AP) — When some of the world’s leading religious scholars gather in San Diego this weekend, pasta will be on the intellectual menu. They’ll be talking about a satirical pseudo-deity called the Flying Spaghetti Monster, whose growing pop culture fame gets laughs but also raises serious questions about the essence of religion. The appearance of the Flying Spaghetti Monster on the agenda of the American Academy of Religion’s annual meeting gives a kind of scholarly imprimatur to a phenomenon that first emerged in 2005, during the debate in Kansas over whether intelligent design should be taught in public school sciences classes.Supporters of intelligent design hold that the order and complexity of the universe is so great that science alone cannot explain it. The concept’s critics see it as faith masquerading as science.An Oregon State physics graduate named Bobby Henderson stepped into the debate by sending a letter to the Kansas School Board. With tongue in cheek, he purported to speak for 10 million followers of a being called the Flying Spaghetti Monster — and demanded equal time for their views.
Yes, they really are thinking about it. Could it be? Could the FSM meme actually have people firing off long-forgotten neurons?http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/11/16/flying.spaghettimonster.ap/index.htmlAlso, FYI, for those who need protection from other myths, check out paranormal restraining orders.
pha
It’s going to take me some time (if I can find it) to wade through Garrett’s work but if Lee Smolin is impressed then Garret’s work should be taken very seriously.
Who says atheists don’t have religion…???
http://www.glennbeck.com/news/11192007.shtml
phreedm
hopefully the adults will take charge and build more nuclear plants.automakers can respond to rising fuel prices with better products.i see no justification for this fear mongering by politicians.
off-topic another megachurch sex scandal has happened this time in atlanta.the preacher knocked up his sister-in-law.i guess the laying on of hands got a little out of control.
Megachurch Sex Scandal
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21888916/
Uh…what? What exactly does climate change have to do wtih atheists not having a religion?
alex
here is something to raise your blood pressure.the head of california public ed.says white teachers are the cause of poor performance by black/hispanic students.he did not say why the asian students of these same teachers do better then whites.that flushing sound is america becoming a third world nation.
Reason,
Those who are fundamentalist members of the Church of Political Correctness refuse to deal with irrefutable facts and instead trip over themselves to deny the obvious in the same way that religious people also refuse to see the Emperor’s New Clothes. The fact is that Asians and Europeans have higher average IQ’s than do Latinos and especially Africans. If you accept these scientific and measurable facts of human evolution as true then the world makes a lot more sense than if you invent excuses for the way that things are in the world. This article from Slate magazine yesterday makes my point for me:
http://www.slate.com/id/2178122/entry/2178123/nav/tap3/
phreedm:
Is this a White’s country?
Is this a Man’s country?
Not letting you go.
If only the irrational “Jewish Atheists” and their apologists would realize that the “jewish race” is mythology, the biblical story of jews being enslaved in Egypt is mythology, the Hanukkah story is mythology, the reasons used to justify the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the racism of zionism are mythology, etc.
Looks like Dave could benefit from having some of his long forgotten neurons firing off also. In fact, we would all benefit if Dave and his ilk would muster up some self-awareness, start seeing the forest through the trees and stop preaching hebrew mythology.