The ULC recognizes many rites and rituals to help members connect in a spiritual way

For 40 years the Universal Life Church has existed to help all people, regardless of religion or beliefs, to pursue their individual spiritual paths. ULC believes that each person is the only one who can determine their own faith, without religious dogma or law dictating their beliefs.

The Universal Life Church has only one doctrine: “Do only that which is right.” It is up to the individual to determine what is right, so long as no one else is harmed. Since the church has no religious test, anyone is free to join. Any person who feels called can also become ordained online, usually within three days.

With their staunch belief in freedom of, and from, religion, Universal Life Church has been at the forefront in fighting for First Amendment rights. ULC believes that neither governments nor religious institutions should control the conscience of the individual.

In accordance with their inclusion of people of any or even no religion, Universal Life Church offers the opportunity to be legally ordained online. Persons wishing to become ministers are encouraged to first learn about the laws that govern their state or country. Usually, however, ULC ministers are authorized to perform wedding, baptisms, funerals and other sacred rites commonly found in other faith groups.

Since there is no requirement that a person belong to a specific religion, members come from all faith traditions. By focusing on the commonality of all humanity rather than the religious dogmatic differences that separate people, ULC works to improve the existence of all people regardless of those religious divisions.

People become ministers of the Universal Life Church from all walks of life and all levels of spiritual knowledge. There are members who were once pillars of their churches and people who are still seeking their own spiritual path. Since the Church accepts all regardless of knowledge level or faith background, becoming ordained online is free. The individual’s soul, after all, does not have a price.

Universal Life Church has no formal training requirements or tests to determine a candidate’s suitability for the ministry. Because of this, the Church has been criticized as condoning relativism. However, all faiths and religions have an element of relativism on an institutional scale. Each religion determines its own belief system and imposes those beliefs on its members. The institutional hierarchy decides what Truth means.

The Universal Life Church merely moves the level of determining beliefs down to the individual. In this way, each person may determine his or her own understanding of Truth. The individual is thus freed from the rigid definitions imposed by institutions who may be more interested in their own preservation and maintaining power than they are in seeking Truth.

By bringing together people of all backgrounds and creeds, the Universal Life Church helps people to understand the unity of all humanity. By protecting the right to religious freedom, people of faith and people who are still searching are able to learn together to coexist in spite of religious differences.