Has anyone conducted a dudeist ceremony that was legally valid in either BC or Canada? I have been asked to marry some friends here in BC. As far as the legislation goes, the couple can choose a 'religious representative' of their choice, so long as said representative is registered with Vital Statistics. I attempted to register at a service BC branch and the attendant attempted to get me the forms, but had some difficulty. She contacted vital statistics on my behalf and informed me that the religious body registers its representatives, not the individual. Any suggestions about how/whether the church of the latter day dude can register me if I can get the proper forms to them. If anyone has been successful in either BC or Canada I would love to hear about your experience and whether there is precedent in this jurisdiction. I got the number for the Vital Statistics branch closest to me and am planning to call and explain how I meet the criteria set forth by the legislation, but would love to know if a precedent exists before doing so. Thanks dudes.
I took a quick read of the British Columbia Marriage Act. Seems to me that since you already count as a religious representative under section 1 you shouldn't have any difficulty. Under section 3 (1) you seem to qualify since the solemnization of marriage is part of our ordination.
If you're concerned about them recognizing you, you may want to buy the Letter of Good Standing from the Dudeism store.
Disclaimer: I'm not a licensed attorney in any state or province. I am also not involved with the Dudeist site or store.
Poking an Old post here and I apologize for that, but this is very very specific to what I was looking for.
Basically I just want to clarify this a bit, being in Canada BC I could in fact oversee a marriage?
Again, sorry for poking an old post, cheers.
Quote from: Milo_Windby on May 05, 2016, 03:42:16 AMPoking an Old post here and I apologize for that, but this is very very specific to what I was looking for.
Basically I just want to clarify this a bit, being in Canada BC I could in fact oversee a marriage?
Again, sorry for poking an old post, cheers.
Here in the States the laws vary between cities, counties, and states. The best thing to do would be to look into your local laws and/or visit City Hall and speak with someone who knows those laws and can tell you what might be required of you to legally officiate at a wedding.
Reverend Al speaks the truth. For instance my state doesn't even require proof they just take your word for it that you're a Dudeist and Dudeism is legit. The next state over though isn't quite as Dude friendly.
Here is a link to the guide:
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/residents/vital-statistics/marriages/vsa020.pdf
Quotethe Religious Representative Registry maintains the
records of religious representatives from all religious bodies, churches
and denominations recognized under the Marriage Act for the purposes of
solemnizing marriage.
QuoteQuestion: Is it as easy to do weddings in Canada as it is in the USA?
Answer: Unfortunately doing weddings in Canada is not as easy as the USA. In Canada you must establish your new independent church or ministry the way the province wishes before they give you permission to do weddings. This may involve incorporating your church or ministry's name, having a congregation and meeting place and more. The feedback we have from people that finally got authority to do weddings in Canada was that it took a long time and was a real headache. Other aspects of beginning a ministry or church in Canada should not be much of a problem as there is still a little "freedom of religion" left in Canada.
So... not looking so good for Dudeists in Canada... It might take someone taking the lead up their to establish a legal entity as the base of Dudeism in Canada or maybe even in a given province to meet the criteria... Being that official in nature you might want to contact the Dudely Lama and get his blessing... I am sure he would be all for someone taking the initiative and provide whatever "administrative" endorsement Canada might require from the parent "Church".