Update: Canadian Court Rules Against Pastafarian in Religious Headgear Case [View all]

From Friendly Atheist blog:

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Last week, the Supreme Court of British Columbia decided to uphold the BC Human Rights Tribunal’s dismissal of religious discrimination claims made by an ordained Pastafarian minister who was not permitted to wear a pirate’s tricorn in his driver’s license photo.

In 2019, Gary Smith attempted to renew his license while wearing the hat, which he claimed as an expression of his religious beliefs. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) refused to issue the license, citing the hat as a violation of their rules, so Smith brought the case to the Human Rights Tribunal in what BC’s Civil Liberties Association called “a very interesting constitutional challenge and test case.”

But the Human Rights Tribunal disagreed, drawing a distinction between actual religion and satire.

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A quick glance at the origins of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster — which grew out of an argument against Intelligent Design in the classroom — might support the court’s decision. But it’s worth noting that the official bodies of other countries and regions have reached different conclusions about the validity of Pastafarianism as a religious statement. The Pastafarian colander has been recognized as religious headgear in Austria, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, and some American states. Governments in the Netherlands and New Zealand have given the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster official recognition.

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A bit more at link:
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2021/03/04/update-canadian-court-rules-against-pastafarian-in-religious-headgear-case/

Disappointing.