Reply to Theology of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

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[quote=Anonymous][quote]We are, however, asking you to read what we write. The point the PP with the video was making is that the FSM responds to a false notion of what religion is all about - nobody believes in a grey-bearded guy up there, be they Christian, Jewish or Muslim.[/quote]

Actually, the PP with the video just said, "If you are an atheist, and you think serious believers believe in a God who is some sort of "sky fairy," "invisible friend," or "flying spaghetti monster," I challenge you to take on the argument put forward by the learned Robert Barron, STD." which I believe several of us did. I was the 11:10 poster. I think his position that God is the "essence of being" is a retreat in the face of scientific advances to the point that God is effectively irrelevant, and the position does nothing to support any Biblical aspect of Christian theology.  I think several others interpreted it in a similar way.

I would also contend, although I lack any data to support this, that your concept of "serious believers" is an example of the "No true Scotsman" fallacy. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of Christians hold the vision of Heaven as God, Jesus, Mary and the angels floating around in a nimbus-y haze, and they still imagine "God the Father" as something like the bug guy with the white beard. After all, they have lots of images of Jesus, things like the hand of God in the "Creation of Adam" in the Sistine Chapel, etc. I would argue that many more believers, excluding, of course, your "serious believers," believe in the concept of "walking with Jesus" rather than God as the "essence of being."

As far as your contention that the FSM isn't what "serious believers" believe about the nature of God and that it's an inaccurate representation of what religion is about, my first response would be, "Yep. You're right, but it's a parody."

However, I would also argue that the aspect of Christianity that it is parodying is a similarly poor an inaccurate representation of what religion is about. The creationists who struggle to reconcile Biblical literalism with science are a small but vocal bunch of conservative zealots, and the silliness of the FSM model provides a good foil for [b]their[/b] vision of Christianity that they'd like to force down everyone else's throat.[/quote]

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