I'm an ordained minister!

[sanantone]

At first, I thought it was funny that I could become an ordained minister for free just by filling out an online form. Then, I started to read about the history of the Universal Life Church. It was founded by a former Pentecostal reverend in 1959 who accepted that religious beliefs differ from person to person. This church really believes in the freedom of religion, not that fake religious freedom talk these days where people only respect fundamentalist Judeo-Christian beliefs. This church's online ordination process is also a tool to use against the unconstitutional requirements that one be ordained by a religion in order to officiate weddings if he or she is not a judge or magistrate. Not only is this a problem for those wanting a secular marriage, but this is also a problem for interfaith marriages where the couple doesn't want to choose a side for the ceremony. It's also a problem for people who live in rural or less religiously diverse areas and can't find an officiant of the domination/religion of their choosing. People shouldn't be forced to choose to have their marriage officiated by a judge with whom they have no personal connection. Fortunately, there is a sign that these laws might be struck down. A federal court ruled that Indiana's law is unconstitutional.
Indiana court rules in favor of secular marriage: Big win for the nonreligious.

Even though my ordination was free, I do have to pay $8.99 for an ordination certificate. One thing I don't like about Universal Life Church is that it's a diploma mill. They will sell Doctor of Divinity certificates to anyone. I won't be buying one of those.