We all love the freedoms protected by our Constitution. Especially, those in the First Amendment, such as the freedom of religion. But sometimes, the First Amendment can protect some pretty silly things. Among them are the “cannatarians” of the the First Church of Cannabis and the “pastafarians” of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
No, we aren’t making this up.
Russian citizen Andrei Filin challenged the Russian government to deny him his right to wear the trademark headwear of his pasta god’s church, the sacred colander. Surprisingly, the state allowed Filin to win.
But Russia, refusing to be made a fool of, found a way to keep Filin honest about his supposed religious doctrine.
“The next time he is stopped by the traffic police, if he doesn’t have a pasta strainer on his head, his license will be taken from him,” said Vladimir Kuzin, deputy chief of Moscow’s State Traffic inspectorate.
It’s not hard to imagine that someone would use the presumably satirical religion to bypass the regulations that prohibit silly headwear from official government documents. You could impress all of your friends at the bar with how you used religious freedom laws to stick it to the man.
At least, we hope it’s satirical.
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster claims that an invisible, undetectable noodle-armed monstrosity created the universe after drinking to inebriation. This creature gathered his almighty meatballs and first created a mountain, a few trees, and a beloved “midgit." Then, he spent three days creating the rest of the universe.
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster adherents believe pirates are the original “pastafarians.” According to the pastafarians, the pirates were just peaceful explorers that “Christian misinformation” demonized as dread-sowing naval raiders.
Pastafarians think global warming is the Spaghetti Monster’s punishment for the thinning out of the pirate population.
Pastafarians also claim that the afterlife is unknowable, but they’re pretty sure it has “beer volcanoes as far as the eye can see” and a “stripper factory.”
The video below shows an Australian man fighting for his right to wear a colander in his license photo: