If you follow a particular religion, especially two of the “big three,” this article may slightly offend you.
Nevertheless, a Las Vegas church founded in 2012 by ex-Marine John Whiteside, worships the pig, in a manner of speaking, as its “God.”
Not only that, but the church has a reported 4,000 members, some of whom have titles , of sorts, a bit like priests or rabbis.
For his part, Whiteside calls himself the “Bacon Prophet,” while another Church of Bacon member, Johnny Monsarrat, calls himself “Funkmaster General” as well as “Institutionalised Thought Leader.”
While the members of the church are predominantly atheists, some believe in God and choose to worship him by consuming large amounts of pork and bacon.
Even though the church was established to stand up for the rights of atheists, the bacon element is a vital part.
The founder explained, “The hatred of atheists, atheophobia and secularphobia, has no stigma, unlike homophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and racism. That needs to change.”
Whiteside explained the religion’s unusual name on the church website .
“We chose a funny bacon name to expose how wrong it is for society to give automatic respect and special privileges to religions. Is our saying we worship Bacon really any stranger than Catholics who say that communion wafers become the body of Christ? Unlike God, who is invisible, at least we can see Bacon. Bacon is demonstrably real.”
As well as BLTs and crispy rashers, the church offers its members free religious services such as weddings, funerals, and baptisms, all based in a non-religious setting.
The website adds, “Officiants in the United Church of Bacon can perform legal weddings for those who don’t want God in their ceremony. We’ll bring creative suggestions to make your wedding even more magical.”
Despite is critics, Whiteside is proud of his Church of Bacon and is quick to defend the organization.
“We’re not immoral. We’re not un-American. That’s what we’re trying to get corrected. We enjoy people mocking us. We mock ourselves. This isn’t supposed to offend anyone.”
[Image credit: noticias.gospelmais.com.br]
