Becoming a minister online?

[freebie]

It has been awhile since I have been hear due to leaving a cult and questioning my faith which was a good thing because I found God through the process though I have never became a member of a church, but do go to church. Well two years ago my daughter and son-in-law were getting married and tried to find someone to marry them. They could not find anyone and tried to get a friend of theirs to go online and become an online minister to marry them but the friend flaked so I went online and became an online minister. I have never mentioned this to anyone at the church especially the pastor because I feel that they will ridicule me for it and trying to take a short cut. I guess my question is are online places that ordain you legitimate and can I use it to share my faith. Any help WILL appreciated. Thank you.

 

[juvenissun]

It has been awhile since I have been hear due to leaving a cult and questioning my faith which was a good thing because I found God through the process though I have never became a member of a church, but do go to church. Well two years ago my daughter and son-in-law were getting married and tried to find someone to marry them. They could not find anyone and tried to get a friend of theirs to go online and become an online minister to marry them but the friend flaked so I went online and became an online minister. I have never mentioned this to anyone at the church especially the pastor because I feel that they will ridicule me for it and trying to take a short cut. I guess my question is are online places that ordain you legitimate and can I use it to share my faith. Any help WILL appreciated. Thank you.

I guess this subforum might be a wrong place for your question. I have no idea on what to say about your situation.

 

[essentialsaltes]

I guess my question is are online places that ordain you legitimate

Is it legitimate? I dunno; you click a button, you get ordained. Anyone with a finger can get ordained. That puts the authority and seriousnessof this ordination in question.

Are they legal? Probably. In fact, the religious protections in the Constitution make it unlikely that any government official is going to challenge you about this over a wedding ceremony. If you try to make your house tax-exempt as a church, you may face some more serious legal trouble.

My own ordination was mail order, which is slightly classier than online!

I have officiated at 5 weddings in California, and have not had any problems.

If you officiate, on the California marriage license, where it asks for the officiant's denomination, put in NON-DENOM.

 

[juvenissun]

Is it legitimate? I dunno; you click a button, you get ordained. Anyone with a finger can get ordained. That puts the authority and seriousnessof this ordination in question.

Are they legal? Probably. In fact, the religious protections in the Constitution make it unlikely that any government official is going to challenge you about this over a wedding ceremony. If you try to make your house tax-exempt as a church, you may face some more serious legal trouble.

My own ordination was mail order, which is slightly classier than online!

I have officiated at 5 weddings in California, and have not had any problems.

If you officiate, on the California marriage license, where it asks for the officiant's denomination, put in NON-DENOM.

I am really amazed that you can do that.
What qualification should one have in order to get "ordained"?
What else can you do in addition to marry people? Any tax advantage?

 

[madaz]

It has been awhile since I have been hear due to leaving a cult and questioning my faith which was a good thing because I found God through the process though I have never became a member of a church, but do go to church. Well two years ago my daughter and son-in-law were getting married and tried to find someone to marry them. They could not find anyone and tried to get a friend of theirs to go online and become an online minister to marry them but the friend flaked so I went online and became an online minister. I have never mentioned this to anyone at the church especially the pastor because I feel that they will ridicule me for it and trying to take a short cut. I guess my question is are online places that ordain you legitimate and can I use it to share my faith. Any help WILL appreciated. Thank you.

If it was just a marriage, couldn't you just get a celebrants license instead?

When I wanted to get married I realized that secular celebrants were rare indeed. I mentioned this to an atheist friend of mine, so she did her certificate in celebrancy online and now she specialises in secular wedding ceremonies.

I dont know much about online ordination here in Australia or in the US, so I cant really give an educated comment on its legitimacy I'm sorry.

 

[Inkfingers]

It has been awhile since I have been hear due to leaving a cult and questioning my faith which was a good thing because I found God through the process though I have never became a member of a church, but do go to church. Well two years ago my daughter and son-in-law were getting married and tried to find someone to marry them. They could not find anyone and tried to get a friend of theirs to go online and become an online minister to marry them but the friend flaked so I went online and became an online minister. I have never mentioned this to anyone at the church especially the pastor because I feel that they will ridicule me for it and trying to take a short cut. I guess my question is are online places that ordain you legitimate and can I use it to share my faith. Any help WILL appreciated. Thank you.

God ordains all (hence "Priesthood of all believers"), and marriage is made between the Husband, the Wife, and God.

What the civil authorities recognise is a different matter, but as regards ordination...all who believe in Christ as Lord and Saviour are ordained. It is not supplied by websites.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

Are online ordainations legitimate egitimate depends on Gods will. How we can know that, in such detail, I dont know. I dont think it has been publicly revealed. Maybe you ought to try private prayer?

 

[essentialsaltes]

I am really amazed that you can do that.
What qualification should one have in order to get "ordained"?

Taking the long historical view, there have been conflicts between church and state like the Investiture Controversy, where the Pope fought with kings over who had the power to make bishops.

In the US, with separation of church and state, the government really has no authority to make laws about who should be a bishop or a priest. That is the role of the particular individual religious bodies. The government also is loth to declare whether something is or isn't a religion. So if a church establishes itself, gets its nonprofit tax status, and decides to ordinate anybody, I don't see any legal difficulties.

What else can you do in addition to marry people? Any tax advantage?

I haven't used it other than to make couples happy on their wedding day. But some of the shadier operators, er churches, often talk about things like getting discounts for clergy from businesses.

If you really worked at it, you could probably take advantage of a tax-free housing allowance, but you would probably have to found your own church and pay yourself a salary (and housing allowance). And the church would be tax-free of course. As long as you get suckers to give the church money, you're in clover.

 

[juvenissun]

Taking the long historical view, there have been conflicts between church and state like the Investiture Controversy, where the Pope fought with kings over who had the power to make bishops.

In the US, with separation of church and state, the government really has no authority to make laws about who should be a bishop or a priest. That is the role of the particular individual religious bodies. The government also is loth to declare whether something is or isn't a religion. So if a church establishes itself, gets its nonprofit tax status, and decides to ordinate anybody, I don't see any legal difficulties.


I haven't used it other than to make couples happy on their wedding day. But some of the shadier operators, er churches, often talk about things like getting discounts for clergy from businesses.

If you really worked at it, you could probably take advantage of a tax-free housing allowance, but you would probably have to found your own church and pay yourself a salary (and housing allowance). And the church would be tax-free of course. As long as you get suckers to give the church money, you're in clover.

So I, a nobody, can also marry people?
Or at the least, I have to be a member of a legislated religion group?
I sort of know that a judge, even at the lowest level, does marry people. If so, can any lawyer do it?

 

[essentialsaltes]

So I, a nobody, can also marry people?

It may depend on the state you live in. Some, I believe, require more formal registration of celebrants.

(But the sneakiest answer is yes, you can officiate at weddings. Apparently, in the past, there were problems with scammers claiming to be ministers getting paid to perform weddings. Where does that leave the happy couple? They've been consummating like mad, and now you (the state) has to tell them they've been sinning? So in most states, maybe everywhere, if the couple believes that you are empowered to perform marriages, then the marriage is valid.)

I sort of know that a judge, even at the lowest level, does marry people. If so, can any lawyer do it?

I don't think they have that power simply by virtue (so to speak) of being a lawyer. But they can get ordained or certified in these other ways just like anybody else.

 

[freebie]

Thank you everyone for your response I really appreciate them.

 

[ananda]

It has been awhile since I have been hear due to leaving a cult and questioning my faith which was a good thing because I found God through the process though I have never became a member of a church, but do go to church. Well two years ago my daughter and son-in-law were getting married and tried to find someone to marry them. They could not find anyone and tried to get a friend of theirs to go online and become an online minister to marry them but the friend flaked so I went online and became an online minister. I have never mentioned this to anyone at the church especially the pastor because I feel that they will ridicule me for it and trying to take a short cut. I guess my question is are online places that ordain you legitimate and can I use it to share my faith. Any help WILL appreciated. Thank you.

A Biblical marriage involves a covenant/contract between the husband and wife under the terms given by God. No "minister" is needed to represent God.

A "secular marriage" is the formation of a legal trust between partner #1, partner #2, and the trustee (the government). Legally recognized ordination confers upon the recipient the status of government agent. He or she becomes a person who can stand as representative of the government in the trustee role.

Any government subsidiary, including organizations with 501c3 status, can grant certain persons this "agent" role. Judges, certain military commanding officers, etc. are also agents of the government, which is why they also perform secular marriages.

Obviously, a secular marriage is not the same as a Biblical marriage.

 

[Dave Ellis]

So I, a nobody, can also marry people?
Or at the least, I have to be a member of a legislated religion group?
I sort of know that a judge, even at the lowest level, does marry people. If so, can any lawyer do it?

You can be a minister of the church of the flying spaghetti monster and marry people as well, ordination is done online in the same manner. It has the same legal standing as any priest, bishop, minister, pastor, iman, or anything else.

Of course, a minister of the church of the flying spaghetti monster can't marry people as far as a christian church is concerned, no more than a christian church holds valid the religious marriage of Muslims.

This is only in regards to civil marriage

 

[juvenissun]

It may depend on the state you live in. Some, I believe, require more formal registration of celebrants.

(But the sneakiest answer is yes, you can officiate at weddings. Apparently, in the past, there were problems with scammers claiming to be ministers getting paid to perform weddings. Where does that leave the happy couple? They've been consummating like mad, and now you (the state) has to tell them they've been sinning? So in most states, maybe everywhere, if the couple believes that you are empowered to perform marriages, then the marriage is valid.)



I don't think they have that power simply by virtue (so to speak) of being a lawyer. But they can get ordained or certified in these other ways just like anybody else.

OK. Thanks.