This spring break, I traveled south to the exotic locale of Shiloh, a small suburb just a hop, skip and a jump away from the now-infamous town of Dover, which made national news thanks to its recent argument regarding intelligent design's place, or lack thereof, in the classroom.

Thanks to the civil discourse between its citizens, Pat Robertson's proclamation that God would smite the town, and The Daily Show's segment about the rural community, Dover became CNN's Brangelina. But rest assured, Dover isn't the only town struggling to come to terms with religion's place in the world.

In Bobby Henderson's The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Henderson shares his personal religious beliefs -- the world was, in fact, created by the Flying Spaghetti Monster (otherwise known as the FSM).

Henderson released the theory in response to the Kansas Board of Education's debate about teaching intelligent design, writing a satirical letter to the board expressing his beliefs that to be fair, every theory of creation should find its way into the classroom.

Although it should be obvious this book is a farce, I was amazed by how thoroughly Henderson was able to back up his theories. Charts, maps, theories, even illustrations grace this book in an attempt to explain the theory of creation Henderson dubs, "Pastafarianism."

Pastafarians believe that creation occurred thanks to the undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster, who created the world thanks to his "noodly appendage," starting with a mountain, some trees and a midget. Not to worry, though; the introduction includes a disclaimer, stating: "To prevent angering the little people community, we suggest that this book be placed on the very highest shelf possible."

According to The Gospel, when one experiences difficult times, it's important to ask "WWAPD?" -- What would a pirate do?

The only way I can think of to explain the role of the pirate is through an SAT-like analogy: Jesus is to Christianity as Pirates are to Pastafarianism. The Gospel says pirates will do things like "Find Thee A Wench!" and "Obtain a parrot," and thus we should, too. After all, Henderson fully believes we evolved from pirates, not apes.

After praying to the deity, one concludes his or her prayer by substituting the traditional "Amen" with "Ramen." Clever, no? Henderson's book has an explanation for everything, from why kiwi birds are flightless to global warming.

Although the book is a hoot, it's written in such a way that I guarantee there will be those who pay homage to the "noodly appendage," celebrating "pastover" -- the holiday in which the angel hair pasta of death passes over any house that has sauce smeared above the doorstop.

Henderson's book is a satirical jab at basically all things religious, and while I'm sure they'll be plenty of people screaming blasphemy, there will also be plenty of people laughing their rosaries off. In fact, there's even a section called "Bobby Answers the Big Questions," in which Henderson answers questions about the FSM, making sure to equally offend all religions.

The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is a humorous and refreshing poke at a serious and controversial topic. While a little too much at times, Henderson's text provides an amusing read for anyone who wants to practice a religion that doesn't take itself too seriously. After all, where else is a religious holiday defined by any day spent in the company of pirates? Grade: A-