The Flying Spaghetti Monster wins again.
Preaching religious tolerance, a Texas “Pastafarian” persuaded Department of Public Safety workers in Lubbock to let him wear a ceremonial pasta strainer like a hat for his driver’s license photo.
“Once she allowed me to, I put the pasta strainer on my head,” Texas Tech student Eddie Castillo told KLBK. “I took the biggest, cheesiest smile I ever took.”
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster claims on its website to have “existed in secrecy for hundreds of years,” but most trace its roots to a satirical jab at the Kansas Board of Education’s bid to teach creationism in schools.
Adherents profess a belief in pirates as the original Pastafarians, a fondness for beer and the recognition of Fridays as religious holidays.
The religion of anti-dogma has spread across the world.
In July, Lukas Novy convinced the Czech Republic to issue him an official ID with his colander-wearing mug in the photo. A New Jersey man had less luck in South Brunswick and was denied his pasta-accessory photo shoot at the local DMV.
Russian followers marching through Moscow were interrupted by riot police and protesters from a Russian Orthodox group, the Moscow Times reported. Eight members of the pasta procession were detained for participating in an unsanctioned rally.
Castillo said he steeled himself as he prepared to enter the Lubbock department, wondering if he might need bail money before the day was over.
Amateur video shows the 23-year-old carefully explaining his beliefs to an employee.
“I don’t know how aware you are of the religion that I was trying to talk to you about this morning, but it’s Pastafarianism,” Castillo says in the video.
He told the TV station he was surprised he got through to employees in conservative Lubbock County. He said he wasn’t attacking established religions but arguing for religious freedom.
“It should be looked at as a political symbol for the separation of church and state,” he said.
The Flying Spaghetti Monster will probably face a continued fight for acceptance. Texas officials are reportedly reviewing Castillo’s application.
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