First Church of…Star Trek?

A few miles south of Lynchburg in Campbell County sits a large and attractive octagonal
building which is home to one of most unique churches in the world. Founded in 1977,
“The Spock,” as the church is called, is the world’s only church of Star Trek, a
religion centered on the popular 1960’s television series featuring the adventures
of a crew of interstellar explorers. “The Spock” promotes beliefs associated with
one of the popular characters in the TV series, Mr. Spock, who was from a peace-loving
race of aliens known as “Vulcans.” The ideology of the church is centered on so-called
Vulcan philosophy which includes the belief in pure “logic” and which emphasizes a lifestyle
devoid of emotion. A huge stained-glass likeness of the church’s namesake
is featured in the sanctuary, where churchgoers recite sequences of dialogue from the
series and participate in what they call a “Holy Mind Meld.”

Many church
members wear stick-on pointed ears (mimicking those of the TV character) during services and
at other church functions

(in one case of excessive dedication to the “faith,” one member
attempted to have his ears surgically altered but with disastrous
results, requiring extensive
corrective surgery). “The Spock” is not without controversy, as
reportedly in
the late 1980’s disagreement arose within the church over the lengths
to which members should go in emulating
the purely logical and emotionless Vulcan approach to life. Some
members advocated a reasonable degree of
emotion (citing Mr. Spock’s half-human side), but a core group of
hard-line members
insisted on a rigid adherence to Vulcan ideology. The stricter view won
out, and as a
result, several members left the church and publicly denounced its
practices. One resentful
former member went so far as to publish a science fiction story based
on his rigid and
stifling upbringing in the faith, a story which concludes with the
destruction of the
Campbell County sanctuary by a “phaser” blast from an orbiting
“starship” at his command.

Despite the dissent, “The Spock” boasts a membership today of over 120,
and actively campaigns for
new members at area fan conventions and at Star Trek movie showings in local theatres.
Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played Mr. Spock in Star Trek, has refused comment on “The Spock.”

Source: http://www.retroweb.com/lynchburg/attractions/main.html