Atheist Church Mocks Christianity by Worshipping Bacon; Attracts Members With Free Weddings
A group of atheists who meet regularly under the guise of a church that worships bacon has attracted over 10,000 new members after offering free weddings and baptisms with the promise of marrying couples before something that is "real."
The organization, named the United Church of Bacon, was started in 2010 in Las Vegas by atheist John Whiteside who says he created the group to fight discrimination against atheists.
In just three months' time, the church's membership has shot up by 12,000, thanks to a free wedding offer on its website.
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"Bacon lovers — we are truly blessed. The latest billboards for the United Church of Bacon in Las Vegas are advertising the organization's commitment to offering free, legal wedding ceremonies to all couples. Now the church has reported that membership has tripled in the last three months to more than 12,000 new converts," read the organization's website.
One of its latest billboards is geared toward the LGBT community.
"To our LGBT family and friends supporting freedom of expression since inception," read the billboard.
Other artwork released by the United Church of Bacon takes aim at religion, with one more specifically addressing Christianity and Holy Communion. It reads "Saving kids from stale crackers & communion wine since 2010."
The group even issues titles to members including "bacon prophet" and "funkmaster general" and boasts that it "worships bacon because bacon is real."
Members are also adamant about maintaining the separation of church and state in the U.S.
"The skeptics' church has a serious intent, to fight religious discrimination against non-believers, to promote church-state separation, and to demand equal rights for everyone, regardless of faith," read a statement from the United Church of Bacon.
The group has its own rule list on its website, which is laid out on stone tablets in order to mimic the Ten Commandments.
The United Church of Bacon is one of a few quasi-religious organizations that has named itself after a food or drug.
Earlier this year, former music producer Bill Levin helped create the First Church of Cannabis in Indiana, which is a group that practices the consumption of marijuana. Like the United Church of Bacon, the group has also created its very own variant of the Ten Commandments, named the New Deity Dozen.
The First Church of Cannabis also gained its tax-exempt status in May of this year.
