Little did you folks know, I’m coming up on my third year as a legally ordained Minister so if anyone has any questions I can help them with I’d be glad to answer.
Yours truely, Brother Rooves
Bit of a conversation-stopper, isn’t it? 
What is the worst pat of the job? I know my minister is way overworked, a 60 hour week would be like a vacation to him.
Do people stiff you at weddings, christenings, etc? What’s the going rate for your services?
What kind are you?
Regards,
Shodan
I don’t know where you are from or what denomination you are so I don’t know if you can answer. I have read a statistic that in the US About 60% of church goers believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. The same study said that this is true of only about 15 or 20% of the clergy. So where is the disconnect? Why do so many of the laity think one thing when those instructing them think the exact opposite?
by qts:
I tell almost no one outside of the ministry.
by Opengrave:
He obvioulsy is not delegating as much as he should be. Of course, my particular church has many many reverends to put it mildly.
Kalhoun: I’ve never actually done a wedding but I’m seriously considering it.
Shodan: Great question. A christian, ordained by The Universal Life Church
Heck, I even got my dog ordained. He’s got his own certificate too.
Degrance: I wouldn’t know. I try to avoid churches at all costs. I myself am an athiest but you never know when being ordained could come in handy.
Sorry for the waste of time folks…I was bored. But I honestly offer to preside over a dopers wedding if they so choose and we’ll let the legal system battle the rest out.
Huh?
Well what exactly do you minister then?
And with what church are you ordained?
I don’t minister anything BUT I am ordained by the Universal life church.
“You can become a legally ordained minister, instantly, online, at this website. The Universal Life Church is totally non-denominational, interfaith and welcomes all religions. After you fill out the ordination form, you will receive a pop-up instant credential, which serves as your receipt of your ordination. Print it immediately.”
I have no idea why a person would want to be ordained a minister over the internet other than the novelty of it. That’s why I did it, because it’s stupid. I should at least be allowed to board airplanes before everyone else. I’m a man of the cloth dammit!
It must be a soul-destroying job, really.
Someone in another thread suggested I should ask a minister whether God could create a rock so big that even he couldn’t lift it.
Man, our poor God can’t catch a break. The answer is obvious…
Shall we prey?
yes, oui shall
No slam against Rooves, but do you mind if a “man of the cloth” (where did that ever come from? Must ask Cecil.) who actually went to seminary weighs in?
First off, I continue to be amused at the people who send away for the “instant ordination” thing. One of the salespeople in my wife’s office did it, and so did the guy who performed the wedding service for my best friend from college. Rooves: you may not get to board the airplane first, but you do get some preferential treatment should you ever have to visit a friend or family member in the hospital, and show the nursing staff that you’re a minister. 'Course, if they know about the Universal Life Church, you do lose a lot of credibility. But…
There’s two answers to the question of why. First, most mainline seminaries (as opposed to conservative ones like Talbot, Gordon-Conwell or Westminster) tend to have more liberal faculty who buy into theories of Biblical criticism that could undermine or shake the faith of many a seminary student. If you’re suceptible, you could be swayed by those who put forth as fact such things as the documentary, or JEPD hypothesis of Biblical redaction. :dubious:
The problem also is a question of the use of the word “inerrant”. Some interpret it to mean perfect, without flaw or alteration. If you’re a conservative student coming to seminary with a belief that every single letter (or radical, the Hebrew equivalent of letters) was set down by God, and then you see manuscripts and palimpsests that have had someone’s margin notations incorporated in later copies as part of the text itself, you might question your belief. Or, more wisely, question your understanding of what it means for the Scriptures to be inerrant.
Ahh, that old chestnut! The short answer: no.
The longer answer: logically speaking, if we take it as a given that God is greater than the universe God created, and that said boulder must exist within the universe God created, and that God must operate according to the laws he created for this universe, then, no, He could not create a boulder that large.
Yeah, it does beg the questions of could God violate His own universal laws, or what if the boulder existed outside the space-time of this universe…but then we’re talking about the ideal of concepts (what is a boulder?) and hyper-physics that would send Plato and Einstein into a drinking binge that would last a month.
The really cool thing is that the question itself also begs the question: if God is that amazingly huge/big/great/almighty, why would He set aside all that and lower Himself to become human, and what did His dying on a cross accomplish?
Discuss…
Maybe you’re giving God too much credit. Did he create the universe from scratch or were the raw materials and laws already in place?
In some respects humans play Gods but have no control over their own creations. We create new new breeds of plants and animals but very seldom interfere with the personal woes of tomatoes. It’s not in our interests. You help one tomato and pretty soon they’re all worshiping you and constantly wanting stuff.
We created economies and computers and have limited control over them.
I would never use my minister status for earthly purposes (except on the airplane).
I’m saving that as a hedge bet just incase there’s really a God. I’ll present my certificate at the gates of heaven as if it were a coupon for everlasting salvation. (Maybe it’ll even get me to the front of the line.)
I don’t think God will mind much where it came from. I bet he’d be delighted that I never stepped foot into a church (almost) and never used my esteemed status to further my own agenda.
Maybe he’ll treat me like a tomato and stew my ass. I’ll take my chances.