Foreign Affairs

Netherlands: Flying Spaghetti Monster Is Not A God And Pastafarianism Is Not A Religion

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A Dutch court has ruled that Pastafarianism is not a real religion and that its alleged god, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, cannot legitimately demand that its adherents wear pasta strainers in their identification photos.

Mienke de Wilde, a law student in the Netherlands, claimed to be a practicing member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and tried to wear a colander to take her drivers license and passport photo, The Guardian reported Thursday. The court ruled that the “religion” is actually closer to a satire than a real faith.

Pastafarianism originated in 2005 as a protest against Christians who believed creationism should be taught in school. Austrian courts ruled in 2011 that Pastafarianism was a state-protected religion, and its adherents then began wearing the appropriate headgear.

“I can imagine that it all looks very odd if you don’t believe,” de Wilde told the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper. “But that’s the case with many faiths if you don’t believe in them – people who walk on water or divide themselves in two, for example. I find other religions unbelievable.”

The Dutch court rejected de Wilde’s premise that wearing the strainer was mandatory, however.

“It may be the case that the colander is considered a holy object for Pastafarians, worn in honour of the Flying Spaghetti Monster but there is no obligation to do so,” the ruling read. “In fact, Pastafarianism has no obligations or restrictions. De Wilde has said she wears her colander because she sees it as duty but it is an individual choice.”

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