Church of Body Modification
Encyclopedia
The Church of Body Modification is a non-theistic religion with approximately 3,500 members in the United States. The church practices body modification
in order to "strengthen the bond between mind, body, and soul" and to experience the divine.
because of an eyebrow ring. When taken to trial, the court ruled in favor of Costco saying that this was not protected under the First Amendment because her religious beliefs did not require her to always wear her eyebrow ring.
A 14-year-old member of the Church was suspended from Clayton High School in North Carolina
, USA because a nose stud was against the dress code. The ACLU took the matter to federal court on free speech grounds, and a federal judge ruled in her favor October 8, 2010.
The Church has come under scrutiny by members in the recent years for lack of "community". It's believed in the body modification community that the Church is no longer functional, even though they still have over 500 members accessing their site on a monthly basis.
Body modification
Body modification is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression...
in order to "strengthen the bond between mind, body, and soul" and to experience the divine.
Controversy
In 2002, a member of the Church of Body Modification was fired from a CostcoCostco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
because of an eyebrow ring. When taken to trial, the court ruled in favor of Costco saying that this was not protected under the First Amendment because her religious beliefs did not require her to always wear her eyebrow ring.
A 14-year-old member of the Church was suspended from Clayton High School in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, USA because a nose stud was against the dress code. The ACLU took the matter to federal court on free speech grounds, and a federal judge ruled in her favor October 8, 2010.
The Church has come under scrutiny by members in the recent years for lack of "community". It's believed in the body modification community that the Church is no longer functional, even though they still have over 500 members accessing their site on a monthly basis.