A woman in Massachusetts is causing a stir on the Internet after a photograph of her wearing a colander on her head in her driver’s license photo have been circulating the web — all in the name of freedom of religion.
On Friday, Nov. 13, Lindsay Miller of Lowell, Mass., told the Associated Press that she “absolutely loves the history and the story” of Pastafarians, a religious group that is otherwise known as the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
She opted to wear a strainer on her head as part of her religious observance, she added, much the same way that other religions have their own headwear of choice.
According to the Pastafarian website, the the religion has existed “in secrecy for hundreds of years,” but “came into the mainstream just a few years ago.”
“Some claim that the church is purely a thought experiment or satire, illustrating that Intelligent Design is not science, just a pseudoscience manufactured by Christians to push Creationism into public schools,” an explainer on the site reads. “These people are mistaken — The Church of FSM is legit, and backed by hard science. Anything that comes across as humor or satire is purely coincidental.”
A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles told the AP that though head coverings and hats are not allowed in license photos, exceptions are made for religious reasons.
