Flying Spaghetti Monster Comes to West Philly April 27, 2006

Well, in spirit, anyway. . .

Bindlestiff Books, a new bookstore at 4530 Baltimore Avenue, is sponsoring a panel discussion on Bobby Henderson's parody, The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Even though the monster may not be present, Bindlestiff promises they're will be pirates. Seems that pirates are a pivotal to the "Pastafarian" beliefs.

Pastafarianism, as it is known to "worshipers," grew out of the controversy over evolution and intelligent design. The FSM was born as a reductio ad absurdum of the intelligent design argument for inclusion in science curriculums. The FSM made it's first appearance in a satirical letter written by Henderson sent last year to the Kansas Board of Education, which voted to teach alternatives to evolution in high school science classes.

Flying Spaghetti Monster web site has become a pop-culture phenomenon, with more than 30 million hits in the past few months and finding fans among the supporters of the theory of evolution.

Participating in the panel will be West Philadelphia author and contributor to the Gospel, J. R. Blackwell. Her essay, "Evidence of a Baker" examines the important relationship between chocolate, pirates, and the existence of a supreme deity, specifically the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Blackwell is also one of the feature writers in 365 Tomorrows (http://www.365tomorrows.com/), recently recognized by Popular Science as a webpick for 2006.

The panel and discussion will be held at Bindlestiff Books on Friday, April 28, at 7:30PM. Pastafarians as well as non-Pastafarians welcome to attend!