Wired funny story from BYU and Provo

"Ordained" BYU Students Rebuffed in Party Bid

A couple of BYU students looking for a way around tough Provo city ordinance became ordained ministers over the Internet so they could legally throw a party. Apparently Provo's city ordinance prohibits public dances without state-certified security guards, metal detectors and surveillance cameras. The exception? Government groups, schools and churches. Thus, the friends, both LDS, were ordained by the Universal Life Church in a 10-minute Internet ceremony that basically required only their names and addresses. The first Provo party was scheduled during the week of Halloween, a costume dance that was closed down by the police chief. One frustrated student said, "We were trying to comply with the ordinance. As far as we knew it was a legitimate church." Another student said, "It's difficult to have good clean fun in this town, and that's what we're trying to do. Even when we try to do it legally we're being accosted from all sides." The students are requesting help from the ACLU, whose representatives were trying to contact the students. Of course, belonging to two churches goes against BYU's Honor Code. However, a BYU spokesperson said that the school would not take action. (Deseret News, 11/7/01)