Most American people I've encountered in my lifetime really love bacon. While some might say that bacon enthusiasm is played out, however, I still think it makes a certain amount of sense. How could you not love the sizzling, salty wonder? Nothing graces a meal quite as elegantly as bacon does! And hey, good news for anyone who loves bacon enough to consider it a belief system: The United Church of Bacon is a thing that actually exists. It's based in Las Vegas, where bacon is worshipped and free love reigns.
The best part is, it's not just about the bacon. The United Church of Bacon is all about inclusiveness, from doing simple actions like opening its doors to those who might prefer vegetarian or turkey bacon to making huge, important gestures like performing legal, free weddings for all. Members of the church live by the nine bacon commandments, which include "be good," "be generous," and "praise bacon." Sounds like a wonderful place to me!
The church, which has 12,000 members worldwide, isn't entirely a parody of religion or bacon-lovers, but actually has goals and beliefs. Founded by John Whiteside, the organization raises money for charity, seeks to end discrimination towards atheists and non-denominational people, and protests biases in the law. It's much more serious than you would expect, but as bacon commandment number five points out, the church also pokes fun at itself and its beliefs. "Have fun" is one of the most important life pro tips anyone could ever offer.
The United Church of Bacon isn't the first unusual church to grace society, though. Here are three more strange but awesome churches you might just consider joining:
1. The First Church of Cannabis
Smoking good bud can be a figuratively religious experience, but is literally religious if there's a church involved. The First Church of Cannabis, a 1,000+ member church based in Indianapolis, preaches love, civility, spirituality, and the healing powers of Miley Cyrus's favorite drug. They also follow the intentions of Jesus, as set forth in Matthew 28:19-20. It was recognized by the IRS as tax exempt in June of this year.
2. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster worships none other than their diety, the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The worshippers themselves, who are called pastafarians, stand by their viewpoint that the church is not a joke or satire; rather, it's a venue that promotes the idea that spiritual enlightenment doesn't have to have a strict set of rules or guidelines like those provided by many other religions. It's more a social movement than anything else, but it stands for some wonderful ideals.
3. Church of the SubGenius
The Church of the SubGenius is kind of just a big, complicated joke involving a traveling salesman, Ann Rand and/or Attila the Hun politics, and an interpretation of the American Dream. I don't really get it, but it seems to make people laugh, so drop me a line if you understand the nuances.
If you don't already belong to a church or just want to add another faith to your life, these four churches aren't bad places to start. Bacon, weed, Italian food, and deep satire — what could go wrong?
