Bob Henderson: “I get about 20 sightings of the Flying Spaghetti Monster every week”

Antonio Martinez. When you look back, what do you feel about the phenomenon you’ve created?

Bob Henderson. I feel a lot of things. Much of the time I’m amazed at all that’s happened, that so many people have joined in the movement, that we’ve created this enormous community.  I am grateful that we’re still a peaceful, open-minded group.  The culture has remained positive throughout all of this, I think that Pastafarians are amazing people. 

A.M. Four years later, is Creationism still strong in Kansas? What's the situation in the US regarding to this question?

B.H. Kansas is a world of its own. There are a lot of Creationists in public office who believe it is their Duty to God to promote the beliefs of the church into their work.  What seems obvious to us – that religion has no part in government and schools, or at the very least, that a *specific chosen* religion has no place there – is not obvious to religious nuts.  All the well-reasoned discussion in the world is not going to get through to them.  We have to stay diligent.

A.M. After your experience, do you think that sense of humour is a good way to fight religious fundamentalism?

B.H. Well, nothing gets through to religious nuts.  They reject rational argument. Humor at their expense might encourage them more, perhaps make them feel victimized.  But, there is a lot of truth in humor – it sheds light on a situation.  There’s nothing wrong with ridiculing someone with a ridiculous view.

A.M. How many pastafarians are there in the world at this moment?

B.H. It’s hard to estimate – I don’t keep a registry of members – but I’m going to estimate there are around 80,000 people who have at one time or another referred to themselves as Pastafarians. And there are many more who support our movement.

A.M. What would you say to those who think that you are ridiculing religion?

B.H. I think there’s some truth to that. But so what. There are a lot of outrageous things about religion. 

A.M.. Did you ever regret being the ‘Messiah’?

B.H. Yes.  It has taken over my life, there’s no escaping it. Sometimes I’m very burnt out with it all.  But as long as people want to continue, I’ll do the best I can.

A.M. How many pictures of the FSM do you receive?

B.H.  Probably about 20 sightings a week. My favorites are always the ones that are found, not planned.  I like seeing the FSM in nature.

A.M. How many hate-mails do you get? Did you ever get really upset with one of those mails?

B.H. I don’t get that many hate mails anymore. A few a week, I guess.  I don’t mind them, I don’t get upset unless it’s personal. Once, a guy tracked me down and tried to get me kicked out of my apartment building.

A.M. Who was that man and what did he tell you?

B.H. I don't know who he was. The manager of the apartment building told me that he was getting phone calls from someone saying that I was a running a cult.  It was all ok after I explained some things.

A.M. What would be different if Pastafarism was the main religion in the world?

B.H. I’m not sure I want Pastafarianism to grow larger than it is now.  At some point an organization grows so large that it becomes impossible to manage it without paid employees.  Once money is in the picture, a lot of credibility is lost.  Right now, no one can say FSM is about money. No one pays anything to be part of the community.   We’re at that point now, where we need better management and organization, and that’s very hard to do without resources. 

A.M. Did you ever earn any money? I mean, you published the Gospel of Pastafarism, did’nt you?

B.H. Yeah, the book has earned some money. All of the proceeds are going to help fund the pirate ship. 

A.M. Which are your goals for the future?

B.H. Often, I feel conflicted that I should be doing more to further the goals of the Church.  We still don’t have a pirate ship, and we still have not gained tax-exempt status from the US Government – those two things I feel are personal failures on my part and they are my top priority in the near future.

A.M. When you wrote the first letter, what were you thinking about? I mean, what inspired you or made you think about spaghetti?

B.H. I tell people that I had a vision. I don’t have any idea where it came from.

A.M. Has HE (FSM) told you something about the international economic crisis we are living? What is HE expecting us to do?

B.H. I think He tries to stay out of politics.