Idols

[Aclor79]

How do we feel about idol worship? A friend of mine who has skill with knitting made me a little plush FSM, and I want to know if it's okay to pray towards it.

[Cardinal Fang]

As Pastafarianism has loose moral standard, I don't think there are any hard and fast rules. Go with what you like.

CF

P.S. You should get your friend to publish her knitting pattern. I might try and persuade my kitting mad sister to make me one!

[black bart]

At the moment I only have this plush Captain Pugwash to worship so I think you've made a great step forward.

[Lincoln.Alhazred]

I think that probably could be better to worship something more "realistic" like this:

[Arkaeon]

Most orthodox religious people pray "towards" something, whether it be an altar, a particular city, the four directions, some prayer beads, up or down to the sky or earth, etc. It's only idolotry if you pray "to" it as if it really was your god itself.

Since the true Noodly Appendages transcend all time-space, having a "focus item" merely allows you to concentrate your attention in the physical world to help you reach out from within yourself. This is like focusing your personal light with a microscope or telescope so you may better see what is normally beyond your reach.

PS (regarding emergencies):
If you find yourself wanting to pray because you're on a ship caught in a massive storm and you have to keep working the rigging so you don't get shipwrecked and die, then taking the time to go pray to/toward some object would be worse than idolotry -- it would be damned suicidal foolishness. Just keep doing what needs to be done and pray (silently so you can still hear orders from the captain) to Horragalles for inspiration and/or mercy. At that point, that's the only god that really matters, so any others will forgive you for it:) -- from personal experience