The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Bobby Henderson is a smart guy. But writing a book with a bunch of jokes at religion’s expense is way too easy. People believe in God because of faith, not scientific evidence. Harping on that fact is lazy, even if it is sometimes funny (a section called “The Eight ‘I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts’” is an example of funny and lazy). Henderson was right to take the Kansas Board of Education to task on intelligent design. But I’m reviewing Flying Spaghetti Monster the book, not the idea. This tome’s explication of its titular creator of the universe would have worked better had it actually been written as a Gospel. Thus, it would seem deadly serious—and therefore funnier. Instead, all the potshots and more-scientific-than-thou posturing is smug and stupid, just like Henderson’s targets.