‘Church of Bacon’ protests bank policies — PHOTOS

A crowd of supporters gather on Friday, April 17, 2015, at the Wells Fargo Bank branch at 1121 South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas to protest bank policies that they say discriminate against atheists. (Donavon Lockett/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Emery Emery, a producer and editor, poses with his closed bank account papers during a protest at the Wells Fargo Bank branch at 1121 South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas on Friday, April 17, 2015. Emery is one of three individuals who closed their bank accounts to protest what he describes as discrimination against atheists by the bank. (Donavon Lockett/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Kevin Breen, left, and Cassandra Cicone, members of the nonreligious congregation Sunday Assembly Las Vegas, pose with their closed bank account papers during a protest at the Wells Fargo Bank branch at 1121 South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas on Friday, April 17, 2015. They are two of three individuals who closed their bank accounts to protest what they say is discrimination against atheists by the bank. (Donavon Lockett/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

John Whiteside, left, of the United Church of Bacon, speaks with Las Vegas police officer Rhodes during a protest at the Wells Fargo branch at 1121 South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas on Friday, April 17, 2015. Protesters say Wells Fargo policies discriminate against atheists. (Donavon Lockett/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

John Whiteside, left, of the United Church of Bacon, speaks with Heather Henderson, a high priestess in the church, during a protest outside the Wells Fargo branch at 1121 South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas on Friday, April 17, 2015. Protesters say Wells Fargo policies discriminate against atheists. (Donavon Lockett/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Heather Henderson, a high priestess in the United Church of Bacon, poses with a sign during a protest outside the Wells Fargo branch at 1121 South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas on Friday, April 17, 2015. Protesters say Wells Fargo policies discriminate against atheists. (Donavon Lockett/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Johnny Monserrat, with the Secular Policy Institute, holds a bullhorn during a protest outside the Wells Fargo branch at 1121 South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas on Friday, April 17, 2015. Protesters say Wells Fargo policies discriminate against atheists. (Donavon Lockett/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

April 18, 2015 - 7:12 am

Three people closed out their accounts at Wells Fargo Bank on Friday in Las Vegas to protest what they describe as discrimination against atheists.

A protest at the bank branch at 1121 South Las Vegas Boulevard followed a similar protest on Wednesday.

John Whiteside, a retired United Airlines pilot, is the founder of the United Church of Bacon, a five-year-old congregation of atheists and other skeptics that now boasts some 4,000 members worldwide, roughly 500 of them in Las Vegas.

Whiteside said the group has a serious mission: to fight discrimination against nonbelievers and promote the separation of church and state, in part by operating as a real, legally recognized church to highlight the special privileges enjoyed by mainstream religious organizations.

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