The Flying Spaghetti Monster

[TimeForGuinness]

sweet...i love when people fight over imaginary man-made beings in the sky

[thrill]

I went to 2 years of community college in Illinois. It was one of those colleges where about 1% of the student population was ever going to actually move on to higher learning and the rest were just wasting time kidding themselves before they got a job. Thusly, none of them knew anything about anything and I had a Religions prof who liked to exploit that. Conversely, I loved to exploit his exploitation because I actually did know a few things about a few things. He liked to use his superior knowledge and arguing skills to make small town christian kids feel like idiots for believing what they believed without questioning anything ever in their life.

While I agree they needed stimulation he went about it in a terrible way, so I always jumped at a chance to shut him up. One day he was talking about a group project for like half our grade when he started telling us about this awesome group he had the year before. How creatively and humorously they completed their assignment! How completely they detailed the tenants of the new religion they made up. How they had all these great illustrations and catch phrases and all that.

It was a religion they made up about, get this, A FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER! OH HO HO! SO HILARIOUS! He went on for some time about how great these kids were.


Then I raised my hand and told him that he got taken and they didn't invent the flying spaghetti monster. We spent the rest of the class with me showing him on his computer what an idiot he was. It was awesome.

[JCShutout]

The fact that it exists lets all know that, apparently, the best argument anyone can come up with to "prove" that some system of belief is preposterous and or illogical is to think of the most preposterous and illogical thing of all in order to parody it.

And this isn't really true. The Flying Spaghetti Monster was originally a humorous (well, not to Snayke) argument against teaching creationism in the classroom. Richard Dawkins uses parody religions and ancient beliefs as a counterpoint to monotheists who say that atheism is itself faith-based because you can't prove that God doesn't exist. It's pretty obvious that this is fallacious because not being able to prove God doesn't exist isn't a reason for belief. Dawkins will insert Zeus, Thor, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster into that line of thinking to make that point.

I don't understand why Christians would make that argument in the first place though. It's grace by faith, not grace by logic hurdles as far as I know.

++

Its a response to "you can't disprove God!!1!" Well, you can't disprove the Spaghetti Monster ether.

Ironically, Dawkins is more than willing to work with those religious who actually want to make Earth better.

[GatewaySnayke]

Its a response to "you can't disprove God!!1!" Well, you can't disprove the Spaghetti Monster ether.

That's not what Haltz is trying to say what Dawkins was trying to say. (What a confusing sentence)

I think they are using logical fallacies because religion is based on logical fallacies.

Well then that's just dumb.

[haltz]

Its a response to "you can't disprove God!!1!" Well, you can't disprove the Spaghetti Monster ether.

That's not what Haltz is trying to say what Dawkins was trying to say. (What a confusing sentence)

The typo made it even worse.

That's basically what I'm saying, actually. I'm saying it's an acceptable counterargument in response to something that's equally silly. It is not an argument against religion. Nobody who's actually familiar with both sides of the argument (and not just being a pseudo-intellectual dork) would think that.

[JCShutout]

Its a response to "you can't disprove God!!1!" Well, you can't disprove the Spaghetti Monster ether.

That's not what Haltz is trying to say what Dawkins was trying to say. (What a confusing sentence)

Then I'm confused... EDIT: maybe not...

I think they are using logical fallacies because religion is based on logical fallacies.

Well then that's just dumb.

No, its showing just how silly that type of fallacy/argument is. Yesterday my Dad used the logical fallacy "appeal to tradition" to try and shoot down an argument. I responded with an appeal to tradition which shot down something we both supported.

The point was to show how silly it is to use that reasoning, not to necessarily shoot down that second point. Just because something has happened/was interpreted in a certain way (etc.) in the past, doesn't mean its correct, relevant or true today.

Besides, it shouldn't be about whether or not God exists. It should be about what God's existence means. If we Christians concerned ourselves with the things Jesus stood for, we could work with Secular Humanists to make many things in the world better.

[GatewaySnayke]

Thrill, I had a professor who was the exact opposite. Instead of trying to exploit their beliefs, he tried to reason and show that there is more than one way to think. This guy is about 80, has a degree from Harvard, Mizzou and colleges in France and Germany. He's an Episcopalian minister and believes in teaching all sides. He is firm in his belief of God and wants people to have an open mind and listen to what the Atheistic existentialists believed and other godless people from Greece.

The guy is a magnificent teacher and has told people not to come back to class for being rude about stuff. One girl, who is Catholic, tried to get him fired, but he's tenured and there's no way the school can dump him. I hope he teaches until he's 90.

[thrill]

Thrill, I had a professor who was the exact opposite. Instead of trying to exploit their beliefs, he tried to reason and show that there is more than one way to think. This guy is about 80, has a degree from Harvard, Mizzou and colleges in France and Germany. He's an Episcopalian minister and believes in teaching all sides. He is firm in his belief of God and wants people to have an open mind and listen to what the Atheistic existentialists believed and other godless people from Greece.

The guy is a magnificent teacher and has told people not to come back to class for being rude about stuff. One girl, who is Catholic, tried to get him fired, but he's tenured and there's no way the school can dump him. I hope he teaches until he's 90.

I'm jealous. My prof basically made fun of all religions except his own. He is a converted Jew because, and I quote, "Jewish women are hot."

[JL21]

Is there really a rant about a fake religion that professes to love "pirates, strippers, and beer"? C'mon......

[StatmanCrothers]

It's so hard to believe in anything anymore...it's like religion, you can't really take it seriously, because it seems so mythological, it seems so arbitrary, and then on the other hand science, you know, is just pure empiricism and by virtue of its method excludes metaphysics.... I guess I wouldn't believe in anything if it weren't for my lucky astrology mood watch.