Flying Monsters

For thousands of years, humans have believed that there were once flying monsters. Such creatures became mythologized, with stories about them shared around the world. But could they have really existed? About 220 million years ago dinosaurs were on the rise to dominating the Earth. But another group of reptiles was about to make an extraordinary leap—control of the skies. They were the pterosaurs—after insects, the first animals ever to fly. The story of how and why these mysterious creatures took to the air is more fantastical than any fiction.

New documentary Flying Monsters 3D offers a fascinating look at pterosaurs, a class of prehistoric airborne reptiles that look like they flew.

Admission to FLYING MONSTERS only is $3 for children, adults, and groups, $2 for Baylor University students and museum members. Run time is 20 minutes.Scheduled Screenings:. Saturdays – 11 am, 1 pm, & 3 pm. Sundays – 2 pm & 4 pm. Monday – Friday – 11:00 am.

Touched by His Noodly Appendage, a parody of 's, is an iconic image of the Flying Spaghetti Monster by Arne Niklas Jansson.Major cult centerSymbolTexts, The Loose Canon, the Holy Book of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti MonsterFestivals'Holiday'The Flying Spaghetti Monster ( FSM) is the deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or Pastafarianism. Pastafarianism (a of and ) is a that promotes a light-hearted view of religion and opposes the teaching of and in public schools. According to adherents, Pastafarianism is a 'real, legitimate religion, '. In New Zealand, Pastafarian representatives are authorized to officiate weddings. However, in the United States, a federal court has ruled that the 'Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster' is not a real religion.

In August 2018 the also ruled that Pastafarianism is not a religion.The 'Flying Spaghetti Monster' was first described in a satirical open letter written by in 2005 to protest the to permit teaching as an. In the letter, Henderson demanded equal time in science classrooms for 'Flying Spaghetti Monsterism', alongside intelligent design and evolution. After Henderson published the letter on his website, the Flying Spaghetti Monster rapidly became an and a symbol of opposition to the teaching of intelligent design in public schools.Pastafarian tenets (generally satires of creationism) are presented on Henderson's Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster website, where he is described as 'prophet', in, written by Henderson in 2006, and in The Loose Canon, the Holy Book of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

The central belief is that an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. Are revered as the original Pastafarians. Henderson asserts that a decline in the number of pirates over the years is the cause of. The FSM community congregates at Henderson's website to share ideas about the Flying Spaghetti Monster and crafts representing images of it.Because of its popularity and exposure, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is often used as a contemporary version of —an argument that the philosophic burden of proof lies upon those who make claims, not on those who reject them. Pastafarianism has received praise from the scientific community and criticism from proponents of intelligent design. Pastafarians have engaged in disputes with creationists, including in, where they played a role in dissuading the local school board from adopting new rules on teaching evolution.

Contents.HistoryIn January 2005, Bobby Henderson, a 24-year-old physics graduate, sent an open letter regarding the Flying Spaghetti Monster to the Kansas State Board of Education. In that letter, Henderson satirized by professing his belief that whenever a scientist an object, a supernatural creator that closely resembles is there 'changing the results with His Noodly Appendage'. Henderson argued that his beliefs were just as valid as intelligent design, and called for equal time in science classrooms alongside intelligent design and evolution. The letter was sent prior to the as an argument against the teaching of intelligent design in biology classes. Henderson, describing himself as a 'concerned citizen' representing more than ten million others, argued that intelligent design and his belief that 'the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster' were equally valid. In his letter, he noted,I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; one third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence. — Bobby HendersonAccording to Henderson, since the intelligent design movement uses ambiguous references to a designer, any conceivable entity may fulfill that role, including a Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Henderson explained, 'I don't have a problem with religion. What I have a problem with is religion posing as science. If there is a god and he's intelligent, then I would guess he has a sense of humor.'

In May 2005, having received no reply from the Kansas State Board of Education, Henderson posted the letter on his website, gaining significant public interest. Shortly thereafter, Pastafarianism became an Internet phenomenon. Henderson published the responses he then received from board members. Three board members, all of whom opposed the curriculum amendments, responded positively; a fourth board member responded with the comment 'It is a serious offense to mock God'. Henderson has also published the significant amount of hate mail, including death threats, that he has received.

Within one year of sending the open letter, Henderson received thousands of emails on the Flying Spaghetti Monster, eventually totaling over 60,000, of which he has said that 'about 95 percent have been supportive, while the other five percent have said I am going to hell'. During that time, his site garnered tens of millions of hits.

Internet phenomenon. The FSM 'fish' emblem, the symbol of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, was created by readers of the web site in 2005. It is a parody of the Christian symbol.As word of Henderson's challenge to the board spread, his website and cause received more attention and support. The satirical nature of Henderson's argument made the Flying Spaghetti Monster popular with bloggers as well as humor and Internet culture websites.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster was featured on websites such as,. Moreover, an International Society for Flying Spaghetti Monster Awareness and other fan sites emerged. As public awareness grew, the mainstream media picked up on the phenomenon. The Flying Spaghetti Monster became a symbol for the case against intelligent design in public education. The open letter was printed in several major newspapers, including, and, and received worldwide press attention. Henderson himself was surprised by its success, stating that he 'wrote the letter for his own amusement as much as anything'.In August 2005, in response to a challenge from a reader, Boing Boing announced a $250,000 prize—later raised to $1,000,000—of 'Intelligently Designed currency' payable to any individual who could produce empirical evidence proving that Jesus is not the son of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was modeled as a parody of a challenge issued by creationist.According to Henderson, newspaper articles on the Flying Spaghetti Monster attracted the attention of book publishers; he said that at one point, there were six publishers interested in the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

In November 2005, Henderson received an advance from Villard to write.In November 2005, the Kansas State Board of Education voted to allow criticisms of evolution, including language about intelligent design, as part of testing standards. On February 13, 2007, the board voted 6–4 to reject the amended science standards enacted in 2005. This was the fifth time in eight years that the board had rewritten the standards on evolution. With millions, if not thousands, of devout worshipers, the Church of the FSM is widely considered a legitimate religion, even by its opponents—mostly fundamentalist Christians, who have accepted that our God has larger balls than theirs.Bobby HendersonAlthough Henderson has stated that 'the only dogma allowed in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is the rejection of dogma', some general beliefs are held by Pastafarians. Henderson proposed many Pastafarian tenets in reaction to common arguments by proponents of intelligent design. These ' beliefs' are presented by Henderson in his letter to the Kansas State Board of Education, The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and on Henderson's web site, where he is described as a 'prophet'.

They tend to satirize creationism. See also:The central creation myth is that an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe 'after drinking heavily'. According to these beliefs, the Monster's intoxication was the cause for a flawed Earth. Furthermore, according to Pastafarianism, all evidence for evolution was planted by the Flying Spaghetti Monster in an effort to test the faith of Pastafarians—parodying certain. When scientific measurements such as radiocarbon dating are taken, the Flying Spaghetti Monster 'is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage'.

AfterlifeThe Pastafarian conception of includes a volcano and a (or sometimes ) factory. The Pastafarian is similar, except that the beer is stale and the strippers have. Pirates and global warming. A that is claimed to correlate the number of pirates with global temperatureAccording to Pastafarian beliefs, pirates are 'absolute divine beings' and the original Pastafarians.

Furthermore, Pastafarians believe that the concept of pirates as 'thieves and outcasts' is misinformation spread by Christian theologians in the Middle Ages. Instead, Pastafarians believe that they were 'peace-loving explorers and spreaders of good will' who distributed candy to small children, adding that modern pirates are in no way similar to 'the fun-loving buccaneers from history'. In addition, Pastafarians believe that ghost pirates are responsible for all of the mysteriously lost ships and planes of the. Pastafarians are among those who celebrate on September 19.The inclusion of pirates in Pastafarianism was part of Henderson's original letter to the Kansas State Board of Education, in an effort to illustrate that.

Henderson presented the argument that 'global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of pirates since the 1800s'. A deliberately accompanying the letter (with numbers humorously disordered on the x-axis) shows that as the number of pirates decreased, global temperatures increased. This parodies the suggestion from some religious groups that the high numbers of disasters, famines, and wars in the world is due to the lack of respect and worship toward their deity. In 2008, Henderson interpreted the growing pirate activities at the as additional support, pointing out that has 'the highest number of pirates and the lowest of any country'.

The godfather game cheats ps2. An alternative for Pastafarians, handmade from pipe cleaners and pom poms. HolidaysPastafarian beliefs extend into lighthearted religious ceremony.

Pastafarians celebrate every Friday as a holy day. Prayers are concluded with a final declaration of affirmation, 'R'amen' (or 'rAmen'); the term is a parodic of the terms 'Amen' and ', referring to instant noodles and to the 'noodly appendages' of their deity.Around the time of, and, Pastafarians celebrate a vaguely defined holiday named 'Holiday'. Holiday does not take place on 'a specific date so much as it is the Holiday season, itself'.

According to Henderson, as Pastafarians 'reject dogma and formalism', there are no specific requirements for Holiday. Pastafarians celebrate Holiday in any manner they please. Pastafarians also celebrate 'Pastover' as a parody of, and 'Ramendan' as a parody of.Pastafarians interpret the increasing usage of 'Happy Holidays', rather than more traditional (such as 'Merry Christmas'), as support for Pastafarianism. In December 2005, 's White House Christmas greeting cards wished people a happy 'holiday season', leading Henderson to write the President a note of thanks, including a 'fish' emblem depicting the Flying Spaghetti Monster for his limousine or plane. Henderson also thanked for its use of the phrase. Books The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. In December 2005 Bobby Henderson received a reported US$80,000 advance from to write The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Henderson said he planned to use proceeds from the book to build a pirate ship, with which he would spread the Pastafarian religion. The book was released on March 28, 2006, and elaborates on Pastafarian beliefs established in the open letter. Henderson employs satire to present perceived flaws with and discusses history and lifestyle from a Pastafarian perspective. The gospel urges readers to try Pastafarianism for thirty days, saying, 'If you don't like us, your old religion will most likely take you back'.

Henderson states on his website that more than 100,000 copies of the book have been sold.described the gospel as 'an elaborate spoof on Intelligent Design' and 'very funny'. In 2006, it was nominated for the in Humor, but was not selected as the winner. Wayne Allen Brenner of characterized the book as 'a necessary bit of comic relief in the overly serious battle between science and superstition'. Of wrote that the gospel 'might be slightly repetitive.but overall it is a brilliant, provocative, witty and important gem of a book'.Casey Luskin of the, which advocates intelligent design, labeled the gospel 'a mockery of the Christian '. The Loose CanonIn September 2005, before Henderson had received an advance to write the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a Pastafarian member of the Venganza forums known as Solipsy, announced the beginning of a project to collect texts from fellow Pastafarians to compile into The Loose Canon, the Holy Book of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, essentially analogous to the Bible. The book was completed in 2010 and was made available for download.Some excerpts from The Loose Canon include:I am the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Thou shalt have no other monsters before Me (Afterwards is OK; just use protection).

The only Monster who deserves capitalization is Me! Other monsters are false monsters, undeserving of capitalization. A bottle of Flying Spaghetti Monster red wine.The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster now consists of thousands of followers, primarily concentrated on college campuses in North America and Europe.

According to the Associated Press, Henderson's website has become 'a kind of cyber-watercooler for opponents of intelligent design'. On it, visitors track meetings of pirate-clad Pastafarians, sell trinkets and bumper stickers, and sample photographs that show 'visions' of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.In August 2005, the Swedish concept designer Niklas Jansson created an adaptation of Michelangelo's, superimposing the Flying Spaghetti Monster over God. This became and remains the Flying Spaghetti Monster's de facto brand image. The produced a comedy called The Flying Spaghetti Monster Holiday Pageant in December 2006, detailing the history of Pastafarianism. The production has spawned a sequel called Flying Spaghetti Monster Holy Mug of Grog, performed in December 2008. This communal activity attracted the attention of three religious scholars, who assembled a panel at the 2007 meeting to discuss the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Handmade knitted and felted Flying Spaghetti MonsterIn November 2007, four talks about the Flying Spaghetti Monster were delivered at the American Academy of Religion's annual meeting in San Diego.

The talks, with titles such as Holy Pasta and Authentic Sauce: The Flying Spaghetti Monster's Messy Implications for Theorizing Religion, examined the elements necessary for a group to constitute a religion. Speakers inquired whether 'an anti-religion like Flying Spaghetti Monsterism is actually a religion'. The talks were based on the paper, Evolutionary Controversy and a Side of Pasta: The Flying Spaghetti Monster and the Subversive Function of Religious Parody, published in the GOLEM Journal of Religion and Monsters.

The panel garnered an audience of one hundred of the more than 9,000 conference attendees, and conference organizers received critical e-mails from Christians offended by it.Since October 2008, the local chapter of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has sponsored an annual convention called on the campus of. Atheists and skeptics give speeches on various topics, and a debate with Christian experts is held. Organizers tout the event as the 'largest gathering of atheists in the Midwest'.The -born poet, fiction writer, and culturologist entitled his 2012 poetry book The Flying Spaghetti Monster (thriller poems).On the nonprofit site, the Flying Spaghetti Monster group is in an ongoing competition to top all other 'religious congregations' in the number of loans issued via their team. The group's motto is 'Thou shalt share, that none may seek without funding', an allusion to the Loose Canon which states 'Thou shalt share, that none may seek without finding.' As of October 2018 it reported to have funded US$4,002,350 in loans., a, has been called 'Flying Spaghetti Monster' in reference to the FSM.An upcoming documentary called I, Pastafari will detail the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and its fight for legal recognition.In September 2019, the Pastafarian pastor Barrett Fletcher offered an opening prayer on behalf of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster to open a Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly government meeting in Alaska. Use in religious disputesOwing to its popularity and media exposure, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is often used as a modern version of. Proponents argue that, since the existence of the invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster—similar to other proposed supernatural beings—cannot be, it demonstrates that the burden of proof rests on those who affirm the existence of such beings.

Explains, 'The onus is on somebody who says, I want to believe in God, Flying Spaghetti Monster, fairies, or whatever it is. It is not up to us to disprove it.' Furthermore, according to Lance Gharavi, an editor of The Journal of Religion and Theater, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is 'ultimately.an argument about the arbitrariness of holding any one view of creation', since any one view is equally as plausible as the Flying Spaghetti Monster. A similar argument was discussed in the books and The Atheist Delusion.In December 2007 the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster was credited with spearheading successful efforts in, to dissuade the from adopting new science standards on evolution.

The issue was raised after five of the seven board members declared a personal belief in intelligent design. Opponents describing themselves as Pastafarians e-mailed members of the Polk County School Board demanding equal instruction time for the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Board member Margaret Lofton, who supported intelligent design, dismissed the e-mail as ridiculous and insulting, stating, 'they've made us the laughing stock of the world'.

Lofton later stated that she had no interest in engaging with the Pastafarians or anyone else seeking to discredit intelligent design. As the controversy developed, scientists expressed opposition to intelligent design. In response to hopes for a new 'applied science' campus at the in, university vice president Marshall Goodman expressed surprise, stating, 'intelligent design is not science. You can't even call it pseudo-science.' While unhappy with the outcome, Lofton chose not to resign over the issue.

She and the other board members expressed a desire to return to the day-to-day work of running the school district. Legal statusNational branches of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster have been striving in many countries to have Pastafarianism become an officially (legally) recognized religion, with varying degrees of success. In, Pastafarian representatives have been authorized as marriage celebrants, as the movement satisfies criteria laid down for organisations that primarily promote religious, philosophical, or humanitarian convictions.A federal court in the US state of Nebraska ruled that Flying Spaghetti Monster is a satirical, rather than an actual religion, and as a result, Pastafarians are not entitled to religious accommodation under the:'This is not a question of theology', the ruling reads in part. 'The FSM Gospel is plainly a work of satire, meant to entertain while making a pointed political statement. To read it as religious doctrine would be little different from grounding a 'religious exercise' on any other work of fiction.' Pastafarians have used their claimed faith as a to argue for, and to oppose government discrimination against people who do not follow a recognized religion.MarriageThe Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster operates an on their website which enables officiates in jurisdictions where credentials are needed to officiate weddings.

Pastafarians say that precludes the government from arbitrarily labelling one denomination religiously valid but another an ordination mill. In November 2014, Rodney Michael Rogers and -based Atheists for Human Rights sued under the equal protection clause and the free speech clause, with their attorney claiming: 'When the statute clearly permits recognition of a marriage celebrant whose religious credentials consist of nothing more than a $20 'ordination' obtained from the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The requirement is absolutely meaningless in terms of ensuring the qualifications of a marriage celebrant.' A few days prior to a hearing on the matter, Washington County changed its policy to allow Rogers his ability to officiate weddings. This action was done in an effort to deny the court jurisdiction on the underlying claim. On May 13, 2015 the Federal Court held that the issue had become and dismissed the case. The first legally-recognized Pastafarian wedding occurred in New Zealand on April 16, 2016.

Free speechIn March 2007, Bryan Killian, a high school student in, was suspended for wearing 'pirate regalia' which he said was part of his Pastafarian faith. Killian protested the suspension, saying it violated his rights to religious freedom and freedom of expression.

'If this is what I believe in, no matter how stupid it might sound, I should be able to express myself however I want to', he said. A Pastafarian dressed in pirate regaliaIn March 2008, Pastafarians in, were permitted to place a Flying Spaghetti Monster statue in a free speech zone on the courthouse lawn, and proceeded to do so. The display gained national interest on blogs and online news sites and was even covered by magazine.

It was later removed from the premises, along with all the other long-term statues, as a result of the controversy over the statue. In December 2011, Pastafarianism was one of the multiple denominations given equal access to placing holiday displays on the Loudoun County courthouse lawn, in.In 2012, Tracy McPherson of the Pennsylvanian Pastafarians petitioned the Chester County, Pennsylvania Commissioners to allow representation of the FSM at the county courthouse, equally with a Jewish and a Christian scene. One commissioner stated that either all religions should be allowed or no religion should be represented, but without support from the other commissioners the motion was rejected. Another commissioner stated that this petition garnered more attention than any he had seen before.On September 21, 2012, Pastafarian Giorgos Loizos was arrested in on charges of malicious and offense of religion for the creation of a satirical page called ', based on a well-known deceased monk, where his name and face were substituted with – a local pasta and dish. The case, which started as a Facebook flame, reached the and created a strong political reaction to the arrest.In August 2013, religious activists from an unregistered group known as 'God's Will' attacked a peaceful rally that Russian Pastafarians had organized. Activists as well as police knocked some rally participants to the ground. Police arrested and charged eight of the Pastafarians with attempting to hold an unsanctioned rally.

One of the Pastafarians later complained that they were arrested 'just for walking'.In February 2014, union officials at forbade an atheist group to display posters of the Flying Spaghetti Monster at a conference and later banned the group from the conference, leading to complaints about interference with. The subsequently apologized.In November 2014, the Church of the FSM obtained city signage in, announcing the time of Friday's weekly Nudelmesse ('pasta mass'), alongside signage for various Catholic and Protestant Sunday services. Headgear in identity photos. Army ID tag listing 'Atheist/FSM' as the religious/belief system preferencePope praised the Flying Spaghetti Monster as 'a clever and effective argument'. Of the Daily Telegraph described the Flying Spaghetti Monster as 'a masterstroke, which underlined the absurdity of Intelligent Design', and applauded Henderson for 'galvanising a defence of science and rationality'. Sarah Boxer of the New York Times said that Henderson 'has wit on his side'.

In addition, the Flying Spaghetti Monster was mentioned in an article footnote of the as an example of evolution 'entering the fray in popular culture', which the author deemed necessary for evolution to prevail over intelligent design. The abstract of the paper, Evolutionary Controversy and a Side of Pasta: The Flying Spaghetti Monster and the Subversive Function of Religious Parody, describes the Flying Spaghetti Monster as 'a potent example of how monstrous humor can be used as a popular tool of carnivalesque subversion'. Its author praised Pastafarianism for its ' humility'. Moreover, Henderson's website contains numerous endorsements from the scientific community. As of The Guardian noted, 'The joke, of course, is that it's arguably more rational than Intelligent Design.' Casey Luskin of the, which promotes intelligent design, contested this, saying, 'the problem for their logic is that ID is not an arbitrary explanation, because we have much experience with intelligent agents producing the type of informational complexity we see in nature.' Columnist wrote in The Boston Globe that intelligent design 'isn't primitivism or Bible-thumping or flying spaghetti.

It's science.' This view of science, however, was rejected by the United States National Academy of Sciences. Peter Gallings of, a ministry said 'Ironically enough, Pastafarians, in addition to mocking God himself, are lampooning the Intelligent Design Movement for not identifying a specific deity—that is, leaving open the possibility that a spaghetti monster could be the intelligent designer. Thus, the satire is possible because the Intelligent Design Movement hasn't affiliated with a particular religion, exactly the opposite of what its other critics claim!'