How obvious is this scam?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

That's right, folks.  No college education, no B.Th necessary.  Haven't read more than the first page of Genesis?  Haven't heard even a single sermon in your life?  Maybe the only time you've been to church in your life was for your granddad's funeral or cousin's wedding?  No worries!  Just agree with us on a few things, give us your name and email, and boom!  Welcome to the cloth!  Go on.  Walk into any church.  They won't dare turn you away with this real Certificate of Ordination!

Get one now before they're all gone!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Obnoxiously obvious.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Are the Greek letters supposed to spell "Icthus"? I sounded it out and recall something like that being associated with God in a religion class in 10th grade. Got distracted by that, didn't read the rest.

[TDAS04]

Obnoxiously obvious.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Are the Greek letters supposed to spell "Icthus"? I sounded it out and recall something like that being associated with God in a religion class in 10th grade. Got distracted by that, didn't read the rest.

According to the site, it stands for "Jesus Christ Lord and Savior."

[MaxQue]

Well, technically, aren't Churches allowed to appoint anyone they want as ministers?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

In any case, I once used a site like this to become an ordained Dudeist Minister in the spirit of the original Dude, the Big Lebowski.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Well, technically, aren't Churches allowed to appoint anyone they want as ministers?

Yes, but I suspect few churches would appoint just anyone with a piece of paper and no prior experience.

[Fritz]

LOL

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[Gustaf]

Is this how Bushie became a minister?

#can'tbelievenoonementionedhimyet

[MaxQue]

Well, technically, aren't Churches allowed to appoint anyone they want as ministers?

Yes, but I suspect few churches would appoint just anyone with a piece of paper and no prior experience.

Well, you can always create your own church in your living room, I suppose, while pretending you are an official minister.

[Bacon King]

I don't understand how this is a scam? Such an ordination legally allows you to perform marriages and start a church as an IRS-recognized nonprofit organization. Even if the "church" is little more than a legal fiction, this ordination still allows you to do everything any other member of the clergy is allowed to do under state and federal law.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I don't understand how this is a scam? Such an ordination legally allows you to perform marriages and start a church as an IRS-recognized nonprofit organization. Even if the "church" is little more than a legal fiction, this ordination still allows you to do everything any other member of the clergy is allowed to do under state and federal law.

Why do you need a certificate from some random website to do all of that?

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Is this how Bushie became a minister?

#can'tbelievenoonementionedhimyet

Probably.  These are very likely targeted at the right people. 

[Bacon King]

I don't understand how this is a scam? Such an ordination legally allows you to perform marriages and start a church as an IRS-recognized nonprofit organization. Even if the "church" is little more than a legal fiction, this ordination still allows you to do everything any other member of the clergy is allowed to do under state and federal law.

Why do you need a certificate from some random website to do all of that?

You require a certificate of ordination to prove you are an ordained minister. Hypothetically possible to do yourself but that requires further paperwork setting up a church and etc.; this website has already done all that

[DC Al Fine]

Is this how Bushie became a minister?

IIRC he went to an independent Baptist church. A decent sized minority of those only have lay pastors.

[Mordecai]

Obviously a scam but so is religion so what does it matter anyway.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Obviously a scam but so is religion so what does it matter anyway.

#SuperEdgy #Badass

[Adam Griffin]

Are the Greek letters supposed to spell "Icthus"? I sounded it out and recall something like that being associated with God in a religion class in 10th grade. Got distracted by that, didn't read the rest.

According to the site, it stands for "Jesus Christ Lord and Savior."

Ιησούς Χριστός ο Θεός (και?) Σωτήρας. Doesn't seem to be translated properly; not sure where Y originates, and I'm pretty sure Ιησούς would be redundant here.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Are the Greek letters supposed to spell "Icthus"? I sounded it out and recall something like that being associated with God in a religion class in 10th grade. Got distracted by that, didn't read the rest.

According to the site, it stands for "Jesus Christ Lord and Savior."

Ιησούς Χριστός ο Θεός (και?) Σωτήρας. Doesn't seem to be translated properly; not sure where Y originates, and I'm pretty sure Ιησούς would be redundant here.

Ιησούς is not at all redundant.  Jesus is his personal name and Christ is his title.  However, that site got what Icthus means wrong.

Ίησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ means "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior". It's a little awkward, but that's to be expected since the words were chosen to be a backronym of Ιχθύς, meaning fish and is the reason you see some plaster those little fish symbols all over.

[DINGO Joe]

In any case, I once used a site like this to become an ordained Dudeist Minister in the spirit of the original Dude, the Big Lebowski.

Arkansas accepted this when I presided over the wedding of my sister and her beau.  Plus when you pay the fee and are on the books in one county, you can officiate anywhere in the state.  For the record, I was officially recorded as a "Dudeist Priest". Unfortunately, the knuckle-dragging state of Louisiana doesn't recognize my authority. 

[WalterMitty]

Obviously a scam but so is religion so what does it matter anyway.

correct answer 

/thread

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

'Scam' isn't the right word, exactly, but it's obviously sketchy and certainly shouldn't confer the same sort of social cachet as having actually gone through a rigorous discernment and ordination process, even if it suffices for legal purposes.

In any case, I once used a site like this to become an ordained Dudeist Minister in the spirit of the original Dude, the Big Lebowski.

The Dude wasn't the Big Lebowski; the Big Lebowski was the old guy played by David Huddleston. Great movie in any case.

[Joe Republic]

Jeez, I did this years ago.  Middle school, I believe.  I got the idea when Joey from Friends did it.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Not a scam.  Have you ever seen Northern Exposure?  Chris Stevens was the minister for the town because he answered an ad in the back of the Rolling Stone.