All of us love good food that comes in different sizes, shapes and forms. All of us (approximately) love Italian food in all sizes, shapes and forms as well. But have you ever taken a bite of that perfect Bolognese and as it melted in your mouth you just wanted to fall on your knees and worship that plate of spaghetti? Then Pastafarianism might be your life’s calling.

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That’s right folks! Pastafarianism (a portmanteau of Pasta and Rastafarianism) is apparently a faith where the deity is the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The followers of Pastafarianism wear colanders on their heads to pay homage to this deity, who, according to their “belief”, has created the whole universe. According to the Church of Flying Spaghetti Monster, the “faith” has a global following of at least 10 million people. The religion is also officially recognized by New Zealand and Poland, even though in a recent hearing of the highest court of Netherlands, the followers of Pastafarianism were denied the freedom of religion, because, get this, Pastafarianism is not even a religion to begin with!

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So, what’s the real deal of Pastafarianism you ask? Well, it all started in 2005 when a fellow named Booby Henderson, a physics graduate from Oregon State University, wrote a satirical open letter to protest the decision taken by the Kansas State Board of Education to permit teaching intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in public schools. In the letter Henderson wrote that equal time must be granted in science classrooms to teach them about the Flying Spaghetti Monster along with intelligent design. Soon after his letter got published, Henderson’s Flying Spaghetti Monster became a viral internet phenomenon and has since then become a signature argument for opposing the teaching of intelligent design in science classes of public schools.

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In 2006, Bobby Henderson went a step ahead and wrote The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, that not only described the central belief of the “religion” but also accredited pirates as the real Pastafarians. To be very honest, this religion sounds like something that Jack Sparrow would religiously follow. While the USA does not yet recognize this as a religion, in the Netherlands, Pastafarianism is an approved religion. And for the rest of the people who actually take this satire seriously, it’s hard to decide if they need the intervention of God or evolution or the best of both worlds. However, if you really wish to be a Pastafarian, go ahead and get that colander!

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