ABC:

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster: 'Noodly knot' tied in religion's first legal wedding

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has held its first legally recognised marriage, with the offbeat movement hailing the New Zealand ceremony as a world-first milestone toward acceptance.

Church adherents call themselves pastafarians, wear colanders on their heads, revere pirates and believe the world was created by a deity made of spaghetti.

But while they have a love of pasta-based puns and celebrate holidays such as "Talk Like a Pirate Day", followers insist their religion is no joke.

New Zealand officials agreed, and gave Wellington-based pastafarian Karen Martyn the legal right to conduct marriages last month after ruling the church was based on genuine philosophical convictions.

Ms Martyn conducted her inaugural wedding as an ordained "ministeroni" on Saturday, when Toby Ricketts and Marianna Young became the first couple in the world to "tie the noodly knot" in a legally recognised ceremony.

"It's a formal recognition that we are a church and that's just great," Ms Martyn said ahead of the ceremony.

She said many more weddings were planned, including same-sex unions, which were legalised in New Zealand in 2013.

"I've had people from Russia, from Germany, from Denmark, from all over contacting me and wanting me to marry them in the church because of our non-discriminatory philosophy.

"We will marry any consenting legal adults who meet the legal requirement."

Church arose as protest against 'intelligent design' in schools

The wedding took place on a charter vessel decorated as a pirate ship at the South Island town of Akaroa, with guests dressed in costume.

Mr Ricketts, a filmmaker who discovered pastafarianism while making a documentary about religion, said he knew some people may not take the marriage seriously.

"That's kind of what attracted us to it," he said. "We were never planning to get married and have a conventional wedding, but this allowed us to do it in a way that we're comfortable … our families are 100 per cent behind us."

Pastafarianism first appeared in a 2005 open letter written by Bobby Henderson to the Kansas Board of Education in protest over its decision to teach intelligent design — a form of creationism promoted by Christian fundamentalists — in schools.

Mr Henderson, 36, a self-described "hammock enthusiast" and computer nerd from Oregon, is regarded as the prophet of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM).

He argued that believing a pasta god made the universe was no less valid than intelligent design as both theories had no scientific merit.

"New Zealand is one of the few places that has formally recognised us," he said.


But not all are happy with the decision, including Professor Peter Lineham, a religious history specialist at New Zealand's Massey University.

"I am not at all convinced there's a genuine statement of values (in the church)," he told Fairfax New Zealand when the original decision was handed down.

Ms Martyn disputes that view, saying a strong belief system underpinned FSM.

"We are anti-discrimination on any basis for any reason, and we truly believe there should be a complete separation of church and state," she said.

"We believe in challenging ourselves and other religions and challenging cultural superstitions … we're very serious about our beliefs."

In November American woman Lindsay Miller, who identifies as a member of FSM, won the right to wear a colander in her driver's licence photo.

But in December, the church's application for incorporation as a not-for-profit organisation was rejected by the South Australian commissioner for corporate affairs.

FSM is planning to launch an appeal to that decision in the District Court.

Key points:

NZ ruled in March that the church was based on genuine philosophical convictions
Wedding marks world's first legal marriage by a pastafarian ministeroni
FSM's prophet argues that believing a pasta god made the universe is no less valid than Christianity's intelligent design

DeepSight:

^^^ Its not a religion. It's a sick joke, just as sick as the OP.

DeepSight:

^^^ Its not a religion. It's a sick joke, just as sick as the OP.

Reyginus:
Wiegraf why do you think they are doing the right thing?

johnydon22:
^^^ It is a religion, sick i agree but as sick as others

wiegraf:
don't listen to that confused soul. i believe he was raised on moi moi and fish, therefore he harbors a lot of irrational, tribalistic hate for pasta. even as his noodliness, fsm, loves him unconditionally

CoolUsername:
I haven't seen God but I've seen spaghetti.

wiegraf:
why not?

Reyginus:
Tell me why you think what they are doing is right?

wiegraf:
because it isn't wrong. this is a bit like asking me why do i think some people prefer the color blue. show me exactly what is wrong with it and perhaps i can help you further

urahara:
It only makes that the prescence of delicious sphagetti in the world could not have come by chance .an omnipotent .omnipresent.omnigayhating flying sphagetti monster has to exist

Reyginus:
Because it isn't wrong? What is this?

CoolUsername:


BLASPHEMY!!!

Lord FSM isn't intimidated by homosexuality, His Noodliness accepts all!

wiegraf:
what it is. you haven't told me what is wrong, so not sure what you want. it is 2 people wanting to join in holy macaroni and doing so. i believe it is right for people to have such unions for legal reasons at the very least, and the symbolism helps some people sleep at night. so, once again, what exactly is wrong with that?

Reyginus:
By now you should know I don't let people escape so easily. Tell me, why do you like it?

wiegraf:
dear me, can you not read?

Reyginus:
That it's right because it's right?

sonOfLucifer:

Aren't we all sick?

wiegraf:
ok. i find it's right because meatballs are delicious

DeepSight:


Good point. However the sickness of creating a "church" of Flying spaghetti monsters for the purpose of jocularly mocking a church of an alleged human sacrifice for the atonement of sins - and incorporating same, does transcend all levels of sickness.

DeepSight:


Good point. However the sickness of creating a "church" of Flying spaghetti monsters for the purpose of jocularly mocking a church of an alleged human sacrifice for the atonement of sins - and incorporating same, does transcend all levels of sickness.

CoolUsername:


Eh. No. You don't see these guys strapping bombs to themselves, or covering evidence of child molestation. They're just a fun-loving bunch. They're also a beacon for the maxim of equality in our world today you can't privilege one religion over another.

wiegraf:
you can't even get your facts right: there's only one monster.

let go of the hate, my good xtian, and enjoy the pasta