Using Get Ordained™ and Perform Same Sex Weddings
This is an exciting time for the proponents of marriage equality. The most notable recent development in the fight for the nationwide legalization of same sex marriage was the passing of two measures and a referendum to legalize gay marriage in Maine, Maryland, and Washington on Nov. 6 by voters in those states. The total number of U.S. states where gay marriage is legal has now been bumped up to nine; Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont have previously allowed it.
Much work still needs to be done on this front, however. Only 15% of Americans live in states where gay marriage has been legalized and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prevents same sex marriages from being recognized at the federal level.
Arguably the best way to promote the acceptance of gay marriage amongst people who are uncomfortable with it is to prove to them that gay marriages are very similar to hetrosexual ones and pose no threats to the American family or way of life, as many homophobic people claim they do. Every Universal Life Church minister is able to be a boon to marriage equality in addition to facilitating it by solemnizing same sex marriages.
The Universal Life Church Monastery has long been a supporter of marriage equality, and we actively encourage our ministers to perform same sex weddings. In many cases, same sex couples must turn to ULC ministers or other non-conventional wedding officiants to perform their weddings, as pastors of conventional ones are often instructed to not perform them at all. Our ministers are thus able to play an important role in the fight for marriage equality merely by working with loving same sex couples.
December to Remember: An Example of Why You Should Become Ordained
In order to celebrate the legalization of gay marriage in its home state, the Universal Life Church Monastery will host a free wedding event called "December to Remember" at 10 a.m. on Dec. 15 where 15 gay and straight couples will get married.
The ULC Monastery has worked hard to ensure that this event, which will take place at a beautiful, historic West Seattle wedding venue called The Sanctuary at Admiral, will be completely free for all the couples who participate. Every couple will get the venue, flowers, live music, cake, photographers, wedding officiant, and more all at no cost. All things included, every couple will receive services worth more than $5000 at December to Remember without paying a single penny.
All of this would not be possible without the support of the Seattlebusiness community; they have repeatedly demonstrated their support of same sex marriage since it was passed and are extraordinarily munificent in their contributions to it. But, when you look past material support, you realize that the people who are going to officiate the December to Remember weddings (the 15 Universal Life Church wedding officiants who have generously volunteered their time and services) are ultimately the people who will make the entire event special. Each of these wedding officiants will unite a loving couple into a social contract they have been looking for years if not decades to make. Tears of joy and beaming faces will abound!
This event is open to the public; please join us if you would like to celebrate love and marriage equality with us!
It is Quick and Easy to Become a Minister on Get Ordained™
Interested in performing same sex weddings but legally unable to do so? Fear not! It is incredibly easy to become a minister on Get Ordained™ through the ULC Monastery.
While other churches require their pastors-in-training to get degrees from bible schools, seminaries, and theological colleges before they can become ordained a process that takes three or more years and tens of thousands of dollars in tuition alone the Universal Life Church ordination can be acquired online in a matter of minutes. This means that you can transform from a simple layperson to an officially-ordained minister capable of performing gay weddings in the time it takes you to get dressed.
Follow these simple instructions to become ordained:
On any page of getordained.org, click on the blue "Begin Your Free Ordination" button found in the upper right hand corner.
Read the information found on the page that loads after you click this button; it will teach you about the ordination process and what you can do with your online ordination once you become ordained.
Click on the green "Continue Your Ordination" link at the bottom of the text mentioned in Step 2 once you are ready to become ordained.
Fill out the web form that appears on the Universal Life Church Monastery's main site once you have been directed there by entering your full legal name, preferred email address, and mailing address. Click on the "Submit Ordination Request" button once you have finished filling out this form. You will officially become a minister as soon as you click this button. Make sure to contact the Universal Life Church staff if you do not receive an informational confirmation email from them soon after you become ordained.
Note that you were never asked to make a payment during this process; the ULC's online ordination process is completely free. You may be required to present some form of ministerial documentation, like an ordination credential certificate, if you want to perform a wedding or work as a chaplain, however. These forms of documentation must be purchased from the Ministry Products section.
About the Legitimacy of the Universal Life Church Ordination
The world is populated by a small but vocal group of naysayers who believe that the ease with which one can become ordained by the Universal Life Church makes their ordination less "valid" or "legitimate" than those issued by conventional churches. This is not the case. By all counts, the Universal Life Church Monastery is a valid and legitimate church; it is registered as a non profit corporation in the State of Washington, the same filing that Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and all other conventional churches in Washington have. The U.S. Constitution's Free Establishment Clause also protects the legitimacy of the ULC in that no level of government can decide that one church is less legitimate than their peers; it would thus be unconstitutional for government officials to say that the Universal Life Church is not a "real" church.
All of this means that the Universal Life Church's ordinations are equally as valid and legitimate as those issued by the Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist churches. Simply put, the 48 states who recognize the ULC's ordination and allow our ministers to solemnize marriages (and perform gay weddings) do so for a reason they do not see the Universal Life Church in a different light from conventional churches.
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