American Marriage Ministries
New ministers ordained at an in-person ordination ceremony by American Marriage Ministries last week at Shelby Farms.
The online Universal Life Church Monastery (ULCM) sued Tennessee state officials and several county clerks recently to block a new law that prevents online ordination in the state.
State lawmakers this year passed a bill that prevents online-ordained ministers from marrying couples. The new rule (Public Chapter No. 415) gives that power to a broader array of government officials. But demands more from “ministers” of any stripe. The bill took effect Monday.
”Under present law, in order to solemnize the rite of matrimony, a minister, preacher, pastor, priest, rabbi, or other spiritual leader must be ordained or otherwise designated in conformity with the customs of a church, temple, or other religious group or organization and such customs must provide for such ordination or designation by a considered, deliberate, and responsible act,” reads the bill summary.
To combat the new law, ULCM sued Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery and county clerks in Hamilton (Chattanooga), Putnam (Cookeville), and Rutherford (Murfreesboro) Counties on behalf of some of the ULCM-ordained ministers who live there.
Universal Life Church
“Marriage is indeed a sacred institution, and Tennessee’s cruel decision limits who may solemnize a marriage to a select few,” reads a statement from ULCM. “The Universal Life Church Ministries’ legal challenge aims to halt and reverse this discriminatory law and restore and protect the rights of all ministers of all faiths in The Volunteer State.”
The church’s “guiding message” is that “we are all children of the same universe,” reads the statement. So, the group will not “be a silent witness to the disenfranchisement of any group.” Further, “the ULCM will not rest until its ministers and members are able to enjoy the rights and freedoms guaranteed to all citizens, not just in Tennessee but around the world.”
The suit claims the new law is in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and the Tennessee Constitution.
Last week, the American Marriage Ministries (AMM) group ordained would-be ministers in public across Tennessee. On Monday, the group was in Memphis to perform in-person ordinations that would meet Tennessee’s new law.
”We met hundreds of ministers and AMM supporters from across the region,” reads the AMM blog. “Folks had driven in from Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas to prepare for upcoming weddings in the volunteer state.
[pullquote-1] “We heard from all backgrounds and beliefs — Agnostics, Christians, Wiccans — all united in defense of religious freedom and opposition to Public Chapter No. 415. Public outrage is growing, and at every stop we make, the crowds get larger.”
The online-only ULCM said it was disappointed in actions like these.
“The ULCM has been disheartened by the short-sighted response of some other organizations who have leapt gleefully into the laps of Tennessee lawmakers and begun offering in-person ordinations in order to appease them,” reads a statement. “Rather than acquiesce to Tennessee’s demands and compromise its religious freedom, the Universal Life Church wholeheartedly rejects this outdated notion of religion and fully intends to proudly defend its open model.”
Read ULCM’s full complaint here:
[pdf-1]
