"These are crappy times for the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster."
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The Dark Lord Darwin roams the world unchallenged and his Science taints mankind with reason.
The Empiricists win more and more court cases against us Creationists and the Scientists add more and more proof to their already flawless theories and facts.
And, to top it all off, we aren't even recognised as a true religion in many countries, including Australia, regardless of the many people who follow our religion worldwide.
I think Pastafarianism needs to be recognised as a real religion in Australia.
How is it fair that we are not able to celebrate our religion because we live in a country whose leaders do not? Who are they to choose who we pray to when things are hard? Who are they to dictate who we praise in times of joy?
Pastafarianism is a religion that promotes freedom and fun, yet we don't even have the freedom to practice this religion and have it recognised as a real religion. Pastafarianism needs to be recognised as a real religion.
Is there proof of Jesus? No. Is there proof of Buddha? No. Is there proof of Shiva? No. Is there proof of God? No. Is there proof of Allah? No.
Yet people all over the world pray to these gods and attend church services in their honour.
People have done great and terrible things in the name of their religion. Wars have started, people have died.
In the words of Bobby Henderson: "Someone has described religious warfare as 'killing people over who has the best invisible friend'."
There is absolutely no proof that they are actually fighting for something.
Is there proof of The Flying Spaghetti Monster? Certainly not. But not a single other religion has proof that their deity exists either. So what makes the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster so unbelievable? Pastafarianism is just as plausible as any other religion.
Although Pastafarianism isn't recognised as a real religion in Australia, it is recognised as a legitimate religion in Poland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. In the last New Zealand census more than 4000 people registered as Pastafarians, and there are more than 250 fully ordained Pastafarian Ministers operating all over New Zealand. In fact, the first ever Pastafarian wedding was held in New Zealand in 2016. Australia needs to follow New Zealand's example and accept Pastafarianism as a real and thriving religion.
As stated in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."
I believe that with freedom of thought comes freedom of imagination, and with imagination comes the possibility of new religions and new beliefs. And surely the people who give credence to these beliefs also deserve inclusion in Human Rights?
Indeed, the Human Rights themselves state in Article 2 that "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."
And so, shouldn't everybody be entitled to practice their religion, regardless of what it is, with the full acceptance of their community and, more widely, the government of their country?
Pastafarianism is just as plausible as any other religion, and as such its members should have the same rights as members of any other religion do.
Already three countries have recognised Pastafarianism as a legitimate religion, and I think it's time for the Australian government to follow their lead and recognise that the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is a real, plausible, legitimate religion.