The FSM Movement, Essay Example

What is the purpose of the FSM movement?

The Flying Spaghetti Monster movement is a hypothetical letter to the Kansas School Board. The purpose of the letter is to point out how dangerous it is when intelligent design is treated with the same validity as evolution. The author takes the position that he adheres to a faith that believes a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the Universe. At one point the author points out that his religious following is 10 million strong and that they will take legal action if their position is not taken seriously. This points out the fact that the power to teach, and to lead and to dictate policy can be taken or manipulated by anyone aggressive enough to fight for their beliefs and build a following, regardless of how illogical those beliefs may be.

Why is it important that a separation between church and state was established?

Both the video and the letter clearly show that the separation between church and state are important because the states control what’s taught in the schools, and if the church had that authority to dictate what’s taught in schools they would teach doctrine similar to The Flying Spaghetti God creations story students would be indoctrinated to believe as the Church teaches them, as opposed to learning from consensus. Outside of just schools though, states decide key aspects of legislation that if the Church were to get involved in these functions, those deciding laws would be the same individuals who believe in concepts like the Flying Spaghetti Monster creating the universe.

What does this week’s lesson teach us about the definitions of the words theory and fact in scientific understanding? Why is it important to know this?

The difference between theory and fact based on scientific understanding is that theories hold more weight than facts. The word ‘theory’ implies that the term is open for debate, while ‘facts’ are normally considered as absolute truths. The reality is facts should be debated because they are rarely questioned but easily manipulated, while theories tend to be more concrete since they are the product of historically documented studies.