[Scott7217]

Have you heard of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Wikipedia - Flying Spaghetti Monster

It's basically a religion that believes a supernatural creator that looks like a bunch of spaghetti and meatballs created the world. Pastafarians (the people who believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster) believe their doctrine should be given equal discussion time in classrooms, along with evolution and intelligent design/creationism.

I think most people believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster is a parody that is trying to make a philosophical point about what can and cannot be taught in class. Some people think it's offensive, while other people think it's clever. Honestly, I didn't know this was a thing. What's your take on the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Have the Pastafarians made a good point? What makes a religion a legitimate one?

[llamabreath]

What makes a religion a legitimate one?

Taste?

Seriously though, GREAT question, but I think what is considered a "legitimate religion" is only in the eye of the beholder.



I think signatures are stupid.

[Mooncatt]

To each their own.

Now to expand on what should be taught in the class room, I say creationism, intelligent design, etc. should be left out of public schools. Not only can it be considered putting religion in the class room, but the public schools should keep to sound scientific principles on the subject of how the planet and life was formed. Any other forms based on religion should be kept to their teachings in religious based private schools in my opinion.

[mrsmumbles]

I remember a little neighborhood kid getting very traumatized by an evolution class. He was very young at the time, maybe 6 or 7. Their teacher had told them they'd evolve to no longer having toes and he couldn't grasp the future enough to know it would not happen in his lifetime.

Somehow I think God would have been less scary.

Sent from my LG870 via Tapatalk 2

[Scott7217]

Now to expand on what should be taught in the class room, I say creationism, intelligent design, etc. should be left out of public schools.

Would you be opposed to having intelligent design taught as part of a social studies class? I could see the issue of discussing it in a science class, but it might fit better in a class that deals with cultural studies, the humanities, or history.

[Aquila]

Would you be opposed to having intelligent design taught as part of a social studies class? I could see the issue of discussing it in a science class, but it might fit better in a class that deals with cultural studies, the humanities, or history.

How would that fit in? I can almost see the value of a "Bible as Literature" class, because it's a interesting book with a lot of historical impact. But intelligent design is basically a hypothesis created to try to put a scientific sounding name on creationism. It's literally a one sentence subject. "Some people renamed creationism to 'Intelligent Design' to further their efforts at imposing a literal translation of religion as fact in secular education".

What's really silly, is that nearly half of American's think that Evolution, Intelligent Design and Creationism are three different things that should all be given equal time to each other. That makes the curriculum 67% creationism and 33% factual. I could see having a class ABOUT the debate, possibly in high school or a college setting, but actually having the debate is just stupid.

My knowledge of physics gives me no authority whatsoever to walk into a church and try to teach a congregation about John the Baptist and their knowledge of theology has no authority to walk into a classroom and try to spin mythology or pseudoscience as "a competing theory". There is no theory of intelligent design, there is a wish and maybe a hypothesis.

Also, I don't think anyone actually believes in the flying spaghetti monster. They're trolling, but they have a fairly valid point.

[anon8126715]

Considering how much you'd have to include to make sure all religions were included, I think it would be easier to just keep them out (as originally intended back when the Flying Spaghetti Monster parted the red sea of Ragu )

I sometimes wonder why there's such a fuss over evolution. If you look at some of the "super bugs" that are proving immune to some of our strongest medicines, that's pretty much the evolutionary process. A bug develops an immunity to something that's trying to kill it, doesn't seem that offensive to me.

There's a comedian that has a good take on it. His skit involves asking someone that believes in Creationism to explain fossils. The response from the person is that God is testing his faith. At which point he acts out God going around planting fossils around as if it's a practical joker laying a piece of fake dog doo so that it's easily found.

[llamabreath]

I think that only FACTS should be taught in school up through twelfth grade.

I also feel that only FACTS should be on the NEWS.

I'm also very tired. Just worked nineteen damn hours.



** DISCLAIMER -
This post may have been posted with numerous beers having been consumed.

[Tall Mike 2145]

For a long time, I'd only ever heard the term "intelligent design" but didn't have a real understanding of what was actually meant by that.

I thought it meant that there appears to be an engineering intelligence in things like physics and structure and genetics and chemical reactions and gravity, etc., etc. That kind of concept I would have no problem going along with, because I really don't hold with "everything we see came about by random fortunate happenstance" but what is actually taught is not something I hold with, so yes, I would prefer it not to be taught.

However, what I also feel is required is something else that's lacking in today's teaching, and that is analysis, analytical thinking, and logical reasoning. We just "drill and kill" in the K-8 system, and especially these days do little more than "teach to the test" and so the sheer volume of things which people DO NOT KNOW, and methodologies of thinking which people clearly DO NOT POSSESS is frightening (to me, at least).

You folks care about Intelligent Design being taught? Well, why not care about the people featured in Jay Leno's "Jaywalking" segments instead? That points to a problem that is magnitudes of order worse, and which indirectly allows for something like Intelligent Design in the first place. Also, given the decline in numbers of religious people in this country, the whole "Intelligent Design" thing is probably going to become irrelevant anyhow, since more and more people will not be of religious faith in the first place.

[SalixIncendium]

In the simplest terms, Pastafarianism is a satirical real religion founded with the purpose of offering perspective on religious discrimination and on the overall obliquity of religion. Unlike many religions, Pastafarians are completely tolerant of others' religions (except when they're not). I am a practicing Pastafarian (when I feel like it).

Below is a video of a group of Pastafarians petitioning County Commissioners for a nativity display last year. They were ultimately shot down because, of course, their religion was determined to be less valid than Christianity and Judaism.



What many don't know is the Flying Spaghetti Monster can be a vengeful god as much as a loving one, so I pray these commissioners don't suffer her wrath for their blatant display of discrimination. R'amen.

[anon(4903109)]

Hail his noodles for he boiled for your sins!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mooncatt]

However, what I also feel is required is something else that's lacking in today's teaching, and that is analysis, analytical thinking, and logical reasoning. We just "drill and kill" in the K-8 system, and especially these days do little more than "teach to the test" and so the sheer volume of things which people DO NOT KNOW, and methodologies of thinking which people clearly DO NOT POSSESS is frightening (to me, at least).

Bingo

[palandri]

I am glad i believe in science and not flying spaghetti monsters. The next thing you know people will be praying to gremlins.

[SalixIncendium]

The next thing you know people will be praying to gremlins.

Now that would be just plain silly.

[llamabreath]

The next thing you know people will be praying to gremlins.

People already pray to statues; what's the difference?



** DISCLAIMER -
This post may have been posted with numerous beers having been consumed.

[anon8126715]

The next thing you know people will be praying to gremlins.

Now that would be just plain silly.

Those Gremlin worshipers are a crazy and intolerant bunch,








Now we at the church of AMC Pacer are a fun loving, peaceful group.....

[llamabreath]

Those Gremlin worshipers are a crazy and intolerant bunch,








Now we at the church of AMC Pacer are a fun loving, peaceful group.....

That's no worse than us WWW's (Weeble Wobble Worshippers)



** DISCLAIMER -
This post may have been posted with numerous beers having been consumed.

[anon8126715]

That's no worse than us WWW's (Weeble Wobble Worshippers)http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/02/vu6y5asu.jpg



** DISCLAIMER -
This post may have been posted with numerous beers having been consumed.

Is that the same as the Chubby Chaser Church of America or is that a different group?

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk 2

[llamabreath]

Is that the same as the Chubby Chaser Church of America or is that a different group?

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk 2

Nobody really knows, but legend has it that it is an offshoot of it.



** DISCLAIMER -
This post may have been posted with numerous beers having been consumed.

[phlamethrowre]

sound scientific principles.

Scientific principles are far from sound. Believing that absolutely everything came from absolutely nothing without any intelligence to make it happen requires far more blind faith than I am able to muster. Think about that, everything you see around you, all of the amazing inventions and all of the amazing things in nature somehow began from absolutely nothing. Do you seriously believe that??


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[phlamethrowre]

Zero multiplied by zero always equals zero. Zero x zero a million times still equals zero. To believe that all came from zero seems nonsensical. Even if you believe in the BBT and evolution surely you can see that it couldn't have been random and couldn't originate from nothingness.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[anon(4903109)]

Scientific principles are far from sound. Believing that absolutely everything came from absolutely nothing without any intelligence to make it happen requires far more blind faith than I am able to muster. Think about that, everything you see around you, all of the amazing inventions and all of the amazing things in nature somehow began from absolutely nothing. Do you seriously believe that??


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It's not necessarily true that everyone who doesn't believe in a diety also believes everything came from nothing.

The proper retort to a response such as yours would be simply "I don't know and neither do you!"

Saying an intelligence made it all only begs further questions... Where did this intelligence come from? Where did that which created the intelligence's intelligence come from etc.

And besides, everyone already knows the answer is 42.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[phlamethrowre]

It's not necessarily true that everyone who doesn't believe in a diety also believes everything came from nothing.

The proper retort to a response such as yours would be simply "I don't know and neither do you!"

Saying an intelligence made it all only begs further questions... Where did this intelligence come from? Where did that which created the intelligence's intelligence come from etc.

And besides, everyone already knows the answer is 42.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

And all this time I thought it was 44!!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[llamabreath]

It's not necessarily true that everyone who doesn't believe in a diety also believes everything came from nothing.

The proper retort to a response such as yours would be simply "I don't know and neither do you!"

Saying an intelligence made it all only begs further questions... Where did this intelligence come from? Where did that which created the intelligence's intelligence come from etc.

And besides, everyone already knows the answer is 42.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

I'd be willing to bet that Google had something to do with it.



I think signatures are stupid.

[Mooncatt]

Scientific principles are far from sound. Believing that absolutely everything came from absolutely nothing without any intelligence to make it happen requires far more blind faith than I am able to muster. Think about that, everything you see around you, all of the amazing inventions and all of the amazing things in nature somehow began from absolutely nothing. Do you seriously believe that??


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

People used to think thunder and lightning were the wrath of their chosen god, but with experiments, we now know different. We can recreate the conditions and verify the results. Even with theoretical sciences, they are ground in what we already know, can examine physical evidence, and can test the results of various aspects. All any religion can do when you ask "why," is answer with "because I said so." Nothing can be backed up with evidence. And when it comes to competing ideas about the subject, it's just a shouting match between different religions with no other reference than their own story book.

Granted, religion can help people in other ways, such as how to treat each other and love life. It's just when it comes to stuff like how life as we know it exists, that should be left to science in public schools.