All hail His noodly greatness!

Kieran_Burns

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

Austrian driver's religious headgear strains credulity



Driving licence of Niko Alm Having received his driving licence, Niko Alm now wants to get pastafarianism officially recognised

An 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.



Passport photos of Niko Alm with a colander on his head 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.


I for one now welcome our Noodly Overlords. All hail the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

First.Aspect

Of course, this would contravene British Airways' dress code.

Jay dubbleU

Don't forget 'Talk like a Pirate Day' on September 19th me hearties aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrr 8)

Kieran_Burns

Have YOU been touched by his noodly appendage?

gtvlusso

Proves that Austria does have a sense of humour.....

:-)

jonny_trousers

That's all very well, but there is absolutely no evidence that wearing a pasta strainer on your head will protect you any more in an accident than wearing nothing at all. People like Herr Alm are only putting off those who might otherwise take up cycle commuting with the view that it is both dangerous and high in carbohydrates.

veronese68

I like pasta. If I jump ship (ark) from RCism will I be able to get my kids into any good Pastafarian schools?

Confusedboy

I think if I were the Austrian police I would be very tempted to pull him the first time I caught him driving without his religious headgear.....

jejv

Kieran_Burns wrote:

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.

I just find it depressing.

We all know how this is going to turn out.

In ten years time, the spaghettiistas are going to declare the tagliatelles heretics. There'll be a bloodbath. Heaven help you if you like ravioli.

Agent57

I drink out of a special faith mug.

http://twitpic.com/jy0zs

I also have an FSM T-shirt and pirate fish T-shirt. Yes, yes I have been touched by His Noodly Appendage.