talking about a superficial glance that is guarded by many preconceived notions from the GetGo…I am talking about an actual intellectual LookSee.

In conclusion, may God’s blessing be with each and every one of you…including the misguided “Christians” whom I saw left comments on this page before..I am sure some of you really meant well, but it is not the true way of Christ.

The real important thing is to find out who Christ REALLY is, but if you want to..in the meantime.. check out answersingenesis.org.

Love to all of my brothers and sisters in Christ.
25 - September 15th, 2006 at 11:12 pm - Morat Says:

I certainly do not wish to offend you, Pennhigh, but you seem to misunderstand something. The Flying Spaghetti Monster (bless his noodly apendage), created everything around us. I do not think that your’ fictional messiah is of any real benefit to the people on this site and frankly your attempts to convert are bordering on the offensive.

Now I’m a fairly tolerant person, but to be brutally honest the sado-masochistic imagery of your god-child nailed to a plank, whilst mildly arousing, is not really enough to pull the followers of the one true god to your den of lies. If I believed in a “hell”, as you carpenty enthusiasts put it, I would condemn you to burn in it for eternity for your lies.

Ask yourself, Pennhigh - if that is indeed your real name and not merely another deceipt - what kind of god does not place pirates above all others? There work to combat environmental damage clearly denotes a level of understanding of his noodliness above all others. To think otherwise is both outrageous and absurb.

I call shennanigans on this one, Pennhigh and I think you should take your so called god and stick it in your sanctimonious bumhole.
26 - September 16th, 2006 at 12:02 am - Grendel_Kane Says:

Speaking as someone who is from Kansas and also as a person who has faith(although not sure in what)I find your letter clever, well written, and thought provoking.
I will point out, however, that just earlier this year in Pennsylvania a case was brought before Federal court in which several parents were outraged at a school who handed out pamphlets about so-called “intelligent design theory” and filed suit against the school and school board. The FEDERAL court ruled in favor of the parents saying that the “theory” of “intelligent design” was based soley on faith and not on scientific evidence and therefore could not be taught in a school by reason of the separation of church and state amendments laid down in the UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.
Matters of Faith are just that and have their place….in a house of faith(cathedral, sinigogue, church, temple). That place is NOT the science classroom. Science is an institution based on FACT. Faith is an institution based on THEOLOGY. Newton’s faith did not make an apple all on his head. Einstein’s faith did not help him come up with relativity. The space station was not built on faith. I know what you are thinking now “God made the apple fall!” or “Christ gave Einstein the theory of relativity.” To that I say that I feel sorry for you. You have so blindly fallen into your faith that there will be no doubt in your mind that you are right. You will pick my response here apart pointing out all of my logical flaws and hypocracy. To that I say… WARS have begun for less than that. FACT is one of the most bloodiest wars was fought over faith(The Crusades). FACT is some believe we are fighting a war like that one now(on terrorism).
My closing argument is this: The Theory of Evolution has behind it many proven facts. The Theory of Intelligent Design has behind it religious dogma and faith. Looking at that reasoning as the judge in Pennsylvania did my view becomes clear.

KEEP YOUR INTELLIGENT DESIGN AND YOUR FAITH OUT OF THE SCHOOLS AND IN THE CHURCH WHERE IT BELONGS.
LEAVE THE SCIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM AND THE LAB.

Or maybe we should just not teach anything at all and be dumber for it.
27 - September 16th, 2006 at 8:26 am - EvanR Says:

RAmen.
28 - September 16th, 2006 at 10:23 am - Stevekun Says:

I must say, even though I don’t trully believe in your religion, I can point out it’s more “logical” (there’s no such word to express what I mean to say) than most religions, even more than Christianism. Why do I say this? Because it DOESN’T STATES THAT IT’S GOD IS THE ONLY UNIQUE ONE AND THAT OTHERS SUCK, it leaves place to chances. And I love chances. Thanks, I’m a maths addict. Anyhow, to any christian guy out there, I’ll love to say this on your faces, but as you can see, I’m pretty much limited: How can you asure the Christian or whatever religion’s God is the real one? How can you be called by Him taking into account YOU said you CANNOT prove it exists, and It is only fed up by your unfinishing faith?

PD= I’d laugh if a christian said God talked to Him and tomorrow the Flying Spagetti Monster appears in the TV saying It is the only God out there. Really, I’d make a book about that.

Ramen.
29 - September 16th, 2006 at 11:22 am - crocodile Says:

Hi all
i’m really happy to see how the tolerance full fill the mind of the Cristhians ;-).
That’s the problem with faith, it is not possible to build a discussion around faith, it as to be accepted as is. And the need of peoples having faith to save (or burn) the others that does not, could be the problem.
30 - September 16th, 2006 at 11:24 am - crocodile Says:

ADD FAITH AND ECONOMIC INTEREST AND YOU’LL GET A DANGEROUS MIX
31 - September 16th, 2006 at 12:47 pm - anastis Says:

In response to Brianna’s post: “Iâ€™m fairly certain that you donâ€™t yourself believe we were created by a flying Spaghetti Monster (considering both spaghetti and the idea of monsters are both products of manâ€™s creativity and imagination),”.

Considering what you said, the idea of gods are too products (or byproducts I might say) of the man’s creativity and imagination. Furthermore, I don’t see a reason in your thoughts not to believe that noodles and monsters pre-existed humanity, and as all gods, were found and worshiped at some point onwards in the human history. Manifestations of early noodly appendages date back to B.C. 5000, providing proof that the FSM is the first and only real god, pre-dating yours and most others’ gods.

Also, His noodly divinity keeps us FSM believers united in a single, monolithic, and true body of religion, in contrast with virtually all other religions which at least once in their history have experiences a schism and formed other branches. Christianity alone (just a random example) has over 700 branches, all having contradicting beliefs, even contradicting the role of Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, my point is, you create religions on what you want and suits you to believe, whereas we base our beliefs on what is true and what’s not. It was our choice to believe in His noodly appendage, and you’ll never see some of us believing in Flying Tagliatelle/Pappardelle/Fettuccine Monsters.
32 - September 16th, 2006 at 4:02 pm - Voice of Reason Says:

In a word - FABULOUS!! I bow down to you and your (and now mine as well) god - the Flying Spaghetti Monster. May the sauce be with you…
33 - September 16th, 2006 at 6:46 pm - Steve Says:

Yeah, everyone keep mocking. Enjoy yourself while you can. Laugh with your father Satan. You poor, poor people; you have no idea.
34 - September 16th, 2006 at 6:58 pm - Nick Says:

I heart you….

but it all makes sense now!

why else would every culture dig pasta and noodly-ness?
why else would sphagetti and meatballs be so damn tasty?
why aren’t I having sphagetti for dinner?!

I’m spreading the word! my friends, my co-workers, my boyfriend!

all will worship his graceful noodlyness!!
…
…
…
is it blasphemy to say god bless the flying sphagetti monster?
35 - September 16th, 2006 at 9:10 pm - Justin Case Says:

Personally I think it is really weird how you people think that the universe was really created by the Flying Spaghetti Monster just because in the Gopspel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster it says that the Flying Spaghetti Monster created everything! Just because there is a book that says that he created everything does not mean that it is true!

See, God really created the universe. I have proof! It SAYS SO in the Bible. So it must be true. Get it?
36 - September 16th, 2006 at 9:52 pm - John Says:

I just wanted to be the first to comment today.
May the FSM bless all who believe.
Ramen
37 - September 16th, 2006 at 11:06 pm - Tabitha Says:

At last I find the one place where my affirmations of faith are truly held in esteem.
Thou art my god Flying Spaghetti Monster, and mayst His Noodly Appendage guide me.
RAmen
38 - September 17th, 2006 at 6:26 am - Geona Says:

I’m an American who’s been living in Spain for 7 years and I’ve only just heard of your site/religion. Though parody is often taken only at face value as comic relief, the serious arguments behind your open letter are pretty close to irrefutable. What the school board is doing in Kansas is a travesty, and spells red-level danger. Actually, whether life was put into motion by a Christian, Jewish or Islamic God, Greek gods, the Spaghetti Monster or chance subatomic processes is irrelevant to the issue at hand. What Kansas board members and perhaps most Kansas residents and perhaps too damn many Americans fail to realize, is that THEY LIVE IN A WORLD, not only in Kansas or the US. Teaching children Intelligent Design is underpreparing them for that world, handicapping them. It’s like taking little Johnny aside before he runs out onto the baseball diamond and spooning his eyes out and beating one of his legs into disuse, justifying your actions with a claim of worldwide prejudice against the blind and crippled. The world is shrinking. As adults, children now growing up in Kansas will have to meet, work and reason with children now growing up in New York, and quite possibly London, Paris, or Cairo. Do we really want to skew their general knowledge, and worse, store their distorted perceptions of the world in the deepest parts of them, where belief resides? Here’s a cold fact. Europeans hate us. Yes, part of it comes from old grudges, nationalism, yearning for the days when their countries were number one or two, sheer jealousy of our wealth, scope and influence. But that hate is also based on what they see and hear. It is based on their much more modern and civilized worldview, much more humanistic morality. For example, how dare Bush even mention God and Iraq in the same sentence? And here’s what really scares them: HOW COULD THERE REALLY BE AMERICANS WHO SWALLOW THAT HOGWASH? Children growing up on Intelligent Design will not only swallow it, they’ll relish it, ask for more. And when it’s their turn, when they have their fingers on the world’s red buttons, they’ll spew it. Look out, world. America is preparing its ignorant minions, and they shall fall upon thee.
39 - September 17th, 2006 at 2:36 pm - Austin Says:

All hail his noodly appendage.

I am a proud pastafarian, and so are all my friends. I would never talk to someone who was so stupid to believe in all of the fake religions out there -cough-.

ALL HAIL FSM!~
40 - September 17th, 2006 at 8:15 pm - Tate Says:

i have spoke to the allmighty fsm and it said with a booming voice send me 14.95 and i will heal you,forgive you of all your wrong doings plus a free one of a kind bleesed tee shirt .

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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