An Austrian atheist has won the right to be shown on his driving-licence photo wearing a pasta strainer as "religious headgear".

Mr Alm said the sieve was a requirement of his religion, pastafarianism. 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.

Sounds like a yummy religion. I'm in!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14135523

Genius!! I'm in!!!!

His point being... what, exactly?

May you be touched by his noodly appendage, ramen.

My old volvo back home had the usual fish with his noodly self inside. I refrain from straining my head through a pasta strainer, though. Awesome license/ID photo!

In HIS honor, making pasta al ragu tonight, with durian ice-cream for a chaser!

Tom

I too have been touched by his noodly appendage.

http://www.venganza.info/glaube.htm

"Unser Himmel ist weit besser: wir haben eine Stripperfabrik und einen Biervulkan."
translation: "Our Heaven is way better. We have a Stripper Factory and a Beer Volcano"

I convert immediately. First thing in the morning tomorrow, I go to the Gemeinde, but what should I tick re. Church Tax ?

Doc.

Where Pastafarianism has its sights aimed at the excesses of Christianity, I think it's a wonderful movement. The way they are protesting against the Creationist movement in the United States is, quite simply, brilliant.

This chap in Austria, though: at whom are his actions directed?

It all looks like fun and games, but it seems to me that there's something else going on here. How many Christian fundamentalists, after all, wear "confessional headgear" in their driving licence photographs?

To me, this looks like a very subtle, but nonetheless thoroughly illiberal, poke at the Muslims. Again. Because nobody else in Europe has thought to do that recently.

At the government, obviously, as they allow some people to wear hats in photos, and others not. THIS is discrimination!

Tom

So it's brilliant to have a lighthearted movement poking fun at Christian fundamentalists - after all they believe some pretty absurd stuff and can be annoying about it - but Muslim fundamentalists (who incidentally tend to be creationists too ) are not fair game for the same treatment? Sorry, don't follow you.


They're both minorities within their respective religions, let alone the US/Austria at large. Why is it OK to make noodly fun of one but not the other?

Equal opportunity ridicule for all, I say.

True. But who is actually affected by such discrimination? Are the feelings of the baseball cap wearing youth of Vienna really hurt by allowing some women to wear headscarves while they must remove their caps?

On the other hand, who would be affected by insisting upon strictly equal treatment for all?

Because Christians in Europe - minority though they may be in many places - are not in any real danger of facing the kind of discrimination which is now becoming commonplace for Muslims.

I don't recall any nuns getting into hot water for insisting on wearing their wimples and cowls in public places recently.

Going for Muslims just isn't sporting any more.

when i was in college a pastafarian were the kids who made magic spaghetti, if you know what i mean

Unfortunately the moment you make fun of that other religion, there will be protests and burnings of flags etc etc...these of course manipulated

I'd be curious to see if this young chap would have the balls to make direct fun of them. Much easier to take on the government of a nice, liberal democracy that has dared to accommodate the foibles some of its least loved citizens for once.

In honor of spaghetti bolognese we shall all eat our pasta facing not Mekka but Bologna.

This isn't discrimination though. This is making fun of the aspects of a religion - any religion - that outsiders find absurd. Either you think that sort of thing is in good taste or it isn't (and I mostly think it is, if done with a deft touch) - but one religion shouldn't be off-limits and the rest fair game, that's all I'm saying.

To turn your own argument back, who is being harmed by this guy's pasta-strainer driver's license? Muslims? Really?

Context - as always - is everything.

Take on the Muslims on their own territory? Go for it!

Take them on where they are a much-maligned minority? It's hardly sporting, is it?

At the moment, nobody. But then what happens when the Austrian driving authority gets dozens upon dozens of requests from people wanting to wear daft things on their heads and the rule - which is currently quite fair and accommodating - is changed so that nobody can wear "confessional headgear"? Because let's not be fooled here: this is exactly what the long term objective of such hilarity is.

actually I see that in a few decades christianism will be perceived as a parody of pastafarianism. Very often a very clever parody, and it's the case here, transcends what it's supposed to make fun of.