Internet Ministers Defrocked
Katherine Mangu-Ward | September 12, 2007, 2:50pm
Two people whose marriage broke up after 7 months are trying to
ruin the fun of getting married by an Internet minister for the rest of us:
[The couple] wondered if the ceremony performed by a friend ordained via the Internet was even valid under state law. Now a York County [Pennsylvania] judge has ruled that it was not.
Half of the (sorta) divorced couple, Dorie Heyer, "said she agreed such a ceremony did not have legal standing. "It makes a mockery out of the whole marriage system."
For many people, this is the whole point. After all, there's no reason on God's green Earth (or Gaia's green Earth, if you prefer), that having a "regularly established church or congregation" makes you especially qualified to OK a marriage contract.
I'm taking the news rather personally, since I was hoping to be married by my sister--a proud clergywoman of the Universal Life Church--next month. There's bound to be a legal challenge to the ruling, but not soon enough to save me from the county clerk's office, I fear.
The Pennsylvania House is considering legislation that would exclude churches or congregations that offer ordinations by mail or through electronic means.
G. Martin Freeman, Universal Life Church Monastery president, said he hopes to challenge Cook's ruling.
Freeman said the decision to accept some ministers but not others was arbitrary and would violate the constitutional separation of church and state.
The New York Times recently ran a story on this conundrum as well called "Great Wedding! But Was It Legal?"
NOTA BENE: Of course, some people have bigger problems than I do getting their marriages legally recognized.
Universal Life Church | September 17, 2007, 7:32pm | #
Press Release Monday, September 17, 2007
Contact: G. Martin Freeman, President (206) 285-1086 - webmaster@themonastery.org
On, September 7, 2007 a York County judge invalidated a marriage officiated by a Universal Life Church minister on the grounds that his ordination was illegitimate. The Universal Life Church Monastery is the largest online church in the world and Rev. Adam Johnston is one of millions of ministers ordained through our church.
Our records show that Rev. Adam Johnston was a Universal Life Church ordained minister prior to the marriage of Dorie E. Heyer and Jacob T. Hollerbush on the 24th of August, 2006. The brevity of this marriage, as with many other marriages in America, reflects not on the legitimacy of the Universal Life Church minister but on the couple themselves. It is inappropriate for this couple to blame the failure of their marriage on the ULC administered ceremony.
We have not seen transcripts Judge Cook’s ruling regarding the authorization of Rev. Adam Johnston to perform marriages under Pennsylvania statutes. It is our position that any infringement upon the rights of our ministers is an infringement on the protections of the First Amendment which guarantees:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
As such, it is apparent that Judge Cook’s decision is an impermissible attack upon the constitution. Moreover, the Universal Life Church Monastery is prepared to take the following action:
1. Enlist the involvement of the ACLU along with our own Constitutional counsel to bring action in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. [42 USC 1985]
2. Name the county officials in their individual and official capacity in a Federal lawsuit for making arbitrary and capricious decisions under the premise of color of law.
3. Seek a declaratory judgment asking that the Federal Judiciary enjoin York County officials and the state of PA from making further decisions as to the legitimacy of one church over another.
We consider this issue very important to the defense of religious freedoms for all people . Our church has over 20 million ministers who demand the rights and protections granted by the Constitution. We are willing to conduct interviews and provide additional press material in order to expose this issue and defend the cause of religious freedom around the world.
G. Martin Freeman, President
Universal Life Church Monastery
Revered Michael Meakin, D.D., ULC | September 17, 2007, 10:58pm | #
For those ULC ministers like myself, who found error, bigotry, and predjudice in many Christian denominations, the Universal Life Church provided a God-send to a faith journey that culminated in renouncing organized religion for it's atrocities. I was ordained in 2003, one year after renouncing the Catholic Faith and ending both my affiliation with Catholicism and the Catholic Seminary. Determined not to let anyone but the Lord "lord it over me," I was intrigued by immediate ordination, inter/multi-faith non-denominationalism, and the freedom to teach and preach as the Spirit of God reveals to me without being dictated to by letcherous, sexually repressed old men in $5000 dresses. I would now give my life for the ULC; it saved me from a life of regret and despair; I would be proud to serve it in any capacity; and ready to defend all it's ministers whether they are Satanists or Christians like myself. Since I am a Disabled American Veteran, on a disability pension from the Veteran's Administration, if I were to receive a salary for ministerial duties, I would lose a dollar from my pension for every dollar I made. Since I am a resident of the local housing commission in a building for the elderly and disabled, I am proud to offer Sunday Services on a volunteer basis for my fellow neighbors, and happy whether there are 2 one week or 12 the next... Realizing, of course, that some persons use the ULC for a whim, I wish this weren't the case; but I am FAR more trained for ministry than Jesus or any of His disciples were. A graduate of the U. S. Army Chaplain School, and having attended seminaries both in the United States and Rome, Italy, I am sickened with the thought of having to "surrender" my will over to the heirarchy of some denomination that tells me what I MUST believe and preach. God bless the Universal LIfe Church, it's founders the Hensley's, it's administrators, and all my fellow ministers whether Christian or Agnostic.
Education of Reverend Michael Ray Meakin, D.D., ULC
Since I have renounced the Catholic faith, I have substituted the English language word that is synonymous with Catholic: (Universal)
Saint John Vianney Seminary, University of Saint Thomas; St. Paul, MN; 1999
Theology: Introduction to (Universal) Tradition 4 Credit Hours A-
The Christian Theological Tradition 4 Credit Hours A
The Old Testament 4 Credit Hours A
The New Testament 4 Credit Hours A-
The Epistles of Paul 4 Credit Hours A-
Christian Literature: Medieval to Modern 4 Credit Hours A-
Philosophy: The Philosophy of Human Person 4 Credit Hours A
Ethics 4 Credit Hours B
Faith and Doubt 4 Credit Hours B-
The (Universal) Vision 4 Credit Hours B+
Other: Critical Reading and Writing I 4 Credit Hours A
Critical Reading and Writing II 4 Credit Hours A-
General Psychology 4 Credit Hours B-
Pastoral Ministry 2 Credit Hours B
Pastoral Ministry Experience in
Hennepin County HOSPICE
Understanding Music in Christian Culture 4 Credit Hours A
Elementary Latin 4 Credit Hours C
Writing in Academic Discourse 4 Credit Hours C+
Writing Poetry & Fiction 4 Credit Hours B+
American History From a Global 4 Credit Hours B+
Perspective
Major: (Universal) Studies Named to Dean’s List 4 of 6 Semesters
St. Meinrad Seminary, St, Meinrad, IN; 2002
Philosophy: Intensive Spiritual Growth 2 Credit Hours A
(Credit through University of St. Thomas; St. Paul, MN)
Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas In The City; Rome, Italy; 2002
(Credit through University of St. Thomas; St. Paul, MN)
Theology: Church and Culture in Europe 4 Credit Hours A
(Universal) Classical Literature 4 Credit Hours A-
Christian Democracy: 4 Credit Hours B- Topics in the Politics & Economics of Europe
Philosophy: The History of Medieval Philosophy 4 Credit Hours B
Other: Italian I (2 Credit Hours) RETAKE
Italian I 2 Credit Hours B
Italian II 2 Credit Hours B
Pastoral Ministry Experience No Credit
(Sisters of Mercy Home; Rome, Italy)
Pontifical Seminary, University of St. Gregory The Great; Rome, Italy; 2002
Church Latin No Credit OBSERVER
United States Army Chaplain Center and School; Ft. Monmouth, NJ; 1990
Distinguished Honor Graduate (Grade Point Average 4.0) 358 Hours Total Training
Religious Support 4 Credit Hours A
Pastoral Ministry 4 Credit Hours A
Psychological Support 4 Credit Hours A
Interpersonal Communications 2 Credit Hours A
Fund Accounting 2 Credit Hour A
Communication Skills 2 Credit Hours A
Business Communications 2 Credit Hours A
Jewish Tradition 4 Credit Hours A
Christian Tradition 4 Credit Hours A
Muslim Tradition 4 Credit Hours A
Basic Computer Skills 2 Credit Hours A
Word Processing 2 Credit Hours A
Information Resourcing 2 Credit Hours A
Office Skills 2 Credit Hours A
Physical Conditioning/ Education 1 Credit Hour A
Total: 137 Credit Hours
Cumulative Grade Point Average: 3.391
Ordination: March 10, 2003; Universal Life Church; Modesto, CA
Doctor of Divinity Conferred: (Retroactive to Ordination) September 12, 2007; Universal Life Church Monastery; Seattle, WA.
