I’m sorry to announce that we have had our first catastrophe here at the First Church of Atheism.

We had a database error that deleted almost all of our minister list and profiles. We have a system in place that backs up all changes to the database every 24 hours. It saves everything to a separate hard drive, in a different computer, in a completely different location. Until now, we thought the system was near foolproof. We didn’t discover until too late that our back up hard drive went bad. It was saving the changes, but the information that was saved is unreadable. Completely corrupt and useless. The unfortunate consequence of this is that we no longer have a complete list of our ordained ministers, and almost everyone’s profile has been deleted.

What does this mean for our ministers?

Tags: 24 Hours, Athiesm, Athiesm, Catastrophe Strikes, Complete List, Database Error, Different Computer, God, Hard Drive, One Of The Lucky Ones, Ordained Ministers, Ordination, Page Thanks, Profiles, Truth, Unfortunate Consequence

We took the plunge and built a church over in Second Life. It’s small but nice, with a modern feel about it. Details on how to find us at the bottom of this article.

For those who don’t know. Second Life is a thriving online simulated world. Complete with land ownership, currency, creation/purchase/sale of objects, and of course interaction with other live online people. Millions of people and organizations have established themselves on Second Life, some sell real world or in game objects to make an actual living! You should check it out.

While playing is free, to buy land in SL costs money, real money. Objects and buildings cost money, too. Obviously we can’t afford some big sprawling estate, but we did get a nice piece of land, in a beautiful area, with a very sleek little building for our church. There is a limit on the number of objects (buildings included) a given size property can hold, so the small building actually works out great.

Tags: atheist, Athiesm, Church, FCA, Second Life

Written by: Jacki McMaster

When I was an infant, my parents had me baptized. They didn’t want to, but my Grandmother insisted. They agreed to her wishes, because neither of them was very for or against religion.

My mother was raised Christian, Methodist to be specific. The church never felt like home to her. She always told me, “It’s silly to think that you have to go to a specific place once a week to worship God. And it’s even sillier that they make you pay to do it. God is in everything around you. Appreciating the world is prayer enough.”

My father, on the other hand, was raised Jewish. His father was a non-practicing Christian, but his mother attended synagogue regularly and decided to raise her 3 children accordingly. When my father was 12 years old, he decided that he was not going to have his Bar Mitzvah. He didn’t believe in what he was learning, and didn’t want to put in the time and effort necessary to learn the required tasks. His mother was not happy, but allowed him to make his own decision.

Is this really free?

Yes, becoming ordained with the First Church of Atheism is entirely free of charge.

Why is this free?

We believe that everyone should have the right to preach what they believe, to start a congregation, and to perform ceremonies. This is usually reserved for members of traditional religious sects. We have started a church of our own, based on our beliefs, and will provide our service of ordainment free to anyone who shares our beliefs.

Will I be a minister in the eyes of the law?

Yes, you will be a legally ordained minister. You will be able to perform every task that a clergy member can perform.

How do I prove I am an ordained minister?

Visit the store to purchase an Ordainment Certificate, which comes with a free identification card.

*Be sure to get ordained for free HERE before purchasing anything

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A LEGAL certificate of ordination, plus a FREE wallet sized I.D. mailed to you.

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$14.95

Full Name & Email
Date of Ordination

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A LEGAL certificate of ordination, plus a FREE wallet sized I.D. ready to print.

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$9.95

Full Name & Email
Date of Ordination

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Listing on our “Atheist Minister in Your Area” And a blog post announcing your listing!

so people may contact you to perform their ceremony.

$6.95

Full Name & Email
City & State or Country

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3-Pack Marriage Certificates

Perfect for performing weddings. Adds a professional touch.
Most couples request a Certificate of Marriage

$9.95

You may buy more than one pack with free shipping on the additional packs. Choose quantity at checkout.

How we got started.

• The First Church of Atheism was born out of necessity. Created by Paul and Jacki McMaster, the FCA is the first society of its kind. Dedicated solely to ordaining atheists so that they too may perform ceremonies previously performed by religious men. When Paul and Jacki were wed, they hired a non-denominational minister to perform the ceremony. They requested that the ceremony be entirely faith neutral, as they were both devout atheists. To their dismay, the ceremony that the minister submitted for their approval was littered with references to, and direct statements about, god. They pulled out a red pen and started editing, paring down the ceremony into a 2 minute long affair.

  For the next year, they would laugh about that story, telling their friends about the “non-denominational” minister who read them their vows in a Friar Tuck shirt, complete with collar. While funny, this also says something tragic about the state of our society when it comes to atheists. Non-denominational means generally Christian. For atheists, this is impossible to accept.

  So the couple decided to form a society to provide others with what they did not get for their wedding.