His Noodly Appendage
About to leave my hotel room for the off-program Pagan Studies session, I check the AP wire to learn that the most noteworthy session at this year's American Academy of Religion meeting is the one devoted to the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Indeed, the tale of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and its followers cuts to the heart of the one of the thorniest questions in religious studies: What defines a religion? Does it require a genuine theological belief? Or simply a set of rituals and a community joining together as a way of signaling their cultural alliances to others?
Indeed, the tale of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and its followers cuts to the heart of the one of the thorniest questions in religious studies: What defines a religion? Does it require a genuine theological belief? Or simply a set of rituals and a community joining together as a way of signaling their cultural alliances to others?
Labels: American religion
posted by Chas S. Clifton at 8:48 AM Permalink
2 Comments:
I've enjoyed learning about The Flying Spaghetti Monster, but I never thought it would become a source of academic consideration! Will be curious to see where this goes, . . . .
It's the topic of a headline story on msn,com today...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21837499/?gt1=10547
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