title:  Pastafarian Fights Georgia For Right To Wear Colander In License Photo — Will Probably Win
text: Pastafarianism is a fairly new religion. Its adherents are atheistic in belief, and they worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The religion took off in 2005, founded by Bobby Henderson in response to the Kansas Board of Education s decision to allow so-called  Intelligent Design    which is nothing more than biblical creationism in a very transparent disguise   to be taught as a valid point of view in public schools. Ever since the religion became popular with non believers everywhere, Pastafarians have been fighting for the same rights that every other religion has   including the right to wear religious headgear in driver s license photos. For Pastafarians that means wearing colanders in their photos.The latest fight in this arena comes from Chris Avino of Georgia. Avino was allowed to wear the colander in a temporary driver s license photo, but the decision was reversed for the picture that would be used on his permanent document. Officials insist that the state of Georgia  does not deem it appropriate to allow customers to be issued identification cards of licenses that portray satirical or offensive points of view.  This ruling comes courtesy of Angelique McClendon, an attorney for Georgia s Georgia Department of Driver Services. McClendon s decision comes because she says that while headdresses, scarves, and veils can be worn in photos for religious purposes, that a colander is not a veil, scarf or headdress. A colander is a kitchen utensil commonly used for  washing or draining food. McClendon also went on to condemn Pastafarianism altogether, saying that it is  not a religion,  but instead philosophy that mocks religion. Avino, however, took his cause to Twitter, and seems to be considering taking the state through the legal system regarding his religious right to wear his colander. He answered McClendon s ruling by saying: Just because a colander is not traditionally used as a headdress does not mean that it cannot serve that purpose. In fact, it does serve that purpose for the tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, of believers who claim Pastafarianism as their religion.You may find our beliefs to be strange, but as strange as you may feel they are, they are still our beliefs. Some may find it strange that Christians believe that Jonah spent  3 days in a whale s belly  according to some texts. Some may find it strange that Muslims believe that Muhammad was carried to the seven heavens on the back of a winged horse. Some may find it strange that Scientologists believe that Xenu, the dictator of the Galactic Confederacy brought billions of people to earth in a DC-8-like spacecraft, stacked them around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. Maybe you, the reader of this letter, do not personally believe that Muhammad flew to heaven on a winged horse, but do you question the validity of Islam as a religion? He went on to make the very valid point that it is not up to the state to decide which religions deserved recognition, and that if they recognize one, they must recognize all. Our religion exists. It is legitimate. It s claims are no less valid than the claims of other recognized religions. I am in no way breaking the law or breaking any rules by wearing my religion s headdress, a colander, during my driver s license photo. But DDS is. DDS is infringing on my 1st amendment right to express my religious beliefs freely within the laws of the United States of America, within the laws of the state of Georgia, and within the rules of the DDS. The thing is, when you strip away the commonality and acceptance of mainstream religions like Christianity and such without question, they are no more valid than Pastafarianism. There is not a shred of evidence that any of them are true. Therefore, if Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and others get recognition, Pastafarianism should as well. Chris Avino is right. It is not up to the state to decide that his religion deserves no recognition. All religions are equally ridiculous, and I champion his right to wear his colander.Sue the pants off them, Mr. Avino, and wear your religious colander with pride.Featured image via Twitter/Raw Story