baglc1 Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 Austrian driver's religious headgear strains credulity Having received his driving licence, Niko Alm now wants to get pastafarianism officially recognised Continue reading the main story Related Stories School defends intelligent design'Intelligent design' teaching banAn Austrian atheist has won the right to be shown on his driving-licence photo wearing a pasta strainer as "religious headgear". Niko Alm first applied for the licence three years ago after reading that headgear was allowed in official pictures only for confessional reasons. Mr Alm said the sieve was a requirement of his religion, pastafarianism. The Austrian authorities required him to obtain a doctor's certificate that he was "psychologically fit" to drive. The idea came into Mr Alm's noodle three years ago as a way of making a serious, if ironic, point. A self-confessed atheist, Mr Alm says he belongs to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a light-hearted faith whose members call themselves pastafarians. A medical interview established the self-styled 'pastafarian' was mentally fit to drive The group's website states that "the only dogma allowed in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is the rejection of dogma". In response to pressure for American schools to teach the Christian theory known as intelligent design, as an alternative to natural selection, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster wrote to the Kansas School Board asking for the pastafarian version of intelligent design to be taught to schoolchildren, as an alternative to the Christian theory. Straining credulity In the same spirit, Mr Alm's pastafarian-style application for a driving licence was a response to the Austrian recognition of confessional headgear in official photographs. The licence took three years to come through and, according to Mr Alm, he was asked to submit to a medical interview to check on his mental fitness to drive but - straining credulity - his efforts have finally paid off. It is the police who issue driving licences in Austria, and they have duly issued a laminated card showing Mr Alm in his unorthodox item of religious headgear. The next step, Mr Alm told the Austrian news agency APA, is to apply to the Austrian authorities for pastafarianism to become an officially recognised faith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialvat Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 Love it, I want to join Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 How about another religion with cool headgear? Rasta-BEAR-ian? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 Apparently (and i dont have any proof of this) there were enough people in the last UK census who stated that their religion was jedi that it is now a recognised religion in the UK now????? so why not pastawhathefcukerians Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 All Hail the FSM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vafarmer70 Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 Stupidity knows no boundaries.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 Indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronoluvvv Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I'm a non-practicing PastaFarian myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vafarmer70 Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I'm a non-practicing PastaFarian myself Whatever... I personally sat next to you at the Church of the Swiss Chronograph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subbiesrock Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I don't see the issue... And I would expect the least complaint from the Americans... A reminder from your own Bill of Rights: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. It's the FIRST one! If this guy wants to wear a pasta sieve or any other kitchen implement on the top of his head, that's no different to a Jew wearing a yarmulke or a Muslim wearing a Taqiyah, let alone what all the other non-Abrahamic religions choose to wear... The FSM group make a very important point that people of faith never seem to grasp; there have been thousands of Gods all around the World throughout recorded history, and those of the Abrahamic faiths reject all but one of them, while 'non-believers' simply reject one more God than 'believers' do. There is no reason why any church of any denomination deserves any kind of tax incentive when it trades spirituality for dollars. However, if one does, then they all do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkay Posted July 14, 2011 Report Share Posted July 14, 2011 subbiesrock I think you were thinking of this one --> "When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours" - Stephen Roberts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subbiesrock Posted July 14, 2011 Report Share Posted July 14, 2011 subbiesrock I think you were thinking of this one --> "When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours" - Stephen Roberts Damn! That's the one right there, I tried to paraphrase loosely, but clearly Mr Roberts is more of a wordsmith than I am In fact the full quote is: “I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteM Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 Apparently (and i dont have any proof of this) there were enough people in the last UK census who stated that their religion was jedi that it is now a recognised religion in the UK now????? so why not pastawhathefcukerians I saw that on breakfast telly a while ago..... unfortunately they still dont recognise us Jedi's that have gone to the Dark Side !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subbiesrock Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 I saw that on breakfast telly a while ago..... unfortunately they still dont recognise us Jedi's that have gone to the Dark Side !!! They do! They're called the Sith The irony of your humorous comment is drawing the obvious parallels between Sunnis and Shiites, Catholics and Protestants, etc. who, in some cases, are so violently opposed to one another it boggles the mind. As for the Jedi thing, we here on the Island Colony got a bit of a chuckle from that it's absolutely true, once a particular fraction of the population identifies themselves as being of a particular faith, it becomes officially recognized. I'm converting to Pastafarianism, if only for the generous tax breaks. Bring on the sieve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raijor Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 Thanks for posting ... been laughing for the past 15 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteM Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 They do! They're called the Sith No the Sith are a liberal religion with a political agenda which we consider lacking in the true faith of the dark side.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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