Religious organization
The Universal Life Church (ULC ) is an American non-denominational religious organization founded in 1962 by Kirby J. Hensley ,[ 3] [ 4] under the doctrine: "Do that which is right". The Universal Life Church advocates for religious freedom , offering legal ordination to become a minister free of charge, to anyone who wishes to join. The ULC has ordained ministers from a wide range of backgrounds and beliefs, including atheists , Christians , Jews , Neopagans and Wiccans .[ 5]
The ULC's popularity stems in part from a rising interest in having friends or family officiate weddings, a trend which has attracted a range of celebrities to become ordained including Stevie Nicks , Adele , Benedict Cumberbatch , Ian McKellen ,[ 6] Conan O'Brien , and Steven Tyler .[ 7] However, courts in Virginia have held that they will not recognize marriages solemnized by ULC ministers,[ 8] while eight states have specifically held such marriages to be valid, these being Alabama ,[ 9] Indiana ,[ 10] Mississippi ,[ 11] Pennsylvania ,[ 12] South Carolina ,[ 13] [ 14] Texas ,[ 15] Utah ,[ 16] and Washington .[ 17] The remainder have not addressed the issue.
^ "Contact Universal Life Church" . Modesto, CA: Universal Life Church. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018 .
^ "Universal Life Goes On" . Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017 .
^ James R. Lewis, The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions (2001), p. 769-70.
^ U.S. Department of the Army, Religious Requirements and Practices: A Handbook for Chaplains (2001), p. VII-47-49.
^ Hoesly, Dusty (October 23, 2015). " 'Need a Minister? How About Your Brother?': The Universal Life Church between Religion and Non-Religion" . Secularism and Nonreligion . 4 (1). doi :10.5334/snr.be . ISSN 2053-6712 .
^ Wolfson, Sam (April 4, 2018). "The wedding singer: Adele and the rise of celebrity ministers" . the Guardian . Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2018 .
^ Freedman, Samuel G. (June 27, 2015). "Couples Personalizing Role of Religion in Wedding Ceremonies" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018 .
^ Oswald v. Oswald , 2013 N.Y. Slip Op. 02811 (N.Y. App. Div. 2013); Ranieri v. Ranieri , 539 N.Y.S.2d 382 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989); State v. Lynch , 272 S.E.2d 349 (N.C. 1980); Cramer v. Commonwealth , 202 S.E.2d 911 (Va. 1974); Robert E. Rains, Marriage in the Time of Internet Ministers: I Now Pronounce You Married, But Who Am I To Do So? , 64 U. Miami L. Rev. 809, 830 - 34 (2010).
^ "Couples looking to marry in Alabama don't need a judge or church; a friend can do the job" . Huntsville Real-Time News. January 13, 2019. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019 .
^ "Center for Inquiry Inc v. Marion Circuit Court Clerk" . Findlaw . March 31, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2020 .
^ "MATTER OF LAST WILL & TEST. OF BLACKWELL, 531 So. 2d 1193 - Miss: Supreme Court 1988 - Google Scholar" . Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2019 .
^ "O'Neill v Bucks County " . Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017 . (1.45 MB)
^ "South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Opinion" . Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019 . (6.08 KB) (11 January 1971).
^ "South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Opinion" . Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2019 . (5.02 KB) (29 March 1973)
^ Ctr. for Inquiry, Inc. v. Warren , Civil Action No. 3:18-CV-2943-B at *20 (N.D. Tex., 2019).
^ "Universal Life Church v. Utah, 189 F. Supp. 2d 1302" . Dist. Court, D. Utah . January 17, 2002. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2017 .
^ "Letter Opinion 1971 No. 117 | Washington State" . www.atg.wa.gov . Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019 .