Rights for Padtafarians

[Gromit]

// An Austrian atheist has won the right to be shown on his driving-licence photo wearing a pasta strainer as "religious headgear".

Niko Alm first applied for the licence three years ago after reading that headgear was allowed in official pictures only for confessional reasons.

Mr Alm said the sieve was a requirement of his religion, pastafarianism.

The Austrian authorities required him to obtain a doctor's certificate that he was "psychologically fit" to drive.

The idea came into Mr Alm's noodle three years ago as a way of making a serious, if ironic, point.

A self-confessed atheist, Mr Alm says he belongs to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a light-hearted faith whose members call themselves pastafarians.


A medical interview established the self-styled 'pastafarian' was mentally fit to drive
The group's website states that "the only dogma allowed in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is the rejection of dogma".

In response to pressure for American schools to teach the Christian theory known as intelligent design, as an alternative to natural selection, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster wrote to the Kansas School Board asking for the pastafarian version of intelligent design to be taught to schoolchildren, as an alternative to the Christian theory.

Straining credulity
In the same spirit, Mr Alm's pastafarian-style application for a driving licence was a response to the Austrian recognition of confessional headgear in official photographs.

The licence took three years to come through and, according to Mr Alm, he was asked to submit to a medical interview to check on his mental fitness to drive but - straining credulity - his efforts have finally paid off.

It is the police who issue driving licences in Austria, and they have duly issued a laminated card showing Mr Alm in his unorthodox item of religious headgear.

The next step, Mr Alm told the Austrian news agency APA, is to apply to the Austrian authorities for pastafarianism to become an officially recognised faith. //

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...world-europe-14135523

Just thought you should see this.

[RATTER15]

OG, I only put it on for special occasions and confession.

[RATTER15]

ichkeria, "I realise that this is a side-splitting wheeze and all that, but I am puzzled that Austrian authorities would indulge to this ridiculous extent a man who also claims to be an atheist"

It actually make as much sense as any other faith, So you think the invisible man in the sky makes any sense at all?

At least nobody has been killed or maimed in the name of "The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster" you cant say that about any other religion.

[Safiya]

I'm hoping the strainer is metal.... can't think of much worse than the betterware man knocking on your door trying to sell plastic crap and atheism :)

[RATTER15]

Personally I have a plastic one and a metal one, I tend to wear the plastic one at confession and keep the shiny metal one for confession, its always good to impress at confession.

[RATTER15]

B0ll0cks

Well I know what I mean!!!

[ichkeria]

"It actually make as much sense as any other faith, So you think the invisible man in the sky makes any sense at all?

At least nobody has been killed or maimed in the name of "The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster" you cant say that about any other religion."

That isn't the point I was making at all. It is pointless trying to argue - especially here - about the "sense" of one religion or another.
Here is someone who has managed to convince the authorities that he is a "Pastafarian" or whatever, for whatever reason. But I'd have thought that being a self-confessed atheist was a rather obvious pointer to the fact that one is taking the p**s.
So how come he managed to convince anyone he was genuine?

[Safiya]

so do you have 2 different confessions or wear them alternatively ratter? ;)

[Ankou]

why would an atheist draw attention to the futility of religious, when they do that plenty enough themselves.

[jno]

probably because he's got time on his hands... if he was British he'd be on ChatterBank instead, which does a good job of keeping nuts off the streets

[Booldawg]

he's being insincere. I dont care if someone is obliged to wear headgear as part of their religious beliefs, thats up to them. I respect that. In fact I respect that more than some attempt to mock other peoples beleifs, simply because I dont share them. That is disrespectful, childish and pedantic.

[Safiya]

*puts cheese grater back in drawer* bugger booldawg and there i was having grate fun lol

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*B0ll0cks

Well I know what I mean!!! *

sorry ratter, i only saw that after replying to your first post

[ichkeria]

"he's being insincere. I dont care if someone is obliged to wear headgear as part of their religious beliefs, thats up to them. I respect that. In fact I respect that more than some attempt to mock other peoples beleifs, simply because I dont share them. That is disrespectful, childish and pedantic."

Well I agree with you there Booldawg, amusing though the story is.
I've never really understood the mentality of someone who, for example, gets cross because he can't endanger his own life by not having to wear a crash helmet. If the Austrian government in the future decides to ban religious headwear, will this chap protest vociferously about his right to wear a pasta strainer on his head? Maybe, then again ...

[RATTER15]

>>>>So how come he managed to convince anyone he was genuine?<<<<<<
You dont get it do you!!

How does the Bible convince anybody that it is genuine, its absolutely full of nonsense, try looking at Noah, he was asked to build the ark when he was 400 years old to house two of every animal in the world and then he got them all in the ark without them all eating each other etc etc. Come on guys, and you think the flying spaghetti monster is unbelievable!!

Lighten up a little :-)

[Booldawg]

yes, the old 'turbans on a motorbike' debate was one that sprang to mind. I dont know, is he mocking religion or just the system? maybe a bit of both, after all atheists are no different that theists - constantly challenging and pondering their own beleif.

[ichkeria]

">>>>So how come he managed to convince anyone he was genuine?<<<<<<
You dont get it do you!!"

No, I confess I am having a "thick" day today.
Think of it like this: I am an atheist. I don't believe in a god, or in religion of any sort. I decide to found my own religion.
I fill in a form (say) and I say I am a "Pastafarian". But then, on another part of the form I state my religion as "none". That's a bit like trying to convince someone one is a British citizen while at the same time stating that one is also a citizen of France only. A bit of a drawback in the "trying to gain official recognition status" I'd have thought.
It's nothing to do with the "believeability" of his religion or any other.

[RATTER15]

>>>>It's nothing to do with the "believeability" of his religion or any other<<<<

at last, you got it!!!

:-)

[Ankou]

i think an atheist claiming to belong to anything that assimilates a religious group is rather sad, if not hypocritical. why do you need to declare or belong to anything.

atheism is about the absence, and so it should remain.

[daisya]

This is great, I posted about this last night.

http://www.theanswerb.../Question1036798.html

I have already joined and will be getting the red colander/sieve will model it soon I hope though not sure it will keep me warm in the winter with all the holes in it lol.

[AB Editor]

You're one of those Orthodox Atheists aren't you Ankou?

[jackthehat]

He likes the ceremony and the robes, Ed.........