Last month, the Taiwanese authorities became the first government in Asia to recognise a Pastafarian organisation. Called the Humanistic Pastafarianism in Taiwan (台灣人文煮意麵團), the group has attracted about 30 sign-ups and has more than 2,000 fans on Facebook. The Humanist Society (Singapore) talks to one of its representatives, Kevin Feng (酆景文), to find out more.
Why did you decide to form this organisation?
Kevin: In February 2017, we really needed an administrative platform to organise our activities. However, we require at least 30 pioneering members to register an organisation in Taiwan. To attract more people, we decided to form a Pastafarian organisation.
When was your organisation approved?
Kevin: Although we have submitted our application at the end of March this year, it was not approved until August. The law requires the government to approve applications within two months. Thus, the waiting time has already exceeded the legally-allowed time considerably.
What questions did the government pose? How did you answer them?
Kevin: The official-in-charge felt that from the name alone, “Humanistic Pastafarianism”, it is not possible to tell that the organisation is religious in nature. He hoped that we can either change the name or not register the organisation as a religious group.
We replied with three points. Our first point was that “pasta” is a very religious word to our believers and according to Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, governments should respect the right of religions to “use their own language.”
Secondly, in the Netherlands and New Zealand, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has already been recognised by the government. Thus, there is a historical precedent and our application is not something that is out of thin air.
Thirdly, Taiwan has other religious groups that are not religious in an obvious sense, from the perspective of an average person. For example, some groups are called Social Behavior Research Society (社会行为研究社). According to Section 6 of the Administrative Procedure Act (Taiwan): “The rule of administrative behaviour is to grant equal favours to all unless there are proper reasons otherwise.”
Photo above: Kevin (second from left) with some fellow humanists at the Taiwanese Humanism Studio, a local humanist group that preceded Taiwanese Pastafarianism.
Your organisation’s name “人文煮意面团” is very unique! Can you explain it?
Kevin: We hope we can merge humanism and Pastafarianism, allowing Pastafarians to have a richer history and possess greater information resources. It also allows our organisation, beyond having entertainment, to learn new knowledge and serve the society through civil society initiatives and various activities. Thus, we have used similar sounding words in Mandarin in our name, allowing both sides to merge.
(Translator’s note: The Mandarin word for humanism is ren wen zhu yi “人文主义” but the Taiwanese have cleverly replaced the zhu yi 主义, which provides the suffix “-ism”, to “煮意”, with a deliberately identical pronunciation zhu yi but actually carries the word 煮, “cooking.” This is because pasta need to be cooked.)
What is the reaction from the Taiwanese public?
Kevin: Through this name, we have quickly attracted about 30 members. However, within the Pastafarian organisation, critics have accused our implementation of membership fees as an act of fraud. Some have argued that humanism is not Pastafarian enough.
What are your organisation’s beliefs?
Kevin: We believe that the Flying Spaghetti Monster, in his drunkenness, fell down and caused a thunderbolt that created the world. To test human’s intelligence, the FSM created religion. However, humans’ IQs were too low and they completely believed the FSM’s bullshit. As a result, the FSM created humanism and from the Renaissance onwards, started to allow more and more humans to leave religion. Today, the FSM felt it’s time to tell the world about His great salvation plan, and reveal the relationship between FSM and humanism.
What kind of activities will you organise?
Kevin: We will organise gatherings, lectures and ceremonies, allowing more opportunities for people to become believers.
We will proactively stabilise conflicts between the religious and secular values, accommodate same-sex marriages, address religious oppression of women, as well as address religious infiltration into our education and political systems. Although there is no god besides the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and that it is not moral to wipe out other religions, at least we should be able to use humanism and secular systems to resist these injustices.
Will you wear pirate attire, or wear pasta strainers?
Kevin: Currently, we are still waiting for an edict from the FSM.
What is your favourite noodle?
Kevin: Instant noodles (泡面), because Taiwanese instant noodles contain meat. It is both convenient and delicious!
Which one do you prefer? Western-style spaghetti, or Taiwanese noodles? Why?
Kevin: As long the pasta is a great divine being, we will like them all. What we cannot predict is, should Taiwan have two types of pasta, there could be sectarian conflict in the future.
What is your message to the world?
Kevin: In Pastafarianism, there are pirates, beer and humanism.
We model ourselves after Confucius’s 《Great Learning》: “The way of great learning is in illustrating virtue, in loving people, and in only stopping when perfect goodness is attained.”
Original Chinese Interview
你为什么决定组建这个组织？
2017二月，办活动非常需要行政平台，然而在台湾筹组人民团体需要30个发起人，必须用些梗来招募足够的人，所以我们决定成为面教团体。
贵组织何时批准？
我们三月底时送件，但一直到八月中才被批准，已经延迟法定时间很多，因为法律规定政府要在两个月内批准。
政府问你什么问题？你是怎么回答的？
承办人认为「人文煮意面团」这个名字无法看出是宗教，希望我们改名，或者不要申请为宗教社团。
我回应有三，第一是「面」对我们信徒来说已经是很宗教的字，根据于民国九十八年生效之《公民与政治权力之国际公约》第二十七条，政府应该要尊重宗教「使用固有语言之权利」。
第二是在荷兰与纽西兰，飞天面神教已经是被政府认可的宗教，有其来历而非凭空胡扯。
第三是台湾有其他宗教团体，一般人也看不出来其宗教性，比如叫「社会行为研究社」，根据行政程序法第六条规定：「行政行为，非有正当理由，不得为差别待遇。 」
该组织的名字 “人文煮意面团” 非常特别！你可以解释一下吗
我们希望能结合人文主义和面教，让面教能有更深厚的历史渊源与学术资源，让我们社团除了娱乐外，也能从事学术知识、社会服务、社会运动等事务，因此我们用了台湾官话的谐音：人文煮意面，将两者结合。
台湾公众有什么反应？
透过这名字，我们很快的凑集30人，不过在飞天面神教脸书社团中，有人攻击我们，认为我们收取会员费是诈骗行为，或者是批评人文主义不够面教。
你的组织信仰是什么？
我们相信面神喝醉酒跌倒引发大霹雳创造宇宙后，为了检验人类的智商，创造了「宗教」，人类智力实在太低全面沦陷于宗教的屁话，为此面神创造人文主义，从文艺复兴时期开始逐步让越来越多人脱离宗教。直到今日，面神认为可以告诉世人上述的伟大救赎计画，让人文主义与面神的关系公诸于世。
你会组织什么活动？
定期举办宗教聚会，会有讲道和仪式，让更多人有机会成为信徒。
积极平衡宗教与世俗价值的冲突，包含同性婚姻、宗教对女性的压迫、宗教介入教育与政治。毕竟除了面神外没有其他的神，消灭其他宗教并不道德，但至少我们能以人文主义和世俗体制来反抗。
你会穿海盗衣服，穿面条过滤器吗？
目前还在等候面神的旨意。
你最喜欢的面条是什么？
泡面，因为台湾的泡面是有肉的，好吃又方便。
你喜欢西式意大利面或台湾面吗？为什么？
只要是面都是伟大的神，都喜欢。不过值得一提的是，在台湾意面有两种，搞不好日后会形成教派之争。
你对世界的信息是什么？
面神之道，在海盗旗，在啤酒，在人文主义。
模仿(大学之道，在明明德，在亲民，在止于至善。 ——摘孔子《大学》)
