Queensland touched by his creamy goodness!

Gather round, ye faithful, for another sign has been revealed unto us.

Yes, in sunny Brisbane, on the eve of those terrible storms, the Flying Spaghetti Monster revealed the touch of his noodly self to a member of our flock. (Don't ask, brothers and sisters, why there were storms - it's too late to bring logic into this thing.)

Of course the members of the devout Pastafarian commuity don't need so-called 'evidence' to buttress our faith, but we will gladly accept signs of his creamy goodness when he chooses to reveal a noodly appendage.

But back to our visitation. Today we can reveal for the strengthening of your faith, proof that the FSM truly does move among us.

We approach with trepidation (and perhaps a side order of bruschetta)...



And we fall to our knees (taking care not to spill our drinks)...



A moment's reflection, if you will.

Now here at Durum Cathedral, we have been pondering what this revelation may mean. Why in the Sunshine State? Why the day before the rain? What means the number '618'? (Perhaps controversially, is 618 in fact the Number of the Roast?)

As members of our greater theological community, we ask you to suggest possible interpretations. Bring your ideas forth.

RAmen

Noodly invitation to Prime Minister John Howard

Regular followers of the Church of the FSM Australia know we take a deep and abiding interest in the place of religion in public life.

Building on our tireless efforts to promote the contribution of Pastafarianism to the Australian community, and following recent precedents, we have requested a meeting with our Prime Minister John Howard through the contact page of his official website. We also took the opportunity to suggest a humble addition to Australia's new citizenship test.

Here is our letter of request. We will keep you informed of the response from his office.

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Subject: Request for meeting, citizenship suggestion

Dear Prime Minister
Greetings from the Australian Pastafarian community.

Your support for spiritual values in Australia is well known, as is your belief that religion forms a valuable base for our country's stability and future prosperity, not to mention the health and optimism of our youth.

We agree with you heartily, and to this end we are working to bring the blessings of the Flying Spaghetti Monster to the people of this fine and noodly land. We proudly don our pirate costumes and say a mighty 'harrrr' to the brigands who founded this outpost of European seafaring adventures.

On behalf of the Australian Pastafarian community, my colleague Al Dente and I wish to request a meeting with you. Nothing political, we stress, and nothing to excite the interest of electoral authorities. Just a brief gathering to let you know you are much in our thoughts and - as the leader of our country - we wish you all the blessings of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. At this stage in the electoral cycle, you may be grateful for the blessings of every deity you can muster.

If it would suit you better, we could host you at Durum Cathedral. We would be pleased to show you our plans for a Pastafarian Mental Health Facility, which may be a candidate for Commonwealth funding (following the appropriate guidelines for Commonwealth intervention, of course).

Naturally as the guest of the best-fed faith in Australia, you would not be disappointed by Pastafarian hospitality.

We understand you have recently met with other elect vessels from small but seemingly influential faith groups. We can assure you that we too are elect, if not elected, and as vessels we too are surely full of it.

Finally, on a related matter, we would humbly ask if you would consider adding an additional question to the new Australian Citizenship Test. As Minister Andrews so sagely noted: "Modern citizenship also rests on ... enduring attachment to what Australians hold in common." So we propose asking budding new citizens: What is Australia's national dish?

While we recognise it would be divisive to establish any one faith as a national religion, it would also be ignoring the truth of Australian cuisine not to ask new migrants to our shores what is considered our national dish when we break bread together. Our national dish has been acknowledged in many a survey of these matters.

The answer: Spaghetti Bolognese.

As Pastafarians, we are greatly pleased at another sign the FSM has blessed our nation with the touch of his noodly appendages.

We await your reply to our humble petitions, at your earliest convenience.

Yours in a creamy sauce
RAmen

Pastor Len Guini
http://noodlynation.blogspot.com/

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Contact Your Prime Minister

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Pirate theology: Join the discussion

As you know, much of my day is divided between pastoral care among the ever-growing congreg-ation of Australian Pastafarians -- and theological reflection.

And make no mistake: there are some pressing theological questions we face, particularly for such a young (and flavoursome) faith.

Is dried pasta of equal spiritual worth as fresh pasta? What does the Flying Spaghetti Monster really think of gnocchi? And what are we to make of the gluten intolerant in our midst?

But these past weeks I have been much perplexed, and I am turning to you, the Australian Pastafarian community, for some suggestions.

As you know, we have irrefutable evidence that the decline in pirate numbers since the 1800s is to blame for global climate change. (You nay-sayers -- and inconceivably there are still some left -- can find all the evidence you need here.) Seen from this perspective, it becomes a sacred duty for Pastafarians to dress up as pirrrates, spreading the word about the FSM and saving the planet at the one time.

But, theologically speaking, this is a more complex issue than it appears, and I have been studying it closely.

Last month the venerable Sydney Morning Herald published a headline that made my heart jump (a sentence I would not often write). It read: "TV program delays 'turning viewers into pirates'."

It seemed the problem of global warming was solved! Television networks were delaying the broadcast of programs already seen overseas, forcing Australians to download them illegally from the Internet.

Technology lawyer and researcher Alex Malik said these "huge delays" were "turning Australians into pirates".

Could it really be true that we were becoming a nation of pirates? Could the FSM be nudging TV stations in this direction, all for the good of the planet? Was this the first good thing a commercial television station had ever done?

But here is the question I think we need to discuss fully among our creamy congregation: Can software pirates really be considered 'pirates', as we know them in the tenets of the Pastafarian faith?

Or are they perhaps a lesser group of pirates, having a small but still positive impact on global temperatures?

Or -- and I have not discounted this possibility altogether -- are they not 'true' pirates at all?

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think.

In the meantime, have no fear sisters and brothers, I continue to dress in full, traditional pirate garb. And you won't find me looking for The O.C. on the Internet. Harrrr that be neverrr the case.

RAmen