On February 29, 2016 New Zealand's Ministry of Interior authorized to conduct a wedding ceremony in the Church of the Flying Pasta Monster. By doing that the authorities recognized the church and now consider it as a religious institution.
The list below presents some of the most bizarre religions of our time. Some people follow them seriously; while others ridicule the conformism and the absurdity of blind faith.
Flying Spaghetti Monster
The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is the deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a social movement that promotes a light-hearted view of religion and opposes the teaching of intelligent design and creationism in public schools.
In 2005, American Bobby Henderson in protest against the decision of the Kansas Department of Education, wanting to introduce into school course the concept of ‘intelligent design’ as an alternative to the theory of evolution, decided to bring in reforms.
Pirates are revered as the first followers of this religion. The FSM community assembles at Henderson's website to share ideas about the Flying Spaghetti Monster and crafts representing images of it, as well as to discuss ‘sightings’ of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
This combination of love for food and praises to the Creator were seen in Russia as well. In July 2013 a Russian Pastafarian Church was established. The Church is fully equipped; it has a congregation, bishops and even ‘pastriarch’ who calls himself Kama Pasta I.
“We do not set any specific rituals that are required to be observed. The main thing for us — is agreement with eight precepts, ‘I wish you did not do it’ and life in accordance with these precepts. Each pastafarian can conduct their own rituals and offer them to the church and we then share them through our website.”
“For example, we recently asked a couple to conduct a wedding ceremony based on pastafarianism. We are currently developing it together with the church,” Kama Pasta I told website Lenta.ru in an interview.
Russian Pastafarian Church Pastriarch II took his religious name Hussama Pasta II (Hu). The Third Pastriarch was appointed in November 2014. In order to become a bishop, one must successfully complete catechism in order to prove one’s knowledge and ability to spread the word of “pasta neophytes.”
Iglesia Maradoniana Religion
The Iglesia Maradoniana is a religion created by fans of the retired Argentine football player Diego Maradona, who they believe to be the best player of all time.
The idea of creating a ‘football faith’ came to 33 years old Hernan Alejandro Verona and Ames in 1986. It was then that their idol led the national team to victory at the World Cup. “I am a Catholic, but there is also a religion that has captured my heart and has become my passion. And that is Diego Maradona,” Veron explained. Now he has thousands of followers worldwide.
Commandments of the Church of Diego Maradona:
1. The ball is never soiled.
2. Love football above all else.
3. Declare unconditional love for Diego and the beauty of football.
4. Defend the Argentina shirt.
5. Spread the news of Diego's miracles throughout the universe.
6. Honor the temples where he played and his sacred shirts.
7. Don't proclaim Diego as a member of any single team.
8. Preach and spread the principles of the Church of Maradona.
9. Make Diego your middle name.
10. Name your first son Diego.
The Church of Bacon
The influx of followers is not in decline due to the fact that the Church organizes free religious weddings, baptisms and funerals basically in Las Vegas. The church advertises itself on billboards.
It all began in 2010, when the leading comic host of Penn's Sunday School show, Penn Jillette, proposed the idea to create an officially registered church with a funny name and then ask for the same rights as other religions (for example, to erect religious buildings and conduct worship services).
Creativity Religion
Creativity is a religious movement that was founded as the Church of the Creator in the state of Illinois by Ben Klassen in 1973. Klassen designed the church to offer an all-encompassing worldview based on veneration of the white race.
The Church preaches the creative superiority of the white race and although they use the word church in their name, it is an atheistic doctrine that denies any non-material phenomena.
Creativity has Sixteen Commandments that deal primarily with adherents' conduct and the Five Fundamental Beliefs of Creativity that sum up the basic doctrines of the movement. Creators are encouraged to narrate those five fundamentals daily.
After Klassen’s death in 1993, the church practically ceased to exist. It was however, revived in three years thanks to the efforts of Matthew F. Hale, the supreme bishop of the church. However, he was jailed for murder in 2003.
Klassen ideas share two separate organizations, ‘Creative Movement’ and ‘Creative Alliance’ (Church of Creativity). Both have four-rite sacraments: weddings, children's treatment, neophytes and funerals.
The American legal and human rights organization Southern Poverty Law Center considers this a neo-Nazi movement.
The Nation of Yahweh
Then there is also the controversial Nation of Yahweh. It was founded in Miami in 1979 by Hulon Mitchell Jr. It is mostly an African-American group aimed to bring its followers who consider themselves African-American Jews to Israel.
The group departs from mainstream Christianity and Judaism by accepting Yahweh ben Yahweh as the Son of God. In this way, its beliefs are unique and distinct from that of other known Black Hebrew Israelite groups.
Yahweh ben Yahweh has called the representatives of the European race ‘white devils’ saying that initially, the Jews had dark skin.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has repeatedly accused this church of racism as well.
