Becoming Ordained Online: Can you really be a minister for free?

So, the other night I was watching Gene Simmon’s “Family Jewels” and Shannon Tweed got her ordination online. She then “solemnized a marriage” on national television. Can this really be done? Can you really receive your ordination online?

In my first step to become ordained, I searched for all the different websites that offered ordination on the first page of Google search. One website offered free online ordination in “Spiritual Humanism.” According to spiritualhumanism.org, Spiritual Humanism is defined as “A religion based on the ability of human beings to solve the problems of society using logic and science.” I decided to pass on this offer. The next website offered an ordination in Christianity. There were some forms to fill out, and basically it costs $32 for your certificate of ordination and $48 if you want your Doctorate of Divinity degree.

The best website I found was for the UniversalLifeChurch. They are all over the country, but the websites I was referring to were from the Seattle ULC and the Modesto, California ULC. Both websites offer training materials to start your own church and to be a good minister.

The Seattle ULC website is informative, because it offers not only the laws for each state concerning ordination, but it also has a social network for all of the different ministers ordained by the church. It also has a section of all the legal cases that the ULC has been in over the years. The most recent ULC case involved a couple from Pennsylvania that was married by the groom’s uncle, ordained by the ULC. The case fought the couple’s marriage on the grounds that the ULC minister did not register with the county, but the court found favor with ULC and with the couple. The ordination from this website is free, but the certificate costs $5.99 plus shipping.

The Modesto ULC website offers an online confession. If you don’t want to type out your sins, you can leave an “x” in the box. The church offers different packages for ordination, including everything from a $10 minister’s parking pass to a $69 textbook that will help you get your Masters degree in Religion. They send you the textbook and if you answer 75% of the questions in the back of the book correctly, you have your Masters of Religion. There are also other degrees and credentials to purchase; the Doctor of Divinity costs $29. You don’t need all that. All you need is your certificate, which costs $5. If you choose the first class shipping option, you pay less shipping.

Make sure to check the laws in your state with regards to obtaining your ordination. For example, I’m from Ohio, so I searched for “ohio secretary of state minister” and found everything I need to do in order to be ordained. All I need is an application, a copy of my certificate, and $10.

I’m not sure yet if I’m going to become ordained. I think it would be a nice thing to say I did when I’m older. I have no problem with ordination being so accessible, as long as people respect one another and respect religion and spirituality. If you want to get ordained, I left many links on this article to point you in the right direction.

My grand total to be ordained: $16.65