845 Responses to “Book Discussion”

1. 61 - October 20th, 2006 at - faghettini Says:
   
   

   Hey Christian,

   What makes you happy is not the same thing that makes Pastafarians happy. For you, doing good deeds and being at peace with yourself makes you happy. Pastafarians delight in mocking things they don’t understand or don’t believe. They are happy to get together and mock any Christians who try to get a word in.

2. 62 - October 20th, 2006 at - Christian (no really, thats my name) Says:
   
   

   thats not really true about me, but i geuss its pretty close, so whatever. The thing about being delighted by things like that is that the joys are pretty fickle and really won’t last forever. I’m not gonna try to convert you, that’s not really my place if you don’t want to be converted, but with a Christian life you’re pretty much always happy. The only times you won’t be happy is when you forget your Christian ways and turn back to sin. That’s just how it works, don’t worry about it. Pastafarians (and it’s pretty funny to call them that, they’re really just nonreligious people acting out a joke) (and it’s a good joke, btw, I agree with the ignorance-free parts of it’s message and I respect it’s comedy) really don’t end up with a happy lifestyle. They just end up giving into temptation and not feeling bad about it because they decide not to believe it’s bad. Pretty much everyone has the desire to do that, and the reason people like this “religion” so much is because it allows them to do so. If there was a religion out there that just told you to go around and do whatever you want, then people would join it. It’s a weakness. Go for it. Have a good time. Enjoy the happiness while it lasts. But don’t lead others to follow you if they don’t understand what’s going on. It’s just not nice to them.

   And prais his noodly goodness.

   RAmen

3. 63 - October 20th, 2006 at - One Eyed Jack Says:
   
   

   faghettini,
   .
   Please speak for yourself. You do not speak for all Pastafarians.
   .
   OEJ

4. 64 - October 21st, 2006 at - J Says:
   
   

   LONG POST. REGULAR READERS WILL ALREADY HAVE HEARD ALL THESE ARGUMENTS. THEY’RE REPEATED FOR THE BENEFIT OF CHRISTIAN (NO REALLY THAT’S MY NAME)
   .
   Christian (NRTMN),
   .
   Like One Eyed Jack, I’d like to point out that we’re not all here because we just like mocking things we don’t understand. We’re also not here purely for the comedy value.
   .
   The FSM is both comedy and mockery (of a sort) but with a very serious and sensible purpose. It’s a satirical argument that points out the total inadequacy of ‘evidence’ for any theistic religion.
   .
   This sort of attack wouldn’t be necessary if people didn’t do all kinds of serious things based on their theistic beliefs. The FSM site was motivated by dangerous attempts to subvert science teaching, but we don’t have to look far to find other examples all over the world every day.
   .
   You seem to have your heart in the right place in so far as that religion seems to you to be about achieving a happy life. You’re also admirably adverse to indoctrinating us peaceful Pastafarians. Where you worry me is where you start talking about sin.
   .
   Sin is doing things that your god of choice has told you not to. You say ‘The only times you won’t be happy is when you forget your Christian ways and turn back to sin.’ Here you scare me.
   .
   When I used believe in the Christian god, I reaped great psychological rewards of happiness when I could assure myself that I was doing his will, and suffered bouts of guilt when I told myself that I had sinned against him. This isn’t mysterious or supernatural. Today, I feel guilty for being rude, for accidentally breaking someone’s expensive ornament or even for breaking the law in a way that will harm no one (like driving in a bus lane when there’s no traffic). I feel good if I buy someone a present, give my time up to help someone with a boring job, or manage to make someone smile. God is not necessary for any of this.
   .
   What worries me about your god-given ethics is the very fact that they are god-given, instead of proceeding from paying attention to the people around you. Depending on who your god is, he might cause you to object to people’s sexuality, to treat one sex as inferior to another, to demand the wearing of certain clothes, to mutilate children’s genitals, to impose the death penalty on a cartoonist, to withhold contraception from poverty-stricken families unable to cope with all their children or to make war on people with other gods. This is where we have a right to object to your claim that ‘if you have faith and believe anyway, it’s not too important what credentials you have.’ Were you to attempt to do any of the above things to me, I would be very keen to see some credentials.
   .
   Pastafarians – and atheists – can be just as happy as you. They get their happiness from doing things that will actually benefit other people. They get guilt from doing things that benefit themselves at the cost of others.
   .
   Doesn’t this seem fairer, more sensible and more satisfying than deriving happiness or guilt from following laws passed down from dubious sources, based on the presumed will of an unprovable god?
   .
   From the perspective of an outsider who will be affected by your actions, I am certain that I’d rather know that your morality is based on being nice to me rather than on following instructions from an invisible authority figure. In fact, given what some people’s invisible authority figures have managed to get them to do, I am inclined to feel that taking orders from one should be illegal.
   .
   In the course of my life so far, and in spite of some time as a serious and sincere Christian, I have yet to actually spot god anywhere. I have, on the other hand, seen a lot of people. I think they have the greater claim on my love and care.
   .
   LONG POST OVER

5. 65 - October 21st, 2006 at - Noodlelicious Says:
   
   

   Very eloquent, J. I totally agree!
   *
   And I must respectfully disagree with the assertion that Christianity leads to a happy life. I find this to be circular reasoning: If you’re a devout Christian, you should be happy to live within God’s laws, and if you’re unhappy with them, then you’re a bad Christian. This reasoning excludes any unhappy Christians by denying them a place within the group. This seems unfair and biased.
   *
   This also seems to state that if only everyone would be a good Christian, we would all be happy! This seems very unlikely to me. Life is hard and bad things happen… and althought I reluctantly admire people who are not upset by anything, I also wonder about their mental health.
   *
   Now I must go commune with my god… the water’s boiling!

6. 66 - October 21st, 2006 at - gill Says:
   
   

   “Pastafarians delight in mocking things they don’t understand or don’t believe. They are happy to get together and mock any Christians who try to get a word in.”–excuse-moi, I don’t consider myself so annoying. Stop generalizing already, yeesh.
   -
   “with a Christian life you’re pretty much always happy. The only times you won’t be happy is when you forget your Christian ways and turn back to sin.”–as has been said, being Christian is NOT the only way to be happy, nor is it a guarentee of happiness. I’m not Christian and yet am enjoying my life. Plenty of Christians have decided they were NOT happy and switched religions (as has happened in every faith.) And this sin buissnes…..it’s so black and white, it bothers me. ‘Do this and you’re ok, do that and you’re sinning’. I dunno, seems to me like different circumstances would allow the lines to blur a bit, no?

7. 67 - October 21st, 2006 at - faghettini Says:
   
   

   “–excuse-moi, I don’t consider myself so annoying. Stop generalizing already, yeesh.”
   .
   Pastafarianism IS a mockery of Christianity. That much is clear. Anyone who says it isn’t is just starting an argument for its own sake. By identifying with it, you are mocking.
   .
   I agree that Christianity is not the only way to a happy life, and Christianity doesn’t guarantee a happy life. Where I disagree is that sin should not be black and white. Anyone who says they know precisely what God’s wishes are about abortion and stem cell research and is strong enough in his/her convictions to try to make those notions into laws is a hypocrite. God, by definition, cannot be analyzed down to that kind of detail.

8. 68 - October 21st, 2006 at - gill Says:
   
   

   “Pastafarianism IS a mockery of Christianity.”–It’s a mockery of all religions, actually, including my own; Christianity is the religion most identify ID with, so it’s kinda the bases of the site, but I’m sure if Muslims were trying to teach ID in school this site’d use them instead. It’s really a mockery of *god* if you want to look at it that way. I identify with it because its cause–against the teaching of ID in science–is one I support. If the site gets its point across by mocking, so be it, but I myself don’t support it because it mocks. I support it ’cause I agree with its point.
   Plus it’s really funny. Anyone who can’t laugh at themselves once in a while needs to loosen up.
   -
   “God, by definition, cannot be analyzed down to that kind of detail. “–Agreed. That’s why I have issues with people who use the bible/god as the basis for their claims. I might use my religious beliefs as a *factor*, but if the evidence is pointing in another direction then it’d be stupid of me to ignore it. In terms of sin being black and white, I’ll use abortion: religiously, it’s a sin. Point blank, it’s a sin, no ifs ands or buts. However, I support abortion if a woman’s been raped, is in danger health-wise, so on so forth, but not if the day before the baby’s due she decides to get rid of it. Basically, there’s *always* grey areas, so just saying right-out, ‘this is wrong’, seems off to me.

9. 69 - October 21st, 2006 at - Davey Says:
   
   

   @faghettini:
   “God, by definition, cannot be analyzed down to that kind of detail.”
   .
   Hint: if it ain’t there, it’s pretty resistant to analysis.

10. 70 - October 21st, 2006 at - faghettini Says:
    
    

    @Davey:
    “Hint: if it ain’t there, it’s pretty resistant to analysis.”
    .
    That is precisely the kind of input that this discussion doesn’t need any more of.

11. 71 - October 21st, 2006 at - Marcus Marinara Says:
    
    

    “That is precisely the kind of input that this discussion doesn’t need any more of.”

    Why would you post to this website if you can’t cope with a discussion that the Christian God doesn’t exist?
    .
    Oh, and by the way, “faghettini” is an interesting choice of names. Is this meant to incite?

12. 72 - October 21st, 2006 at - faghettini Says:
    
    

    I also agree that ID should be left out of Science class, and indeed school altogether, unless the class is called “Studies in Religion”, or something to that effect. It should not be masqueraded as anything other than what it is. It is just a knee-jerk reaction to the Theory of Evolution, and most of it’s supporters haven’t thought it through. There is nothing to teach in ID. We can point out all the improbable coincidences and wonder at how fortunate we are that it all worked out so well, but we can’t legitimately make the leap to saying conclusively that God did it. Especially not in science class.

    This site started out in opposition to teaching ID in school, but then quickly evolved into a forum for Christian-bashing. But that is the internet, and that is free speech. There is no IQ requirement to get on the internet.

    I think gill’s views on abortion are pretty sound. In some cases it is right, but relying on it as another layer of birth control is a problem.

13. 73 - October 21st, 2006 at - SaucyWench Says:
    
    

    Marcus, I fully agree. Why would faghettini say that Davey’s comment is not needed in the discussion? It is precisely the kind of comment that is needed, and this forum is precisely the place for it to be said.
    RAmen

14. 74 - October 21st, 2006 at - faghettini Says:
    
    

    Hey Marcus, if you read through every “faghettini” post on this site, you will notice that I never once said that God exists. Coping with it is not the issue. Davey’s post wasn’t discussion. It was sidebar.

    As for the name, there is nothing on this page that isn’t meant to incite. I think it fits right in.

15. 75 - October 21st, 2006 at - Davey Says:
    
    

    Hey, I’m “sidebar”!
    Cool!
    (I think)

16. 76 - October 22nd, 2006 at - Duneman Says:
    
    

    Thanks One Eyed, I knew I’d find solace in the company of my fellow believers.

    Those that think being a stripper is degrading to a woman should have tagged along when my wife was making her daily deposits in the bank. I think the “victims” here are the ones that went home alone with empty wallets! And she’s looking forward to the male strippers same as Gill!

    Duneman

17. 77 - October 22nd, 2006 at - faghettini Says:
    
    

    Does your wife sleep well at night knowing that the only thing she is good for in this world is getting nekked so that lonely men can have a look at her? Is she satisfied that she has lived up to her full potential and contributed all she had to make the world a better place?

18. 78 - October 23rd, 2006 at - Rutger van Honig Says:
    
    

    I’d really like to own a nice leather bound, gold inmprinted hard cover copy with a bookmark ribbon as shown on the cover of this rather cheap looking paperback. His divine teachings are in my humble opinion too valuable to be printed on this greyish recycled toiletpaperlike material. May the publisher soon be touched by His Noodly Appendage!

19. 79 - October 23rd, 2006 at - Mark HELP Says:
    
    

    CAN SOMEONE HELP ME? i want to spread the word and i would love a pamphlet depicting Tim DuBay’s Guide to Pastafarianism, it would probably be the best. i am incredably busy but if i have to i will but it might take me a while. i do own a copy of the gospel but when i found out that it was ok for christians to pass out pamphlets on my college campus i knew this was a sign from the all mighty fsm that i must make small black & white pamphlets so that i might hand them out along side the christians. i would appreciate anyone willing to help. thank you
    mark
    bloodclot36o@aim.com

20. 80 - October 25th, 2006 at - wwfsmd? Says:
    
    

    (errr…well maybe his wife likes to get naked and enjoys the fact that she is able to make people happy?) just a thought
    RAMEN!!!!

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