In 2005, Bobby Henderson sent a satirical letter to the Kansas State Board of Education voicing "concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution." He then demanded that public schools provide equal time for the teachings of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a deity he invented to make a point about the separation of church and state in education. After the letter was posted to the internet, it went viral, and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or "Pastafarianism," was born. Since 2005, members of the church have created a set of doctrines and beliefs associated with the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Courts in the United States have specifically found Pastafarianism not to be a protected religion under Title VII, but the Netherlands and New Zealand have actually officially recognized the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and it receives protections in those countries.
What factors do you think we should use to determine whether a person has sincerely held religious beliefs? Do we have an ethical obligation to respect all religions equally, even if we think they are not legitimate? Why or why not? If the United States recognized Pastafarianism as a legitimate religion, would that mean it would also have to recognize any "religion," no matter how whimsical and unserious it might be? What would be the effect of doing so?