Poster for putting the FSM back in Chrifsmas

Pastafarians should not be ashamed to wish their loved ones a Merry Chrifsmas this year. Link

[#1 posted by Brian Damage , December 10, 2007 9:44 AM]

Sorry to poop on the pasta party but I don't like this idea. It's both flamebait and troll food, co-mingling into a sort of troll truffle flambé - a real treat for the nastiest bipedal behemoths.

Christmas was invented by the Christians in order to reward wayward Romans for converting, so that they didn't have to miss out on the feast of Saturnalia which also took place on that same day of December 25.

Christmas was invented as a reasonable facsimile of the real deal, just like this poster. It's cute and all, but it's basically the hijacking of a Christian holiday by atheism in precisely the same way Christians tried to dupe the Romans long, long ago in 1963 or something.

I encourage atheists to either discuss their beliefs eye to eye with those who will listen or else not to discuss their beliefs at all. A favourite retort of more fundaMENTAL religious folk is that atheism is also a religion, and if we're going to prove them wrong let's do it by forgoing the childish propaganda they themselves have used since day 1. Let's lead by example, not by ridicule.

[#2 posted by Santa's Knee , December 10, 2007 9:51 AM]

Wow, Biran. That's some awfully dogmatic atheism ya got there.

[#3 posted by noen , December 10, 2007 9:58 AM]

Where is the holy sauce? I think depictions of his noodleage should include The Holy Sauce.

[#4 posted by Svenski , December 10, 2007 10:04 AM]

Oh Boy! More remix culture. I'm not even a Christian and this thing is just plain stupid. Are there any other FSM devotees that can come up with something a bit more original?

Note to Mark: Yes I could, but I could care less about the boring nonsenese that is FSM.

[#5 posted by Mark Frauenfelder , December 10, 2007 10:16 AM]

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/care.html

[#6 posted by Niteowl , December 10, 2007 10:27 AM]

You know why religious types invariable persevere and grow their numbers over time, compared to say, logical thinking atheists and somewhat logical but still vaguely fearful agnostics?

They have tradition.

Tradition and statutory holidays where you get to sod off work and drink inappropriate amounts of alocohol and maybe get caught in a sandwich with the fetching receptionist from HR and that the new mailboy who doesn't have too much body hair so it's ok.

Things and events and all that nonsense that people go to or attend or observe. And then, in their laziness and in their desperate need to keep their kids in line, they pass on these things to their children. Hence the meme (in this case religion) lives on, while atheists have to wait until their 18 or whatever when they can rediscover Nietzsche for the first time and act all smug and self-important (not much different from the fundamentalist they despise, except with more black turtlenecks and pollysyllabic words).

So yeah, hells yea, we need our own silly festival to take off work and pass on mindlessly to our offspring.

[#7 posted by Rossifumi , December 10, 2007 10:45 AM]

How about:

"I believe in nothing so I am nothing" day.

Everyone stays home and watches People's Court!!!

[#8 posted by Svenski , December 10, 2007 10:48 AM]

Mark, you're right. I could NOT care less. Thank you.

[#9 posted by Registrado , December 10, 2007 11:01 AM]

Svenski: Are there any other FSM devotees that can come up with something a bit more original?

Perhaps a Festivus pole with a giant meatball stuck on the top? Serving a turkey stuffed with a duck that's stuffed with spaghetti: a Spagducken?

[#10 posted by eclectro , December 10, 2007 11:04 AM]

It's unfortunate that FSM is such a feeble idol that he can't come up with his own holiday and decorations, instead of having to leech off the primary one. Even the Festivus people have a pole.

[#11 posted by saehn , December 10, 2007 11:21 AM]

Woo, boy. You guys are taking a light-hearted satirical poster (which depicts a satirical imaginary being) way too seriously.

NITEOWL: Ever watch the movie "Idiocracy"?

[#12 posted by Niteowl , December 10, 2007 12:04 PM]

Saehn, I'm all about the electrolytes.

[#13 posted by Stefan Jones , December 10, 2007 12:07 PM]

By his strands and balls you shall know him.

Ramen.

[#14 posted by Santa's Knee , December 10, 2007 12:08 PM]

@#12: WWJC - "What would Jeebus Crave?"

[#15 posted by franko , December 10, 2007 12:25 PM]

to Brian (#1) - turnabout is fair play.

[#16 posted by fightcopyright , December 10, 2007 12:31 PM]

@ Brian Damage

I agree... unfortunately atheism hasn't fared well in the arena of rational debate lately:

D'Souza,a reasonably skilled advocate of Christian Philosophy, has defeated Dennet, Shermer, and Hitchens in recent debates. And Dawkins has refused the invitation.

The fact is that theistic philosophy is far more sophisticated than most atheists realize, since they typically confront religious people who have no foundation in philosophy...

And so FSM is the atheist corollary to ignorant fundamentalism... it seeks to accomplish through ridicule, what can not be established through reason.

[#17 posted by Another Aaron , December 10, 2007 2:05 PM]

FSM is the atheist corollary to ignorant fundamentalism...it seeks to accomplish 'stuff' through ridicule?

REAAAAAALLLY.

Maybe you should look up "ignorant" and "fundamentalism" in the dictionary and try that sentence again.

[#18 posted by devophill , December 10, 2007 2:10 PM]

@fightcopyright

Having seen examples of D'Souza's "skill", I would say that he's not universally considered "skilled". "Defeat" is also a term that might be disputed in this case.

[#19 posted by figment88 , December 10, 2007 2:36 PM]

Pastafarians are not necessarily atheists.

Those who have been touched by his noodly appendage only unite in their belief that others should not proselytize their beliefs in the public sphere.

[#20 posted by Stefan Jones , December 10, 2007 4:51 PM]

Chrisfmas colors:

Marinara red and Alfredo beige

Chrisfmas decorations:

Silly string, painted styrofoam balls, illuminated light strings.

Chrisfmas dessert:

Red licorice whips, jawbreakers.

[#21 posted by Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator , December 10, 2007 6:45 PM]

Stefan Jones wins.

Brian Damage (1), I don't know why you think we're all atheists here.

Eclectro (10), come off it. Everybody has a religious festival around the winter solstice.

Fightcopyright (16), are we talking about Dinesh D'Souza, bonkers right-wing culture warrior and major-league whiner? I have never seen that man put forth a tidy, well-founded argument. Dawkins knows less about religion than he thinks, but I still can't imagine D'Souza trouncing him. If you want an erudite and politically sophisticated theist, try Garry Wills.

Fundamentalism is unassailable by reason? Don't kid yourself. It comes out looking like the Black Knight after he fought Arthur, King of the Britons.

[#22 posted by JIMWICh , December 10, 2007 6:48 PM]

Have yourself a marinara Chrifsmas,
Let your sauce be light
From now on,
His noodles will be out of sight
Have yourself a marinara Chrifsmas,
Live the pasta way,
From now on,
His noodles will be miles away...

[#23 posted by desired username , December 10, 2007 7:08 PM]

"logical thinking atheists and somewhat logical but still vaguely fearful agnostics"

i wouldn't call all agnostics fearful, and i wouldn't call all religious people illogical. belief in religion doesn't always equate to fear and illogical thinking.

[#24 posted by Niteowl , December 10, 2007 7:38 PM]

Teresa: are you implying that all fundamentalists want to bite kneecaps off? Absurd.

[#25 posted by cheesechick , December 10, 2007 8:14 PM]

Chrifsmas? What about Holiday?

[#26 posted by Stefan Jones , December 10, 2007 9:55 PM]

The family gathers around the gleaming Chrifsmas Pot, and the youngest waves the Colander. In the corner, a favorite uncle is dressed as a pirate, guarding against the cold of winter.

Father hooks a strand from the pot, and bites. "Al dente, al dente!" he cries, "He is Ready!"

[#27 posted by chris , December 11, 2007 12:01 AM]

Actually, I suspect that most of the "pastafarians" are not atheists. We just resent christian faction that is attempting to ram its viewpoints and morals down our throats by hijacking school boards and government in general.

The FSM started as a way of logically showing that "Intelligent Design" can only argue FOR a creator - not what that creator is. Logically, that would mean you'd have to give equal time to ALL the various religions - not just postulate the christian god as the designer.

Of course, this is just a way to make clear what creationism and ID are. They're actually an attempt to force the teaching of a particular brand of christianity that takes a literal view of the Bible.

I think you'll find many Lutherans, Presbyterians, as well as other theists just as willing to giggle at this as any atheist - and for the same reasons. It's not their beliefs we're making fun of - just the dishonesty and disrespect.

[#28 posted by GmanUK101 , December 11, 2007 4:48 AM]

granted it's not really that funny, kind of reminds me of teenage images of their first pot experiences.

As for the religious debate, come now I think all of your gods are nearly as right as each other.

Peace to all

G

[#29 posted by Landowner , December 11, 2007 6:51 AM]

Ha, Christians complaining about the originality of others. Your entire religion was cherry picked from ones before it. It's a mythology as relevant today as any Greek hero cult.

Ramen.

[#30 posted by Midnight Sun , January 12, 2008 2:22 AM]

"The FSM started as a way of logically showing that "Intelligent Design" can only argue FOR a creator - not what that creator is. Logically, that would mean you'd have to give equal time to ALL the various religions - not just postulate the christian god as the designer."

Intelligent Design classes are not postulating Christian beliefs, but creationist beliefs. There is no biblical rhetoric, but rather stating a rather unfounded belief that nothing can exist without a creator. They fail to answer where the creater came from, or who created it. This is a loophole created so they can claim open-ness to other religious beliefs.

"logical thinking atheists and somewhat logical but still vaguely fearful agnostics"

It is irrelevant whether an atheist holds out a possibility that there is a diety. They simply do not believe in any. There are many atheist agnostics, myself included, so it is not an "either/or" situation.

"It's unfortunate that FSM is such a feeble idol that he can't come up with his own holiday and decorations, instead of having to leech off the primary one. Even the Festivus people have a pole."

You son, are missing the point entirely. There is no satire with no basis. Attempting a satire on something that does not exist is difficult, seeing as there is nothing to go off. Feeble Idol or no, the point is that this feebleness is universal.