First ever church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster opens in Russia

This article is very interesting especially with Russia's very complicated relationship with religion. According to Russia Beyond the Headlines an project led by Rossiyskaya Gazeta the Church of the Flying Spagetti Monster opened its doors in Nizhny Novgorod. According to the article "Pastafarianism (followers of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster) is a so-called parody religion that emerged in the United States after physics graduate Bobby Henderson protested against the Kansas State Board of Education’s decision to allow the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in science classes." This Religion is at most a joke, created by Atheists to display the absurdity of some religious belief.

This is a very strange development especially after the 1997 Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations. That law makes it very difficult for new religions to form in Russia, and it assures domination of the Russian Eastern Orthodox Church. A religion that parodies and makes fun of religion could prove to be very inflammatory to the Orthodox Church which holds a lot of political influence. It may not be long before they crack down on this religion.

Links: http://rbth.com/politics_and_society/2016/03/29/first-ever-church-of-the-flying-spaghetti-monster-opens-in-russia_580129
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_on_Freedom_of_Conscience_and_Religious_Associations