Got me a title

[joe yang]

Having yourself ordained as a priest has got to violate some sort of budo. I'm sure that's why Matt did it in the first place!

[trevorg]

Having yourself ordained as a priest has got to violate some sort of budo. I'm sure that's why Matt did it in the first place!

I've just figured I can give myself one of these fantabulosa sokey dokey Dr Rev Professor titles now.

[Brian Owens]

...ULC is not recognised in ...most US states. ...

That is incorrect. The ULC cannot be discriminated against by any US jurisdiction, under the 1st Amendment.

The ULC has already won court challenges in several states, in IRS decisions, and in the US District Court; and the US Supreme Court has also made relevant rulings.

A few citations:

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CA.
Universal Life Church, Inc. Plaintiff
-vs-
Civil Order No. S-1964 United States Of America Defendant

March 1st, 1974

"Neither this Court, nor any branch of this Government, will consider the merits or fallacies of a religion. Nor will the Court compare the beliefs, dogmas, and practices of a newly organized religion with those of an older, more established religion. Nor will the Court praise or condemn a religion, however excellent or fanatical or preposterous it may seem. Were the Court to do so, it would impinge upon the guarantees of the First Amendment..."

U.S. Appellate Court in Richmond, Va.

The court reversed a $160,000 judgment against the church. The plaintiff in the suit was Sandra Lynch, who charged the church with fraudulently representing that the church could perform a valid marriage license. The federal court ruled that there was not a sufficient showing of fraud by the church. Her action did not fall within the statute of limitations. There was extensive testimony that Universal Life ministers had researched the laws and found reasons to believe they could perform marriages. To clear up the matter, the North Carolina Legislature passed a "curative law" to legalize all such previous marriages.

United States Supreme Court (1943) West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 US 624.

'If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that NO official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are ANY circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us."

HTH.