A message from Bobby worth repeating:
It’s not our intention to mock or offend anyone. But I realize people sometimes feel mocked or offended.
It might be fair to say that we’re disrespectful. I would agree that most Pastafarians don’t respect the notion that religion should sit on a pedestal. We don’t think that because an action is explained in the context of religion it is exempt from the scrutiny it otherwise would have been subjected to. Religion is not a free pass for crazy ideas and crazy actions.
I would agree that it’s not our place to pass judgment on those who see the world through a lens of religion. But neither is it our place to ignore when personal belief becomes public action. We can accept that some choose to teach their kids the earth is 6000 years old and that dinosaurs are a myth. But if they push for those ideas to be taught in our schools, it’s no longer a question of respecting personal belief.
The idea that rational minded people must be anti-religion is a wrong one, I think. If we must draw a line to divide ourselves, I’d prefer the line be positioned between reasonable and unreasonable people, rather than religious and non-religious people.
It’s one thing to see the world through a lens, and another thing to act as if it’s the only lens that can exist.