Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

In 2005, Bobby Henderson wrote to the Kansas State School Board while it was deciding whether Intelligent Design belonged in science class. His argument: if an unproven designer counts as science, so does his own — the universe, created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was satire aimed squarely at defending science education, not at any one religion.

Two decades on, the Church says belief in the Monster itself is "beside the point" — literal faith isn't required to be a Pastafarian, any more than every Christian takes Genesis literally. What it means to be Pastafarian is different for every member: protest, comedy, community, or genuine faith, in whatever mix suits them.