Dutch High Court Rules Pastafarianism Is Not A Religion

The Guardian reported yesterday that Netherlands highest court, the Council of State, has ruled that law student Mienke de Wilde who is a Pastafarian cannot wear a colander on her head in her passport and drivers license photo. While Dutch law allows the head to be partially covered for such photos for genuine religious reasons, the court ruled that the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster lacks the seriousness and coherence required of a religion.  The court said:

It is important to be able to criticise religious dogma freely through satire but that does not make such criticism a serious religion.