What a Sacrilege: Federal judge rules that Nebraska prisoner may not practice Pastafarianism in jail [View all]

[LiberalArkie]

The Flying Spaghetti Monster, or FSM—a levitating mass of spaghetti noodles, meatballs and eyes—is no god, a federal court in Nevada ruled Tuesday.

Worshippers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster call their faith FSMism or Pastafarianism, a portmanteau of pasta and Rastafarianism. One such worshipper, Stephen Cavanaugh, a prisoner in a Nebraska state penitentiary, sued the state in 2014 over the right to practice his faith.

Cavanaugh argued that his religion requires him to wear special religious clothing in the form of "full pirate regalia," but that prison officials refused to allow him to do so, despite allowing members of other, recognized religions to purchase and wear special clothing and other items. Cavanaugh also argued that prison officials kept him from meeting and holding religious services with other members of his faith. He also demanded $5 million in damages for "deep emotional, psychological, and spiritual pain."

But the U.S. District Court of Nebraska found that the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is not a religion. "It is, rather, a parody, intended to advance an argument about science, the evolution of life, and the place of religion in public education," District Judge John Gerrard wrote in a 16-page decision.

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http://www.rawstory.com/2016/04/federal-judge-rules-that-nebraska-prisoner-may-not-practice-pastafarianism-in-jail/