This is a follow-up to my post The Three Doctors. Again, it’s not a Doctor Who post.
I’ve got a PhD in particle physics, am a doctor by courtesy with Universal Life Church, and also a doctor by courtesy with the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Why would I want another?
The issue is being able to perform weddings. The ULC is widely known, and is not regarded as a “real” church. I’ve performed weddings with my ULC credentials, and it hasn’t been a problem. But there’s one region nearby where those credentials would not be recognized: New York City.
I don’t know any Wiccans in New York City, at least not personally, nor anyone else who might choose me as an officiant for a NYC wedding. (There’s one exception, but I’ve already officiated at his wedding in a ceremony outside NYC.) I don’t anticipate ever needing to do so.
Still, I wanted to have that option. It’s a minor matter, but I’d like to make my ministry credentials as complete as I can.
So I got my fourth “doctorate”, this time with American Marriage Ministries:
The ULC and AMM are similar in that they both offer free ordinations on-line. Neither is more valid in places like Tennessee that don’t recognize ministerial credentials from on-line sources. The difference is that AMM focuses on marriages; their ordination packet contains lots of useful information on counseling couples and performing ceremonies.
More importantly for me, they include any special instructions needed to have their ordinations recognized in places with special regulations, such as NYC. I followed their directions, jumped through the hoops, and received the following in the mail today. There is a subtle error on the certificate issued by the Office of the County Clerk in the City of New York. See if you can spot it.
Oh well. But it’s still official: If you want to get married at the top of the Empire State Building, I can officiate.
This means that my full alphabet soup of titles is now:
Doctor Doctor Doctor Doctor William Glenn Seligman, B.S., M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., D.ULC, D.FSM, D.AMM, PBK
Despite all this, my cat treats me in the same way. I suppose I have to expect the same from everyone else.