Dutch Council of State: Pastafarianism not a religion

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

The Dutch Division of Administrative Jurisdiction of the Council of State (Afdeling Bestuursrechtspraak van de Raad van State) judged today in a case of a Nijmegen woman who wanted to wear a colander on her head in an official photograph. The highest administrative court in the Netherlands judged that Pastafarianism lacked sufficient serious backing, and was not sufficiently coherent. In 5his case, a passport of the woman was denied. She objected the decision, eventually taking the city government to administrative court.

https://www.raadvanstate.nl/pers/persbe ... ml?id=1170

The European Court of Human Rights earlier decided that a religion needs to be judged on four grounds: cogency, seriousness, cohesion and significance.

What do you think? Was the court right in deciding this?

In my opinion, they were. Pastafarianism clearly has a satirical overtone which separates it from other religions.

The decision: https://www.raadvanstate.nl/uitspraken/ ... l?id=96247

An English rundown: https://www.raadvanstate.nl/pers/persbe ... nster.html

[Sovaal]

It's my right to wear a colander on my head, you can't stop me!

[Dogmeat]

It's my right to wear a colander on my head, you can't stop me!

Indeed. Over my cold, damp noodles!

[Thermodolia]

The court is definitely right. Such “religions” are nothing more than atheists trying to prove a point. Hell I think that Scientology and other cults should be banned

[Page]

My position is no special treatment for religion in any circumstance.

- Either both a burqa and a fursuit are both legal to wear in public, or neither are.

- Letting your kid die of a preventable disease because your religion prohibits medicine and letting your kid die of a preventable disease just cause you were sick of having a kid - treat each as the same crime.

- Everyone gets to take their holidays off or no one does.

- Either let a Native American who wants to use peyote for religious purposes and a random guy who just wants to trip both have the drug, or let neither of them have it (in this case I'm firmly on the side of let everyone have peyote, and in fact legalize all psychedelics).

- Vaccination! Maybe you turned your kid into a walking bioweapon because vaccines violate your religious belief, or maybe you turned your kid into a walking bioweapon because you just enjoy the thought of children dying of measles - either they both get an exemption or neither do (neither get one, you don't get to endanger other peoples' lives by letting eradicated diseases return).

And this is why the Pastafarians want to wear a colander, to mock this double standard which shouldn't exist. So in that way, I side with the Pastafarian.

[The New California Republic]

It's my right to wear a colander on my head, you can't stop me!

Seconded.

[The Eternal Aulus]

My position is no special treatment for religion in any circumstance.

Either both a burqa and a fursuit are both legal to wear in public, or neither are. Letting your kid die of a preventable disease because your religion prohibits medicine and letting your kid die of a preventable disease just cause you were sick of having a kid - treat each as the same crime. Everyone gets to take their holidays off or no one does. Either let a Native American who wants to use peyote for religious purposes and a random guy who just wants to trip both have the drug, or let neither of them have it (in this case I'm firmly on the side of let everyone peyote, and in fact legalize all psychedelics). Vaccination! Maybe you turned your kid into a walking bioweapon because vaccines violate your religious belief, or maybe you turned your kid into a walking bioweapon because you just enjoy the thought of children dying of measles - either they both get an exemption or neither do (neither get one, you don't get to endanger other peoples' lives by letting eradicated diseases return).

And this is why the Pastafarians want to wear a colander, to mock this double standard which shouldn't exist. So in that way, I side with the Pastafarian.

The thing is that the niqaab is, aside of a religious clothing, also a hinder to indentification for citizens and police.

Now I'd say that the right of an individual to wear religious clothing triumphs over the other's right to recognize someone, but one cannot overcome the duty to identify in due need.

That said, schools here in the Netherlands are free to reject non-vaccinated kiddos, and for good reason.

[Sovaal]

My position is no special treatment for religion in any circumstance.

Either both a burqa and a fursuit are both legal to wear in public, or neither are. Letting your kid die of a preventable disease because your religion prohibits medicine and letting your kid die of a preventable disease just cause you were sick of having a kid - treat each as the same crime. Everyone gets to take their holidays off or no one does. Either let a Native American who wants to use peyote for religious purposes and a random guy who just wants to trip both have the drug, or let neither of them have it (in this case I'm firmly on the side of let everyone peyote, and in fact legalize all psychedelics). Vaccination! Maybe you turned your kid into a walking bioweapon because vaccines violate your religious belief, or maybe you turned your kid into a walking bioweapon because you just enjoy the thought of children dying of measles - either they both get an exemption or neither do (neither get one, you don't get to endanger other peoples' lives by letting eradicated diseases return).

And this is why the Pastafarians want to wear a colander, to mock this double standard which shouldn't exist. So in that way, I side with the Pastafarian.

The thing is that the niqaab is, aside of a religious clothing, also a hinder to indentification for citizens and police.

Now I'd say that the right of an individual to wear religious clothing triumphs over the other's right to recognize someone, but one cannot overcome the duty to identify in due need.

That said, schools here in the Netherlands are free to reject non-vaccinated kiddos, and for good reason.

I didn't know that they surgically attached articles of clothing to people now.

[Hirota]

and was not sufficiently coherent.

...soooo, in otherwords, just like a religion?

Pastafarianism clearly has a satirical overtone which separates it from other religions.

I can't speak for other atheists, but satirical overtones is something that comes to mind when I think about religion.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

The court is definitely right. Such “religions” are nothing more than atheists trying to prove a point. Hell I think that Scientology and other cults should be banned

How are you defining a cult as distinct from a religion?

[The Eternal Aulus]

The thing is that the niqaab is, aside of a religious clothing, also a hinder to indentification for citizens and police.

Now I'd say that the right of an individual to wear religious clothing triumphs over the other's right to recognize someone, but one cannot overcome the duty to identify in due need.

That said, schools here in the Netherlands are free to reject non-vaccinated kiddos, and for good reason.

I didn't know that they surgically attached articles of clothing to people now.

Regarding burqas? They don't want to show their faces to police officers when asked. Atleast that's what I know.

[The Eternal Aulus]

The court is definitely right. Such “religions” are nothing more than atheists trying to prove a point. Hell I think that Scientology and other cults should be banned

How are you defining a cult as distinct from a religion?

If at all, it's not even the state's right to judge when a cult is a religion and vice versa. That's separation of church and state.

[Sovaal]

I didn't know that they surgically attached articles of clothing to people now.

Regarding burqas? They don't want to show their faces to police officers when asked. Atleast that's what I know.

Then pass a law requiring they do, no need to ban the garment completely.

[The Eternal Aulus]

Regarding burqas? They don't want to show their faces to police officers when asked. Atleast that's what I know.

Then pass a law requiring they do, no need to ban the garment completely.

That's essentially what happened.

[Page]

The court is definitely right. Such “religions” are nothing more than atheists trying to prove a point. Hell I think that Scientology and other cults should be banned

Scientology is certainly not a religion by any definition, I would actually go further than calling them a cult and rather label it as organized crime. The thing is, that's my opinion and that I hold this opinion doesn't affect the world around me. But you're calling for it to be banned, which means you are saying that you trust the state to discern what is a religion and what is not. I don't trust the state with that kind of power.

[Cabo Corelli]

I find it troubling that this lady is making officials spend their valuable time and energy on her satirical agenda, whereas that time and energy might be much better spent LGBTQ or Muslims who continue to face actual discrimination in her country.

I mean, sure, it shouldn't be illegal, but I see no reason to applaud it.

[The New California Republic]

and was not sufficiently coherent.

...soooo, in otherwords, just like a religion?

Yeah, I noticed that little faux pas too...

[Sovaal]

I find it troubling that this lady is making officials spend their valuable time and energy on her satirical agenda, whereas that time and energy might be much better spent LGBTQ or Muslims who continue to face actual discrimination in her country.

I mean, sure, it shouldn't be illegal, but I see no reason to applaud it.

The state should serve all of it's citizens yo. As for valuable time last I checked it can multitask.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Sacrilege! Sacrilege! Destroy the Heathens! Fight in his Noodley Name!


Eh i couldnt care less.

[Thermodolia]

The court is definitely right. Such “religions” are nothing more than atheists trying to prove a point. Hell I think that Scientology and other cults should be banned

How are you defining a cult as distinct from a religion?

Anything that’s not mainstream Christianity or Judaism.

[The New California Republic]

How are you defining a cult as distinct from a religion?

Anything that’s not mainstream Christianity or Judaism.

So Buddhism and the like...?

[Sovaal]

How are you defining a cult as distinct from a religion?

Anything that’s not mainstream Christianity or Judaism.

Once was a time when Christianity wasn't mainstream Judaism.

[Thermodolia]

Anything that’s not mainstream Christianity or Judaism.

So Buddhism and the like...?

Buddhism wouldn’t be banned.

[Thermodolia]

Anything that’s not mainstream Christianity or Judaism.

Once was a time when Christianity wasn't mainstream Judaism.

Well it is now. And I don’t see that anyone has a time Machine so..,

[Sovaal]

Once was a time when Christianity wasn't mainstream Judaism.

Well it is now. And I don’t see that anyone has a time Machine so..,

All that separates a cult and a mainstream religion is time and membership.