Master of Religious Philosophy by Rev. Andrew Manley

Master of Religious Philosophy                                                                                                                  11/30/2009 Lesson 9 ~ Religious Expressions   Questions: Q.1.) Consider your own religious path. What stories are told that serve to enlighten and educate? In other words, what stories are mythical?   Answer: As I studied and searched the New Testament, I found this question to be very challenging in order to seek out a statement in Christ's own words that fit the question asked. In return for my effort the lord and the Holy Spirit led me to Matthew, Ch. 5. Verse 3 ~ 16; The B- attitudes, as well as the proceeding verses. (Mythical) in the since that something good comes from what may appear bad. (Mythical) is the promise that is perceived for a devotion to such an idea or perception when put into action as a life style. (Mythical) is the faith that must be endured to achieve such reward.   Q.2.) Are any of these myths thought to be actual historical events? Is that important? Would it matter if it was proven that they didn't really happen? Answer:  2a. thought to be historical (Yes) many were supposedly present when Christ gave this inspirational talk. 2b. it is only important to those who hear and through faith, act on it with their whole self being. 2c. I don't feel that it would matter to the faithful, because it is such a strong moral and ethical behavior that it implies as to (how to live) one's life.   Q.3.) Can you think of a non-religious myth? Perhaps political, or economic, or ethnic. What is the telling of this myth trying to convey? Answer: A political experience that had a profound religious effect and yet there are those, liken to the Holocaust, say it did not happen or that it was a conspiracy of the government. I am referring to the events of (9/11/2001) that took place in a historical content, but however, due to attitudes since the event have taken on a more self-centeredness perception of the event. The final outcome as to the actions taken will not be settled for years to come. One might even say that it is also true that it too is a day that will live infamy.   Q.4.) The Yoruba religion of West Africa tells the religious myth of a fawn named Nala who goes to the water hole at night to get a drink. When she arrives, a hyena corners her and threatens to eat her. Nala points out that she is small, and would never be enough to satisfy the ravenous hyena. She then points out a large wedge of cheese floating in the waterhole that would clearly satisfy him. The hyena dives into the water to get the cheese, and Nala quickly scampers off to safety. However, the hyena quickly discovers that the "cheese" Nala pointed out turns out to be the reflection of the moon on the water. What do you believe is the ethical message that this religious myth is conveying? Answer: In a weird way of looking at this story I noticed a hidden message that would suggest that it is ok to "deceive" in order to save one's life. That it is ok to manipulate the niveness of individuals that might be gullible and or lack significant knowledge to discern a situation. However, on the other hand the message or story conveys an insight to the mental psyche to the perception of survival and the circumstances of the environment may be used to one's advantage. When I look at this story from the point of view of the "hyena", I feel that not only was the hyena possible thinking how lucky the little "fawn" was, but also how foolish he must have felt being duped to such a trick. From a Christian point of view I see the "fawn" as being a new Christian in the faith and as a meek or childlike / young individual, yet wise enough and carnal enough to pull off such a deception and that the "hyena", signifies "Satan", and how nice it would be to be able to pull one over on him and escape unharmed. Yet, the ethical message is lost here because of its deception in the way it conveys the outcome. I recon the best thing the "fawn" could have done is to be patient and wait until daylight or have other fawns go to the watering hole, because there is a general since of safety in numbers. -- Reverend Father Andrew R. M. Manley Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

The 11:11 Phenomenon & Repeated Number

The 11:11 Phenomenon & Repeated Number Sequences Hundreds of Thousands are reporting seeing 11:11 and other number combinations and sequences. The internet has much information on why this phenomenon is occurring.   One belief is that Angels and loved ones who have passed on (in death) are contacting recipients with Angelic Numeric (digital) communications.   Here is the Online meaning of Angelic Number Communications along with Pastor Gary Colin's Biblical Numbers definitions:   0 - God is Present (The Alpha and The Omega-Revelation 1:1-8). Gary Colin's Numerology-The Zero, The Nothing (not a thing-no thing-no matter-2 Samuel 18:13; Daniel 2:10; John 4:24; Leviticus 12:4; Matthew 6:9-13), The Black Hole (Hallow-Matthew 6:9-13), The Black Goddess (Eve-Mother Of All Living Things-Hallow Eve-Halloween-Anpu-Genesis 3:20-Mary-Jesus Sepulchre-Night-John 20:1;Mark 16:2; , Feminine Divinity, Feminine Deity 1 - Watch your thoughts and only think about your desires instead of your fears, as you will attract what you're thinking about. Gary Colin's Numerology-The First-The Son-The Sun-Jesus-The Eastern Star (Mark 16:2; Matthew 2:2; Revelation 1:11-17) 2 - Keep the faith and don't give up hope. Gary Colin's Numerology-Two-The Marriage-God and Humans Becoming "One" ( Genesis 2:24-Duality Meeting Singularity (Plural)-We-Us-They-Them The I AM and A MEN 3 - Jesus or other ascended masters are with you and helping you. Gary Colin's Numerology The Presence of God-especially with resurrections and new beginnings (Luke 13:32; Luke 9:22; Revelation 11:11) 4 - The angels are all around you all the time. Gary Colin's Numerology-The Angel's Number (Matthew 24:31; Revelation 7:1; Revelation 14:1-14) 5 - A pulsating change is coming for you (buckle up and be safe). Gary Colin's Numerology-The separation or division of spirit from flesh (Genesis 47:2-Pharaoh's Presence) 6 - Release any fears about the physical/material world to God and the angels. Balance your thoughts between the material and spiritual. Gary Colin's Numerology-The number of Preparation, Preparing Humans to Become One with God. It is the Beast's job to prepare the Way (Sons of God) for these Kings (regenerated humans) of the East Sun rising (Regenerated Humans. Angelic Lights, Children of the Sun God-Ra, Zeus, Re, Jesus, Apollo). The Dragon Beast Leviathan of the Sea (Pharaoh Akhenaten-Ezekiel 29:3; Psalm 104:20-27; Revelation 13:1-end; Revelation 17:1-16) will Prepare humans to meet God-as Sons of God just as Satan prepared Job (Job 1:1-10; Revelation 13:15-Genesis 1:24-26; Revelation 14:1-10; John 19:14; 1 Chronicle 22:5; Nahum 2:3; Revelation 13:16-18; Revelation 17:1-16; John 17:17-21). 7 - You're on the right path, so keep going. Gary Colin's Numerology-The Sabbath Rest of God where humans have now been Regenerated and are now One With God (US) (John 17:17-21; Genesis 1:26) 8 - Abundance is coming to you now. Gary Colin's Numerology-The Beast is the Eighth King but is of the Seventh (Revelation 17:10-16). The Underworld, The Spirit World, The Otherside, The Hereafter (John 13:7; John 1:51; Revelation 1:19; Luke 22:69), The Afterlife, Nether, Netherland (Exodus 19:17; Ezekiel 32:18; Ezekiel 21:18; . The Judgment or Circumcision of God (on the Eight Day-Luke 2:21). God must be "judged" and "put to death-REST-SABBATH-Exodus 31:17-as Jesus was (Matthew 28: (death of God-fool-Psalm 14:1)" before the Son (new world) can be born (Luke 22:55-71; Revelation 12:1-10). 9 - Get to work on your life's purpose without delay-Gary Colin's Numerology-the birth of the Son, manchild (Revelation 12:1-10)  10-Gary Colin's Numerology-The Kings of the Earth-Angels and humans Regenerated/Refreshing into Angels (Matthew 19:28; Psalm 104:1-5; 1 Corinthians 15:47-54; Titus 3:1-5; Exodus 31:17)  11-Gary Colin's Numerology-The Traveling or Journey into the Spirit World (Genesis 37:9 (Notice that Baal-the Moon/Sun God Of Hallow/Nether (World of the Dead-Anpu) is mentioned with his "stars of Heaven" (Angels)- see also Revelation 13:1-end-false Prophet and fiery stars from Heaven-Very few people know that the God of the Bible calls Himself Baali (Hosea 2:16) and Jesus was called Beelzebub (Bel or Baal)-Matthew 10:25; Genesis 32:22. One might receive a 11:11 message from those in the Spirit world and follows of God in Space-Orion-Sirius-The Seven Stars 12-Gary Colin's Numerology-The Tribes Of "Israel"-All of God's creations (Genesis 49:28)  13-Gary Colin's Numerology-The "death or judgment (circumcision)" of God which is His Sabbath/Passover (John 19:31) Rest (death-Exodus 31:17; Exodus 49:33) and is the New Spirit World (Revelation 21:1-5; John 4:24; Psalm 104:1-5), Genesis 17:25;  Numbers 29:17- Notice the number 13 being associated with the Bull or Baal. Biblically speaking the Bible numbers 8 (eight) and 13 (thirteen) are very similar. 8 and 13 is the Black Darkness (Judgment upon God/Jesus-Matthew 27:45; which is Space and the Divine Feminine Deity Goddess (Revelation 17:1-16-Babylon), Mother Jerusalem Above-Mary (Galatians 4:24; Revelation 21:1-5) 14-Gary Colin's Numerology-The Passover (Leviticus 23:5)-The time when humans "cross over" to the other side (Luke 8:22;  (in Ships-Ark(s)-Angels-Chariots-Noah-Jesus-Archangel Michael-(Moses-Priest-Pharaoh-Beast-Akhenaten-The Ark of God's Covenant-(Exodus 2:1-6; Matthew 24:30-47; Ezekiel 29:3)-Leviathan-Psalm 104:1-5, 20-27; Exodus 1:1-end;-Mark Chapter). These Angels are "Jesus" the Sons of God (John 10:30-44-John 10:1-30; Genesis 6:1-end; Matthew 24:30-47; John 17:17-21).   Is is important to note that the Orion 11:11 gateway in association with Sirius (Black Dog Star Anpu/Anubis) and the Seven Sister Stars of Pleiades (Job 38:1-end; Amos 5:8; Job 9:9; Job 38:31) Whom Jesus holds in His Right Hand (Revelation 1:14-16) are all signaling the 11:11 call as Osiris/Horus/Herod/Orion/Anpu/Sun/Re/Ra/Son/Moon/Baal/Ashtoreth Pharaoh Akhenaten/Moses/Scorpion King the Beast of the Sea/River walks the earth Again (Matthew 24:3; John 14:28) as the Captain/Prince/Son/Joshua/Yeshua/Jesus-Commander and Chief (Michael) of God's Army/Host-angels of Heaven (Exodus 1:22; Exodus 2:1-6; Ezekiel 29:3; Mark 16:2; Malachi 4:1-8; Matthew 2:2; Psalm 104:20-27; Revelation 13:1-end; Revelation 17:1-17; Revelation 9:1-20; Revelation 6:1-18; Matthew 24:20-47; Revelation 12:7-12; Joshua 5:13-15: John 1:51-Son of Man).   Could this Commander and Chief be the Quetzalcoatl  of Hopi Mayan Prophecy? GARY COLIN IS AUTHOR OF, "BIBLE SYMBOLISM WHAT IT MEANS TO YOUR SALVATION" ( ISBN 1-4241-0152). "Bible Symbolism What It Means To Your Salvation" ISBN 1-4241-0152-2 (Revelation 10:5-7). Free viewing of Bible based beliefs http://www.webspawner.com/users/comingagain Purchase "Bible Symbolism ..." here  http://www.publishamerica.com Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Chaplaincy comments by Rev. BillyJef

1.    Describe someone you know who has the Divine Mark.  What set them apart? I have met such people, one was a cousin, cousin to my mother actually, who was a priest and that was the first person I ever was drawn to in memory.  Another person was a spiritual guide at a point in my life when I was lost; he is now a priest too.  But I must say, when I think of the Divine Mark, the first thing to pop into my mind is the eyes of Savannah, my four legged companion who passed away a decade ago, for that matter all dogs, when I look into their faces I see the Divine. 2.    Has anyone observed the mark in you?  Write down what they have said. Since I was 6 or 7 I've been told I would grow up to do great things.  When I graduated from High School and announced that I wanted to enter the Catholic Seminary, only my parents were surprised, not being very religious themselves and hoping I'd become a doctor or lawyer.  My cousin, the priest just told me it was a matter of time as he could see from when I first asked him to baptize me.  Later, when I was lost I was steered into joining a religious order as they felt I had something special to give and to this day I am still invited to join various Catholic orders (could be more of a need on their part these days than any recognition of the Divine Mark on myself.) 3.    Consider your calling.  Describe it in a paragraph or two. I knew I wanted to be a priest when I was 7 or so.  I knew I was called by the time I was in my early teens.  Things were ugly growing up, I usually win the, "My childhood was so bad…" game.  Somewhere in my later teens it occurred to me to barter with God using my calling as leverage.  That didn't work, bur rather did my desire to enter a contemplative religious order and become a priest. My anger and resentment with God, people and the world led me to many dark places, places where most aren't ever expected to return.  Somehow I surfaced enough to exist but not live, in the twilight between Life and sub-life.  And there I existed until recently. Recently, I was diagnosed with cancer and have been treated and am in remission.  Through this I've risen enough more to feel and breathe the Light again and the Calling, except this time I'm not being called to a reclusive contemplative religious life, though I would like nothing more, but to one of working with those who feel lost, troubled teens, men and women displaced by our economic times and especially those in hospices and dealing with end of life issues.  The call is clear as day and springs forth from the foundation of my being. ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Master of Mystical Christianity by Rev. Judith Lichtenberger

Part One -Annunciation "Magic" of Ancient Egypt       From my reading and understanding (not comprehensive by any means), Egyptian theology actually paralleled Christian concepts which would later develop. Long before the heretic king, Akhenaton, who attempted to change Egypt's polytheistic viewpoint to emphasis on the one god, that of the sun = the Aten, the region of Memphis broke through with a theology of its own. The "Memphite Theology" called upon the creative forces of nature much akin to the highly skilled artists/architects/artisans of ancient Egypt. Their chief god's name was Ptah, and he is considered Father-god to all subsequent deities.     Ptah's power lay in the power of the spoken word. Some sources compare his power of creation with the Hebrew book of Genesis = "Let there be light and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). This power is called by scholars "annunciation". In John 1:1,2 we find the same annunciation "magic" if you will = "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Ptah put the Word into creative action.     Atum is the term the Memphite theologians used to describe the raw material of creation whereas Ennead was similar in function to the potter's hands in forming the angles and curves of an artistic piece. Ptah's tongue articulated the magic words pushing the sound and the glory of creation between his teeth into the heavens and earth. Through Ptah's heart, pulses the spirit of the gods followed by mankind and the lesser but not less important life forms. Ptah's heart thinks the Father-god's divine thoughts, while his tongue expresses the forms he wishes to create. All identifying features and life processes were then built with Atum, the material of creation, sculpted with god-like meticulousness by Ennead, interpreter of Ptah. Formation in the god's mind,  his ideation of what he would create and its purpose is termed as "perception" and Ptah's articulation, the Word, which enters the world by divine will as creative speech, is "annunciation". Though not unique to the ancient world, within Egyptian theology, these ideas remain exclusive to Memphis.     The Greeks had similar creation myths which scholars believe to be partly translatable into early Christian mythos.    Part Two:   Hathor, protectress of women    In our Mystical Christianity lessons, much emphasis is given to the feminine side of Christed individuals. In researching various sources for this concluding essay, I came upon Hathor who figured prominently as the goddess of joy and feminine love. She is depicted at various times in ancient Egypt as both the wife and mother of the god, Horus. Since both Horus and Hathor were sky-deities, they are usually pictured with either solar disks (Horus-a sun god) or in Horus' case, a falcon head which kept careful watch on the activities of humankind. Hathor, however, had the distinction of being seen in either the role as wife or mother, wearing the countenance of several "grounded" animals: the cow who nourished pharaohs and children (and hid Horus every evening in her breast as the sun set),a ewe, and during playful moments could assume the head dress of male animals as well. Her symbol or fetish was the sistern, a musical instrument which had the power to soothe and drive away evil spirits. Hathor often entertained herself with dance and music, wine and wild love-making. In the later era of the great Egyptian dynasties, Hathor became associated with the journey of the dead. This became so wide-spread that a dead person, previously known as an "Osiris", became supplanted in title to a "Hathor".   Hathor, at this period of time, was known also as the "Lady of the Sycamores". The story is told that the goddess hid in a grove of these trees at the edge of the desert to startle, then welcome, the newly dead and assist in guiding them on their final journey. She was also known to hold the ladder which the dead would climb on their path to Paradise. Hathor was present frequently in funeral processions in various roles as protectress of the deceased's living children, a symbol of new beginnings which for the Egyptians was very true, and venerated along with her husband (or whatever relation that region attributed to her) Horus. Images or statuary of both were present during the processions and in their shared sanctuaries.     At Dendera, large celebrations were held in honor of Hathor where her most famous sanctuary was located. Even worship of her husband, Horus, could not eclipse the participant's joy at these festivals where Hathor was the center of attention. Her birthday was New Years which added to the occasion. Songs were sung and composed and wine was abundant. Party-goers left happy and intoxicated.     Various stories are told concerning Hathor. The most famous is about the time Hathor disguised herself as the Eye of Ra. She was about to use the power of Ra's Eye to destroy the human race when Ra himself intervened by pouring beer (blood red in color) over the field where her deadly vision was fixed. Hathor saw herself reflected in the liquid and then with a godly thirst, drank all the beer. She became so inebriated that she forgot about her murderous mission and mankind was spared.     Worship of Hathor was wide-spread and she was known by various titles according to region. In Phoenicia, she was called "the Lady of Byblos"; in Somaliland, her name was "Mistress of the Land of Punt.." In the Sinai, her title was "Mistress of the Land of Mefket".     Bibliography: EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY by Paul Hamlyn, Westbrook House, Fulham Broadway, London, Copyright 1965 WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE ON THE BANKS OF THE NILE: Egypt 3050-30 B.C .by the Editors of Time-Life Books, Alexandria, VA, USA, Copyright 1990 ANCIENT EGYPT, General Editor David P. Silverman, Oxford University Press, New York & London, Copyright 1997 TIMEFRAME 1500-600 B.C.,: Barbarian Tides, by the Editors of Time-Life Books, Alexandria, VA, Copyright 1987 ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button.

Shamanism Assumptions by Rev. Vickers

Here is lesson 2 and 3   Unifying Assumptions   The basic unifying assumption with Shamanism is that everything in the universe is alive and can be communicated with when approached properly. These perceptions assist in the understanding of different realities from the one main-stream mundane reality suggested as "Ordinary Reality." Our true power comes in recognising our relationship to these realities. Shamanism deals with recognising each person has a helping spirit  and by working with the persons spiritual aspect of health.  It sees the realms as having a topography with a lower, middle and upper world. The anthropologist Michael Harner is noted as stating the core elements are practiced rituals and beliefs that occur universally across cultures. These core elements include: Ecstasy a sensation of being outside one's self, often joyously.  This is the ecstatic energy of Shamanic journeying, skiing and sex. Lower level shamanic reality is experienced as a journey passing through a tunnel to where power animals and other healing instructive forces reside. This is not the hell considered in Christianity. Middle World is considered ordinary reality experienced in the spiritual sense.  Participation in Divination and other forms of healing are done at this level. In Upper World it can be a positive journey for the Shaman as they travel upwards from Middle World again this is not considered as heaven. Non-ordinary reality is where the Shaman journeys to. It is not of the Aristotelian logic. Ordinary reality is our general life in our ordinary state of awareness. This is linear and of a logical formulation. Power is another element obtained through the right relationship to the other realms as we over come and achieve immunity against negative spiritual influences there by enjoying fullness of life. The power animal is the helping spirit or familiar that has agreed to act as guide advisor and healer. The Shaman which is a "Tungas" word refers to a person that contacts these other realties for healing and wisdom  in service to the community. The Shaman's Drum is considered to symbolise much spiritual power and is the Shaman's horse to travel to these other worlds.  It is usually a one-handed drum struck with a mallet. The Shaman's rattle is used to communicate with the spirits and assist in the healing work. Shamanic consciousness is an altered ecstatic state created usually through the use of a sonic driver, a repetitive sound or the use of mind altering herbs. The sonic driver could be a voice, rattle or drum.  The World Tree can used as the axis mundi as the energetic connection used to traverse between the worlds. A Shaman can be helpful in the recovery of Soul Loss. A psychic trauma that has affected the individual as a result of a physical or psychological trauma.  In essence this traumatic result has left the individual's soul missing and the person feels disoriented or lost.. something amiss where they may be depressed,have a loss of vigour or lust for life. The Shaman recovers a soul through Shamanic journeying to bring the persons soul back to it's home. Upon retrieval of the soul the person must nurture themselves and help to develop the newly recovered soul. The soul could have left at a much earlier time in the persons life and it will have to have assistance to return to original function and development the community can also assist at this point.   Shamanism Lesson 3. Religion By Rev.Cynthia Vickers Shamanism as a religion has been considered by some people to be a primitive-religious-magic practiced by aborigines through out the world.  There appears to be several view of the expression of Shamanism and their rites and practices including the removal of evil spirits. The Siberian tribes had a noticeable mythology foundation which was track able back to nomenclature.  This was supported by a intellectual activity in Mongols and neighbouring nations of Europe known as Shamanism as explained by scientist writing of Banzaroff. With the introduction of Buddism the Mongolic Nation's old religion became known as "The Black Faith" (Khara Shadjin) and the Buddism, " The Yellow Faith"(Shaira Shadjin). With the Chinese it was considered as Toa-Shen (gambolling before the spirits) this is according to Father Jakiuv. Further understanding of Shamanism looks at the Palaeo - Siberians is considered the simplest form of Shamanism with Neo-Shamism  being the most complex. The Palaeo-Siberians were mainly family members and the Neo-shaman more the profession Shaman. Not that the Palaeo -Siberian was more primitive it was the professional attended more the application of ceremonies and rites with the influence of communal life. Geographical influences also had effect on practice as relating to the heat and cold. These were the differences most directly noted on the practice. With this understanding it becomes a personal determination that one decides whether the Shaman is a cult to the Siberian region or if it is part of the general primitive magic-religion. The family Shaman is noted amongst Palaeo-Siberians and the professional amongst the Neo-Siberians. The family shaman are losing ground in modern times amongst the many tribes, with the exception of the Chukchee. Whether it is a individual or professional shamanism that occurs the reference that is implied is a person "with spirit" (enenilist), from enen, a shamanic spirit is also know by some writers as Arctic Hysteria. The most identifiable trait of a good Shaman is their power and other unusual qualities. Because the Shaman's vocation is rather vague in description with the exception of the working the drums and singing of melodies the family "tries to communicate with spirits in the same manner as a shaman." The difference between the families and the professional is timing..the family is in the outer room in daylight, the professional in an inner room at night. The vocation of Shaman is an inspired person often having overcome serious nervous afflictions. To be called to become a Shaman is generally equivalent to being someone afflicted with hysteria and they overcome the disease by answering the call of Shamanistic Practice. As a believer the acceptance means accepting several spirits or at least one as a protector or servant in which the Shaman can communicate with the whole spirit world. ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Metaphysical healing homework by Rev. Edonna

Assignment: Number three Student: Rev. Dr. Edonna Alexandria Course: Metaphysical Healing ESOTERIC PHYSIOLOGY 1. Answer each of the following questions. a) Write a paragraph on the Human Aura:   The Human Aura is the protective invisible shield which surrounds the physical body,  it is composed of seven shields that span out around the body in an elliptical formation, much like the elliptical orbits that follow the path and rotations of the planets around the sun.  It provides protection to the body and allows information to flow through.  Information flows in and out, providing a two way communication system from the universe, immediate earth areas and the body. b) Why do we have subtle bodies?  We have these subtle bodies to: 1) protect our physical body. 2) Provide a communication system between the physical and spiritual words. c) Name the different energy systems.1) etheric, 2) Emotional, 3) Mental, 4) Astral, 5) Etheric template, 6) Celestial, 7) Ketheric, 8) Auric d) What is the function of auric fibers? The auric fibers provide protection to the physical body by picking up signals from our surroundings; Caution us ; vitalize our physical and subtle bodies with life force energy. e) where are the spinal nerves located? In the spinal cord. 2. Describe the Circulatory system in the physical. The circulatory system in the physical carries oxygen to the tissues and waste products away from.  It is the major transport system of the body involving the heart and blood. 3. Describe the Circulatory system of the Etheric.  It allows energy to be carried though the tissues physical body which assist the body in draining itself of negative etheric energy away from the body and into the auric field.  The auric energy field is a colorless like fluid which contains billions of cells that are excreted by the chakra system.  The auric cells circulate through the acupuncture meridians and exited the body along the auric cells by passing through the skin.  If this auric Sheath is damaged, the auric fluid will begin spilling out and experience in the physical body as exhaustion which will cause physical weakness. 4. Write a short paragraph on the Physical Aura. The personality of the human is created by the physical aura, which is contained in the physical body consisting of the etheric , emotional and cognitive bodies utilized to breath, think and feel. 5. What does the Etheric Body look like? It is similar to the blue/gray print of an architect.  It is an outline of the body much like that of a negative of a photograph.  It looks like the shadow of the physical body. 6. How does the Etheric body differ from the Emotional Body? The etheric body is lighter and more weightless compared to the body; additionally it creates the chakra system and is the first level where disease will reveal itself. 7. What are the main functions of the chakras? The main function of the chakra system is to vitalize and energize the body by transmitting energy through the blood system and to serve as a communication channel with the universal life force energies. 8. What is the color of the Astral Body? Rose Pink. 9. What function does the Astral Body serve? It serves as the mediator between the physical and spiritual aura, thus communicating between ourselves and the higher spiritual planes of consciousness 10. Why do we need a "silver cord"?To keep us connected the astral body because without it the physical body could not exist.   When that cord is cut, our astral body leaves the physical body which dies, while the spiritual continues to live its immortal existence. 11. Describe the Spiritual Aura. The spiritual aura is the embodiment of the higher spiritual self which allows us to communicate with beings that exist on the higher spiritual planes of consciousness and awareness. 12. Complete this sentence: The Auric Sheath is extremely strong and is resistant to penetration and  protects the fields. 13. Where are the major chakras located externally? Along the outside of the endocrine system.   14. Name them and give the corresponding endocrine glands. The a. Crown--Pituitary b. Forehead--Pineal c. Throat--Thyroid d. Heart--Thymus e. Solar Plexus--Pancreas f. Sacral/Naval--Ovaries/Testes g. Base of Spine--Adrenals/Top of Kidneys           Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Dr. of Metaphysics essay by Rev. Cindy Roskamp

I have so loved this course and have truly hate to see these lessons come to an end.  These courses have been very life changing to me.  They have so transformed my ways of thinking in all areas of my life. I have totally loved coming to the understanding of how to judge what truth is and seeing life from the perspective of all being an illusion created by our thoughts.  This is very powerful once you grasp it,  I love how this course teaches how to manifest miracles and make them a part of daily life.  Using attention and directed focus and intensity for the desires we have in life. I have found through this course that I am more conscious of my own thoughts and desires and making sure that they are grounded and rooted in truth and love instead of being based on fear,  This course brings great awareness to these things. Through it I have been able to change the way I look at my work and my relationships, all the areas of my life. I have the book a course in miracles but I am very glad that I was able to take this course because I think that it helps to grasp these concepts before reading it.  I truly also loved the way that this course changes the perception of self imposed limits and being able to move above that to clearly see that there are no limits. The things I learned in this course have built in me new aspirations and hope as well as causing me to see those around me in an entirely different light. It is not something that you can just read and put behind you, it moves you to change in all areas of your life.  I am so thankful that this course was offered here and I know that it is no coincidence that I have found it. I find myself going back to them often for reference. ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

ULC Story - The Pickle Jar

The Pickle Jar The pickle jar as far back as I can remember sat on the floor beside the dresser in my parents' bedroom. When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss his coins into the jar. As a small boy I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as they were dropped into the jar. They landed with a merry jingle when the jar was almost empty. Then the tones gradually muted to a dull thud as the jar was filled. I used to squat on the floor in front of the jar and admire the copper and silver circles that glinted like a pirate's treasure when the sun poured through the bedroom window. When the jar was filled, Dad would sit at the kitchen table and roll the coins before taking them to the bank. Taking the coins to the bank was always a big production. Stacked neatly in a small cardboard box, the coins were placed between Dad and me on the seat of his old truck. Each and every time, as we drove to the bank, Dad would look at me hopefully. 'Those coins are going to keep you out of the textile mill, son You're going to do better than me. This old mill town's not going to hold you back.' Also, each and every time, as he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the bank toward the cashier, he would grin proudly 'These are for my son's college fund. He'll never work at the mill all his life like me.' We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping for an ice cream cone. I always got chocolate. Dad always got vanilla. When the clerk at the ice cream parlor handed Dad his change, he would show me the few coins nestled in his palm. 'When we get home, we'll start filling the jar again.' He always let me drop the first coins into the empty jar. As they rattled around with a brief, happy jingle, we grinned at each other. 'You'll get to college on pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters,' he said. 'But you'll get there; I'll see to that.' No matter how rough things got at home, Dad continued to doggedly drop his coins into the jar. Even the summer when Dad got laid off from the mill,and Mama had to serve dried beans several times a week, not a single dime was taken from the jar. To the contrary, as Dad looked across the table at me, pouring catsup over my beans to make them more palatable, he became more determined than ever to make a way out for me. 'When you finish college, Son,' he told me, his eyes glistening, 'You'll never have to eat beans again - unless you want to.' The years passed, and I finished college and took a job in another town. Once, while visiting my parents, I used the phone in their bedroom, and noticed that the pickle jar was gone. It had served its purpose and had been removed. A lump rose in my throat as I stared at the spot beside the dresser where the jar had always stood. My dad was a man of few words, and never lectured me on the values of determination, perseverance, and faith. The pickle jar had taught me all these virtues far more eloquently than the most flowery of words could have done. When I married, I told my wife Susan about the significant part the lowly pickle jar had played in my life as a boy.. In my mind, it defined, more than anything else, how much my dad had loved me. The first Christmas after our daughter Jessica was born, we spent the holiday with my parents. After dinner, Mom and Dad sat next to each other on the sofa, taking turns cuddling their first grandchild. Jessica began to whimper softly, and Susan took her from Dad's arms. 'She probably needs to be changed,' she said, carrying the baby into my parents' bedroom to diaper her. When Susan came back into the living room, there was a strange mist in her eyes. She handed Jessica back to Dad before taking my hand and leading me into the room. 'Look,' she said softly, her eyes directing me to a spot on the floor beside the dresser. To my amazement, there, as if it had never been removed, stood the old pickle jar, the bottom already covered with coins. I walked over to the pickle jar, dug down into my pocket, and pulled out a fistful of coins. With a gamut of emotions choking me, I dropped the coins into the jar. I looked up and saw that Dad, carrying Jessica, had slipped quietly into the room. Our eyes locked, and I knew he was feeling the same emotions I felt. Neither one of us could speak. This truly touched my heart. I know it has yours as well. Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we forget to count our blessings.Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life, for better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for Good in others. The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched - they must be felt with the heart ~ Helen Keller - Happy moments, praise God. - Difficult moments, seek God. - Quiet moments, worship God. - Painful moments, trust God. - Every moment, thank God. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/ Universal Life Church Seminary enjoys sharing these sort of stories.

Sermon about 2010 by Pastor Pat

Before we get started tonight on a journey over many eons of time I have to tell you that throughout my life I have been called a Gnostic because of my desire to seek knowledge of God and the religions of the world to better understand my God and as well theirs.   I have been called pagan for the image of God I see is not some super imposed super human being setting on the edge of the universe judging us for our transgression.  Then My peers have called me heathen or rebel.  For my God is the life within us and around us spread throughout the universe.  A vastness beyond our comprehension of space and time. This evening I'm going to bring to light topics that are theories, mixed with conspiracies and mystery.    We are going to travel back in time beyond the birth of Christ to the land of the Egyptians, and the Mayan and journey to the island of Patmos in the Mediterranean Sea.  As we explore the Mayan 2012 Calendar and the Book of Revelation of the Christian Bible.   We will explore the Lost Books of the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls and other predictions handed down through the ages of our existence.  We will ask questions that throughout centuries we have plagued the universe in hopes to find answers to meaning of it all, and to come to peace with ourselves and the life, which we share with all creation.   In today's world, which we live, there are problems and societies ills all around us.  We are faced daily with the question what can be done?  Some will tell us that nothing can be done it is human nature! There is nothing we can do, so why bother?  If it comes, let it come. The hassles and confusions wars, plagues, and destruction have come to be the mainstream of the self-professed civilization we live in.    Made up of societies and cultures from all corners of this third rock form the sun and each one of us are a part of what is going on.    Yet, in our day's busy hustle and bustle we go about to and foe with blinders on like a horse drawing a carriage in Central Park of New York so we are not distracted from the world around us.  However, we cannot escape the TV, The Internet, newspapers, magazines where we are confronted with, "the world is in decay and us along with it."   But "STRANGE ENOUGH" at this very moment upon Earth, there are heighten energies, of discovery, awesome enlightment, and new knowledge with each new dawn, that has never existed before.  The opportunities and challenges of today's world are the climax of all that has proceeded us or were every created.   Never since our dawning existence has the population been greater than ever, by 216,000 births a day, give or take a few on either side.  Never before has our biosphere been in such a state, with global warming, holes in the ozone layer and on and on.  Not necessarily reflecting, the most balanced, healthy, or sane way to operate.  It is for us to decipher how to live our lives with truthfulness to determine what truths empower us to model our lives according to our greatest potential.   All that is manifesting around us reflects the sacred strengths of these prophetic times.    More than ever we are seeing with a clear mind.  Regardless belief, love, beauty, and compassions flood the world with multi-faceted victories of art, co-creation, communities coming together in support of one another, a healing and evolution shine all around us, that enlighten the spirit grace of our true self.   This all exists even tho around us down the block. Around the next corner or across the globe the world is in fear, with brutality, pain, disease, endless anguish of anxiety, separation, disconnection, confusion, and isolation alongside the toxic realities of the egoist, with their callous greed and corruption, materialism, additions and their dangerous ignorance. Science reveals that  (Earth's heart-beat), and the magnetic fields of the planet are dropping - reflected in the shifting migration patterns of animals. These shifting of the Earth's body allow physical and emotional patterns, conditioning, beliefs, attitudes, programming, and us to release unwanted baggage - mental. Simultaneously, that which we think or desire is becoming actualized increasingly swiftly. Temperatures are already on the rise. Since 1970, winter temperatures in the country have increased by an average of 1.3 degrees per decade—changing and damaging marine life, forests, agriculture, recreation and human health. Extreme storms are becoming more frequent. East coast for example, can expect a coastal flood equivalent to today's 100-year flood every two to four years on average by mid-century, and almost annually by the end of the century. The oceans are rising. Scientists project that sea levels could rise another 4.5 feet by the end of the century—inundating our coastline and claiming countless low-lying communities Heat waves are expected to increase. Within our children's lifetimes, Northeast cities could experience 20-30 days above 100 degrees causing pain, distress and even increased mortality for our vulnerable citizens. Our snow season is becoming shorter and shorter. By late this century, the length of the snow season could be cut in half across country, and reduced to a week or two in southern parts of the region, a trend that may have already begun. Plant and animal populations are shifting northward. Species like the fir and spruce are expected to all but disappear from the region by the century's end. The Baltimore oriole, American goldfinch and song sparrow populations will become much less abundant.   The facts speak for themselves. It's clear that the road on which we're traveling is a dead end. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to make a u-turn—but it's going to take your help to turn this world and this rock around.   What can you do about it?   As we catapult towards the point of no return, it's time to hit the brakes and begin change. I'm not speaking of plaguing congress and world governments to make climate changes to laws that have proven to be wrong, or for some that may have given us a dent in the overall problem, we as beings upon this rock have created.  The change begins with ourselves, and how we view our world and ourselves.    A lot of us even tho we may not say wander about the end time's wither we are going to be affected by the planetary alignment of 2012, will the world tilt on its axis.   On the other hand, will Jesus come, judge our sins, and give us paradise or damnation.    On the other hand, will we explode our rock with nuclear holocaust amiss a war as never seen before between good and evil?  Of course, we have to ask ourselves as beings that may fight that war, just who are the good or evil.  Of course, there are always the facts of possibility of super volcanoes or the big earthquake.   Or will we choke to death by our own emissions.  What a mess we have made and the funny thing is no God or gods have helped us do it.  We have done a good enough Job on our own.   I'm no prophet yet there are some truths behind all I've said.  First, I want to speak of the Mayan 2012 December 21st.  Is it doom or new beginnings?  Regardless of belief, the Mayans were not alone.   This time we are now in has been called "The Time of Trial on Earth," "Judgment Day," "The Time of Great Purification," "The End of this Creation," "The Quickening," Not to be confused with the Highlander series and movies "The End of Time as We Know It," "The Shift of the Ages." It is foretold that the completion of the Precession brings regeneration of Earth, offering awakening to all open willing hearts. Many peoples spoke of these last days of the Great Cycle, including the: Maya, Hopi, Egyptians, Kabbalists, Essenes, Qero elders of Peru, Navajo, Cherokee, Apache, Iroquois confederacy, Dogon Tribe of Africa, and Aborigines.   The apocalyptic view popularly attributed to the Maya, many New Agers believe that the ending of this cycle will correspond to a global "consciousness shift" and the beginning of a new age. This theory is grounded in a apocalyptic vocabulary dating back to the 1950s and draws on many of the same sources and personalities of the 1987 Harmonic Convergence. Established themes found in 2012 literature include "suspicion towards mainstream Western culture", the idea of spiritual evolution, and the possibility of leading the world into the New Age, by individual example or by a group's joined consciousness. The general intent of this literature is not to warn of impending doom but "to foster counter-cultural sympathies and eventually socio-political and 'spiritual' activism".   Well, technically, the planets will never perfectly align. If you are looking at it from a 2-D perspective (from above) it seems that they would. However, if you look at a 3-D perspective, you will see that the planets are not all on the same level. The planets when they do get close enough to be considering in alignment, there won't be too much to notice from it. If you are an astronomer or know what to look for, then you would have something interesting to look at in the sky in the weeks leading to and after the alignment. What you will be able to see is the planets grouped very close together. In no way will this cause an eclipse. Mercury and Venus are way too small and too far away to cast a shadow on the Earth. The only thing that can cause an eclipse is the moon. That happens all the time already so you don't need an alignment to see that. You may have to travel to a different part of the world to really get a view of it though. Some people have claimed that when the alignments of the planets happens, their increased gravity will wreck havoc on Earth. That is not true. The alignment will not increase their gravity or combine the effects of their gravity. The gravity that Mars or Venus impact on Earth is insignificant and would be impossible to measure. The same goes for the planets that are even further away. The gravity of Jupiter (the planet with the most gravity in our solar system) has no effect on Earth. The closest Jupiter ever gets to Earth is 365 million miles. The effects of its gravity are weaker and weaker as you move away from it. After 365 million miles, there is almost nothing left to feel. Therefore, the alignment of planets will not cause something bad to happen on Earth.   Will Jesus come, judging us giving us paradise or damnation?  Depending on whom you listen to, Mathematic, theology, or biblical scholars will tells us the book of revelations tells us of our doom.  What I'm about to tell you will put me on thin Ice with ministers and Christian alike.  Yet the facts stands that John the individual who wrote the book was imprisoned on the Island of Patmos Modern scholarship  suggests that John the Apostle, John the Evangelist and John of Patmos were three separate individuals. This can be determined via new means of inquiry such as textual criticism. Certain lines of evidence suggest that John of Patmos wrote only Revelation, neither the Gospel of John.   For one, the author of Revelation identifies himself as "John" several times, but the author of the Gospel of John never identifies himself directly. While both works liken Jesus to a lamb, they consistently use different words for lamb when referring to him—the Gospel uses amnos, Revelation uses arnion.  Lastly, the Gospel is written in nearly flawless Greek, but Revelation contains grammatical errors and stylistic abnormalities which indicate its author may not have been as familiar with the Greek language as the Gospel's author. Most commentators accept Revelation to be the unified text of one writer.  Robert Henry Charles saw things slightly differently. He agreed that Revelation possessed an underlying original structure because the seven beatitudes, which exist unobtrusively in the text, have not been disturbed and that the first of these is right at the beginning (1:3) and the seventh near the end (22:7), Thus, prologue and epilogue are part of the original. However, he reasoned on internal textual grounds, that the book was edited by someone who spoke no Hebrew and who wished to promote a different theology to John's. As a result, everything after 20:3 has been left in a haphazard state with no attempt to structure it logically as John would surely have done. Furthermore, the story of the defeat of the ten kingdoms has been deleted and replaced by 19:9 and 10.  John's theology of chastity has been replaced by the editor's theology of outright celibacy, which accounts for 14: 4 'they which were not defiled with women: for they are virgins', and which makes little sense when John's true church is symbolised as a bride of the Lamb. Most importantly, the editor has completely rewritten John's theology of the Millennium which is "emptied of all significance" In the edited version, the martyrs when raised to glory, are "sitting on thrones in splendid idleness for full one thousand years" when, according to Charles, John's intention had been to show "the Millennial Reign is one of arduous spiritual toil" in which Christ and his martyrs evangelise the whole world, Jewish and Gentile. It has been contended that the core verses of the book, in general chapters 4 through 22, are surviving records of the prophecies of John the Baptist.  The Lamb of God references in the Gospels are all associated with John the Baptist, and other hallmarks of Revelation can be tied to what is known of John the Baptist. With this take into acount that John the Baptist lost his head on the  King's daughter request.  John the Apostle is believed to be one of the 12 disciples.  Matthew links John's death as well with Herodias, as he related that her daughter so much delighted Antipas with a dance that he vowed to grant her any wish to which, after asking her mother (Herodias), she demanded the head of John the Baptist. (Matthew 14:6-8) The Gospels date John's death before the crucifixion of Jesus. Josephus places John's death no later than 36 CE (common era). Neither Josephus who was a first-century Jewish historian ,nor the Gospels state where John was buried, though the Gospels state that John's disciples took his body and placed it in a tomb and then told Jesus all that had occurred, to which Jesus replied that there had been no greater son of woman than John the Baptist (Matthew 14:3-12). I believe that John of Patmos imprision on a barian Volcannic Island saw visions and wrote what he saw.  Was it the destruction of Rome or today's predictions depends on who you talk to and your belief.   If a comet hit the Earth, would not all the wars end immediately as we bonded together or would a rogue leader use it to initiate international aggression?  In a little more than five years, all the major prophecies in the world coincide into a singular event.  From the Book of Revelations to the Bible Code and from the Hopi to Lakota prophecies, they all agree and are starting to synchronize.  There is a time in the future coming soon when they all agree about what will happen.  Are you ready?  It is a time to prepare now not out of fear but hope and excitement.  Something both terrible and wonderful is about to happen.   Some will tell us the book of Revelations is unfolding in Israel now.  According to the prophecy, Jerusalem is where this final battle is to be played out. No stranger to conflict and violence, this city is the focus of dreams of eternal paradise.  According to most Christians' beliefs, this is where Christ will come back to earth.  But first, the Jews must return.  Most Christians believe that the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was a fulfillment of the biblical prophecy and since then 'the last days clock has been ticking'.   Many Christians interpret the US government's policies on Israel and the Middle East from a biblical point of view. Many Israelis are very worried about the kind of 'support' they are being offered. Some say this is not based on Israel's needs and that there is no support for peacemaking. On the contrary, the agenda of the Christian Evangelicals is war, to fulfill the violent prophecy of Revelation.   Provocatively, some Christians have joined forces with fundamentalist Jewish groups who want to rebuild the Temple of Solomon, touching on the ancient Jewish yearning for their destroyed Temple. However, the place where they plan to build it has deep meaning for the three Abraham religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Temple Mount is Islam's 3rd most holy site, Al-Aqsa Mosque.  The spot where Muslim, Jewish and Christian believers think that God created Adam, Abraham prepared his son Isaac to be sacrificed, and according to his vision, Muhammad was carried on a winged horse.   The Hopi prophecies came from a man known as Time's Special Witness, around 7th century Mayan prophet Pacal Votan.  He left a universal message for future generations of an evolving Earth. Proclaiming "If humanity wishes to save itself from biospheric destruction it must return to living in natural time."  He foretold of our accelerated technological society and the resulting damage of our collective divergence from Natural Law in exchange for materialist values.   Votan's prophetic call is alerting present-day humanity that our biological process is transforming, approaching the culmination of a 26,000-year evolutionary program. Bringing the return of universal telepathy, heightened sense capacity, and self-reflective consciousness, this is a return to the sacred domain of our inner technology.  This grand cycle of evolution will culminate winter solstice, December 21, 2012 AD. The Lakota prophecies are called The Prophecy of White Buffalo Calf Woman. To the Lakota, the birth of a white buffalo is a sign for the whole world.  It is said that when this calf matures, it will turn the four colors of the peoples of the earth (white, red, brown and black), and upon turning black, the world and all its peoples will be united in peace.  The birth of a white buffalo is said to be the fulfillment of age-old legends.   It's a one in 60-million chance that a pure breed buffalo will be born white. And an even smaller chance that it's offspring will also be white, but a couple near Belle Fourche say they have a matched set.  Three years ago Jim and Dena Riley were surprised with a very special new comer at their bison ranch, a white buffalo, who they call Miracle Moon. And now that she's three years old, Miracle Moon has had her first baby, another white buffalo.  Jim and Dena have named their new white buffalo Rainbow Spirit. "My husband saw a rainbow in the sky right after the birth so it was kind of appropriate to name her that," says Dena.  This buffalo unfortunately died. The birth is significant to many because Native American cultures tell of a young woman who taught them how to use the buffalo for survival. When she left the people, she turned into a white buffalo and promised to return.  When she returned it would be a time of chaos and disaster in the world.  And when she returned it would be a time for all races to come together in peace, balance, and harmony, and bring healing to the world. The Nostradamus predictions have been interpreted many ways but his end-times predictions are very clear.  From Part IV: The Time of Trouble.  Prelude to the Antichrist and W W III, there will be volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, famines and rioting.  The death of a world leader and revolt coincides with a comet.  Fiasco from communication breakdown between two superpowers causes Russian and American submarine and naval confrontation.  Crazed leader launches atom bombs on Mediterranean and Europe.    A third world leader creates strife.  Antichrist profits from radar research in Europe.  International political and social incidents occur.  War-game simulation by Britain in Europe leads to disaster.  American Electoral College voting ends in stalemate.  Earth abuse causes agricultural devastation in U.S. and Britain.  Underwater Russian submarine base defanged by diplomacy.  Extraterrestrials shot by paranoid nation and bacteriological agents released.  Extraterrestrial probe discovered by scientists.   From Part V: Scientific Achievements in the Time of Troubles.  Dangers of weaponry mixed with natural disaster.  Weather modulation devices go awry causing ice and hail.  Nuclear reactor meltdown near city with underground chambers.  Space shuttle accident releases microorganisms into atmosphere.  Devastating accidental weaponry explosions from earth tumult.  Ruptured earth energy fields cause meteorite storm.  Research into warping time leads to disaster.  The weapons of W W III are new, horrific, secret and radical weapons monstrosities.  WMDs unleashed on San Andreas and New Madrid faults.  Antichrist obtains WMD through espionage, bribery and treachery.  Death caused by radio waves.   The Bible Code predicts wretched cosmic. Meager year for 2010.  God year for  2012. 2012 has comet impact.  Revelation 16:18 "No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth."  Revelation 16:21 "From the sky huge hailstones of about 100 pounds each fell upon men."  2012 is Day of Judgment.  2012 is human extinction.   Looking for confirmation of published code on a possible cosmic impact with an extremely large body (60 miles diameter) in 2012 could be corroborated with other codes.  The odds on any one of these matrices appears to be on the order of one in a million, and to get 33 of them might lead someone to think that an important message was embedded.   The probability estimate is driven by the relative rarity of 5, 6, and 7-character words and the fact that multiples of these words are found in the same frame.   Let us all pray that it's not the extinction of the human species that we might find encoded here.  In America 2012-2013 Ohio may be one of the few places in America that will still be habitable after Yellowstone erupts.  There are persistent rumors about internment camps being prepared for use in an emergency.   It seems that there is going to be a time when many great and terrible things will coincide into a body and spirit opening for many and death of the ego for most.  It is time to get prepared.  It is not a time to fear but a time to embrace what will be world unity and eventual world peace.  A time when our super senses will be activated fully and we will experience life in a whole new way.  It happens in less than 2500 days        Metaphysical predictions 2012 is sometimes claimed to be a great year of spiritual transformation (or apocalypse). Many esoteric sources interpret the completion of the thirteenth B'ak'tun cycle in the Long Count of the Maya calendar (which occurs on December 21 by the most widely held correlation) to mean there will be a major change in world order.      In Conclusion We are living in strange and interesting times friends! And many times the word apocalypse comes up in regards to "the end of the world" etc. But the REAL meaning of the word is to "uncover," a "revelation," to REVEAL. The poor stone carver of the Mayan calendar ran out of rock or broke his chisel. John on the island of Patmos wrote to the 7 churches in a code so his Roman guards just thought he was crazy or writing a fantasy.  Hollywood's "2012" opens in cinemas, featuring earthquakes, meteor showers and a tsunami dumping an aircraft carrier on the White House. A Guatemalan, says the doomsday theories spring from Western, not Mayan ideas. It may sound all too much like other doomsday scenarios of recent decades — the 1987 Harmonic Convergence, the Jupiter Effect or "Planet X." But this one has some grains of archaeological basis. One of them is Monument Six. Found at an obscure ruin in southern Mexico during highway construction in the 1960s, the stone tablet almost didn't survive; the site was largely paved over and parts of the tablet were looted. It's unique in that the remaining parts contain the equivalent of the date 2012. The inscription describes something that is supposed to occur in 2012 involving Bolon Yokte, a mysterious Mayan god associated with both war and creation. However — shades of Indiana Jones — erosion and a crack in the stone make the end of the passage almost illegible. Archaeologist Guillermo Bernal of Mexico's National Autonomous University interprets the last eroded glyphs as maybe saying, "He will descend from the sky." Spooky, perhaps, but Bernal notes there are other inscriptions at Mayan sites for dates far beyond 2012 — including one that roughly translates into the year 4772. And anyway, Mayas in the drought-stricken Yucatan peninsula have bigger worries than 2012. "If I went to some Mayan-speaking communities and asked people what is going to happen in 2012, they wouldn't have any idea," saids, a Yucatan Mayan archaeologist. "That the world is going to end? They wouldn't believe you. We have real concerns these days, like rain." The Mayan civilization, which reached its height from 300 A.D. to 900 A.D., had a talent for astronomy Its Long Count calendar begins in 3,114 B.C., marking time in roughly 394-year periods known as Baktuns. Thirteen was a significant, sacred number for the Mayas, and the 13th Baktun ends around Dec. 21, 2012. "It's a special anniversary of creation," said David Stuart, a specialist in Mayan epigraphy at the University of Texas at Austin. "The Maya never said the world is going to end, they never said anything bad would happen necessarily, they're just recording this future anniversary on Monument Six." Bernal suggests that apocalypse is "a very Western, Christian" concept projected onto the Maya, perhaps because Western myths are "exhausted." If it were all mythology, perhaps it could be written off. But some say the Maya knew another secret: the Earth's axis wobbles, slightly changing the alignment of the stars every year. Once every 25,800 years, the sun lines up with the center of our Milky Way galaxy on a winter solstice, the sun's lowest point in the horizon. That will happen on Dec. 21, 2012, when the sun appears to rise in the same spot where the bright center of galaxy sets. Another spooky coincidence? " "If we want to honor and respect how the Maya think about this, then we would say that the Maya viewed 2012, as all cycle endings, as a time of transformation and renewal," As the Internet gained popularity in the 1990s, so did word of the "fateful" date, and some began worrying about 2012 disasters the Mayas never dreamed of. Another History Channel program titled "Decoding the Past: Doomsday 2012: End of Days" says a galactic alignment or magnetic disturbances could somehow trigger a "pole shift." "The entire mantle of the earth would shift in a matter of days, perhaps hours, changing the position of the north and south poles, causing worldwide disaster," a narrator proclaims. "Earthquakes would rock every continent, massive tsunamis would inundate coastal cities. It would be the ultimate planetary catastrophe." The idea apparently originates with a 19th century Frenchman, Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, a priest-turned-archaeologist who got it from his study of ancient Mayan and Aztec texts. Scientists say that, at best, the poles might change location by one degree over a million years, with no sign that it would start in 2012. While long discredited, Brasseur de Bourbourg proves one thing: Westerners have been trying for more than a century to pin doomsday scenarios on the Maya. And while fascinated by ancient lore, advocates seldom examine more recent experiences with apocalypse predictions. Dooms day predictions have been, predicted, and handed down throughout the ages.  If 2012 as the western culture predicts perhaps we will see a change in ourselves and our world.  The bible states we know not the time of Christ's Return and if we are in the last of times we have only began to scratch the surface of the signs of His coming.  That is if the book of revelations predicts our doom and not that of the Roman Empire. If I have pasted on this evening a desire for you to research the topic spoken of so that you may come to your own conclusions, then I have done what I set out to do. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/ ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button.

Master of Religion essay by Rev. Nick Federspiel

Masters of Religion Program Final Essay   Rev. Nick Federspiel            Where did our Bible come from and which is the most accurate version of scripture and who speaks for Bible based doctrine?  Lesson 2 digs right into the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, to me also known as the ten basic commitments as recorded in variant text in Exodus and Deuteronomy.  Lesson 3 discusses the textual edits made by many to resolve the emerging church's diversity in "scripture" and doctrine not to mention politics.  Lesson 4 discusses the missing books which raises the question of how really objective was the canon process.         Collectively, is this inerrancy at its worst or inspired God breathed text at its best?  Of all the lessons these initial few are perhaps the most disorienting to a new (and perhaps previously protected) student to the Bible's heritage and Christian history.  Today scholars write book after book discussing just what language the Books of the Bible were written in: Akkadian, Old Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek – which was first, which is the oldest, which is the most accurate?  Does anybody have a clue what is what?  Then many compound the issue and degenerate into condemning the Bible as a whole!        One truly has to wonder.  In researching issues the course brings to the surface, I went down the following thread, web site by web site including a few books altogether summarized tosses 2 Timothy 3:16 right out the window – for that matter taking 1 Timothy 3:16 with it.  Nineteenth century Julius Wellhausen (1844-1918) in Sources of the Pentateuch claims Moses had nothing to do with the first four books (viswjk.com).  That lead to the suggestion that the four Gospels were written from a master version called the "Q."  Exodus 34, the second set of tablets, was written by "J" c 848-722 B.C.E.  (re: relgioustolerances.org.)  Deuteronomy 5 was written by "D" c 622 BCE."  The Eastern Church considers Exodus 20:2 a preamble, and on and on it goes.         The Cave 4 Qs Gospel fragments, 25% in Aramaic we are told, date 1st century A.D.  The Qs brings to the surface the whole concept of Biblical Criticism which starts with Moses authorship of the Pentateuch being "improbable" (jewishvertuallibrary.org).         Given the volumes of data from Biblical Archeology and the remarkable correspondence of the Qs with today's best translations a lot of Bible critics bite the dust.  It turns out all the reported text based bickering and confusion following the emergence of Christianity, under persecution during its initial centuries, created an extraordinarily homogenous message book.  Those today that persist with atheistic views based upon "differences" in this verse and that wastes our time and do the service of Satan by turning many away many thus confused from the word of God.  Many once curious about this new religion were simply mislead and misinformed by "experts."         The rubric theory says one of the 'two tablets' was the law and the other the obligations.  That same logic is extend to propose that Exodus is the law and Deuteronomy includes an extension and explanation of the moral obligations introduced in Exodus in regards to the Ten Commandments – which I tend to agree with.  Why?  Well, there is a lot more depth in Deuteronomy about laws, promises, instructions, duty, demands and teaching.  Thus, to me, Deuteronomy is a forty year project review in preparation for the departure of Moses and the assumption of command of Joshua.  It states what it means; and one to one correspondence with Exodus would be, simply, redundant.        Unless a student has his faithful feet firmly planted on Holy foundations one might sway and slip and slide off the path as one wades through volumes of diverse opinions as to the purpose, cause and effect of Biblical history which is wrought with champions, martyrs, scribes, councils, Popes, Kings, priests, lay witnesses and persecutors; all with scribal pen in the ink well.  I am not a literalist when it comes to Bible interpretation so all this is academically very interesting, but the derivative attacks I concluded long ago were about as valuable as a stock broker's options and his worthless derivatives are today.  They both lead to bankruptcy, one moral and the other ethical and financial.    I consider scripture to be God breathed, as if it were not in no way would the net result of 3000 years of editing from 600 B.C.E. to 2009 ever have produced a reasonably coherent document with a central theme of moral obligation and commitment, monotheism based upon the obvious, a Creator God, and the sacrifices representing Salvation sought by one Jesus Christ and bound it with one covering that within for all of us who read - be it as it may be an anthology of thought – ONE BOOK - with ten easy to understand rules.   Great course……   Thanks   Rev. Nick Federspiel ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Theology vs. Theosophy by Rev. Dr. D Allen Kjono

Theosophy vs. Theology By Rev. Dr. D. Allen Kjono   Introduction From the beginning of recorded history, and I am certain long before that, mankind has held polytheistic and monotheistic beliefs. In one form or another either a pantheon of deities or a singular omniscient being has reigned supreme over man's intellect. Few people, past or present, have held the view that there is nothing greater than humankind even though numerous sects, cults and organized beliefs claim this view.  It appears that having a completely secular view of no being superior to or greater than the human being has a tolerable level of acceptance in some people's minds, but as a whole, the vast majority of humanity does believe in some form of greater Being, largely by default. Since the earliest Homo sapiens looked to the heavens we have attempted to describe, characterize and catalogue what the exact nature of such a Being would be. In over six thousand years of the written language there still does not exist any form of unquestionable proof of any such deity or superior, creator Being.  The beliefs systems in place world wide that elude to such an existence are purely theoretical based solely on faith and transliterations of ancient texts (1). Even those who, by decree of their being prophets, seers or divine embodiments, claim that they only express what has been given their understanding by the invisible powers that are spiritual in make up. The consensus offered by these exceptional humans is that the Supreme is but the life force within as much as external to our physical being.  Traditional religions (2) place not only the importance of faith in such a Being, but all authority over mankind. Regardless of what theology one may prescribe to each of these avenues of skillful description empower the unknown and unseen while making subservient the human host of a religious, faith based system of worship.    Insomuch as this is purely subjective to begin with, it is my belief that such systems of religious doctrine have been put in place not for the betterment of mankind by making known the unseen, rather to place authority in the hands of those who perceive themselves as being of higher character and greater morals and ethics than his or her fellow man.   Spirituality, Spirit(s) and references to this life force herein are inclusively used to characterize the concept of any religious deity known as a "God".(3)     1.  The Bible, Koran, Torah,  Vesiva, Eddas etc…any authoritative religious text of any belief   2.  such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism etc…any recognized and organized religious belief system  3.  such titles as God, The Source, The Collective Consciousness, The All Father, Allah, The Divine, The Omniscient,  The Supreme Being, The Creator and of course many, many more    Before we can actually study religion, we need to determine what it is meant by the word religion. This may not be as straight forward a task as one is likely to suspect. There are many religions which hold views that one might consider very non-religious in nature. That notwithstanding, these peculiar organized systems are, in fact, religions. So, how do we know something is a religion?       The Latin word religio referred to an 'obligation or bond'. Most linguists believe that this was derived from the Latin verb religere, meaning to 'tie back'. Gradually, the meaning evolved until it came to mean "a tie between humans and the gods". After the legalization of Christianity in Rome during the early 4 th century, a shift occurred with regard to what was meant by 'the gods'. When the ancient Jovian religion (Roma religio) predominated in the Empire, it was clear that 'the gods' referred to the members of the Jovian pantheon: Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, et cetera. Later, as Christianity supplanted it, Deity came to generally be accepted as referencing the God of the Jews and Christians: Jehovah, or Yahweh.       As a result, religere came to refer to a formal tie between devout Christians and their God. The people who exemplified this formal tie were the monks and nuns of the monastic communities. So, from the 5th century, for roughly a thousand years, religion referred solely to the monastic life.       In other words, the only truly religious people in medieval Europe were those living in a monastery or nunnery, those who had devoted their entire lives to the church, those who had "tied themselves to God". Then, around the 16th  century, the term began to take on a wider, broader meaning.       It was during the 1500's CE that our modern meaning for religion finally came into use. Initially, this was the service, worship, devotion and faithfulness to God or "the gods" depending on one's belief. But, that was a Western view, one perhaps accepted within Christianity, Judaism and Islam, but not necessarily applicable to numerous other worship systems around the world.       The contemporary meaning has been modified to refer to nearly any form of devotion or fidelity. The reason that this was not necessarily accepted by all of the worship systems around the world is that there are those which either do not believe in a god, or which maintain that a belief in god is peripheral or incidental to the real purpose and meaning of their belief system. Westerners often prefer to label these groups as 'ethical systems' rather than religions.   Ethical Systems     An ethical system is an organized system relating to moral action, motive or character. Since moral refers to the establishment of principles of right and wrong in behavior, a moral or ethical system would thus be a system organized for, and based on, principles of behavioral right and wrong. If this sounds very much like religion, you begin to see the difficulty that some people have in distinguishing between them. Actually, the reason for this is quite simple: there is only one difference between them to distinguish.  Religion, in the narrower sense, requires a god on which to focus worship, devotion and service; one to whom we must remain faithful. Ethical systems have no such requirement, so long as their standards for right and wrong can be derived without relying on deific decree and adhered to. For those who consider the Ten Commandments a foundation on which all morality is based ' ten deific, godly commandments' the idea that one can derive moral direction without involving God seems ludicrous. But, not only are there ancient traditions which do so (e.g. Confucianism, Taoism, Jainism, Druidism, Odhinnism and Buddhism), there are modern examples as well.   The perceived differences between religions and ethical systems are derived from defining religion in the 16th century form: "the service and worship of God or  gods", while the fact that religion is generally accepted today as any 'system of devotion, fidelity or reverence' is simply ignored.  In this there is no difference than assuming that the only people today who are truly religious are monastic orders. That meaning may have been prevalent at one point in time, but it has long since broadened to include a much wider swath of society. It is simply not acceptable to apply 500 or 1500 year old meanings to a word today. Consider the case of obscenities. The word bitch came into use about 1000 CE to mean a "female dog". It was commonly used, had no adverse connotations, and could be readily used in polite company.  By about 1400 CE, however, it had started to be used to refer to human females as an insult. By 1800, it was actually considered more offensive to call a woman a bitch than it was to call her a whore. To illustrate this, "bitch" is now a commonly used epithet in music, movies, radio and television. It is also not generally thought of as 'grossly offensive' by women today. In other words, both the meaning and the acceptability of the term bitch have changed dramatically over the past 1,000 years. It would be foolish to think today that we should restrict the meaning (and use) of the word to what it was either 500 or 1000 years ago. And yet, that is precisely what many people try to do with the term religion.  This becomes an issue when talking about groups which do not 'service and worship a god'. Groups that fall into this category include such people as Confucianists, Taoists, and Jains. The first two of these began as Chinese structures, and neither mentions Deity in their original forms. Both, however, saw later adherents graft discussions of Deity onto them.  Today, there are clearly divisions of adherents which would be classified as a religion even with the 'God criterion'; however, they also retain large segments of their followers which simply never discuss Deity; and, this often gets them branded as ethical systems in contradistinction to being religions. Jainism is an avowedly agnostic religion, which means that it is also often classified as an ethical system by those who demand the presence of God before something can be declared as a religion.  Christian denominations which might fall into this religio-ethical trap include members of the Unitarian-Universalist Association as well as Christian Scientists. In the case of UU, the problem is that it is an inclusive structure which refuses to dictate a creedal position regarding God. So, some UU members might be "religious" while others are humanist or "ethical". The problem, for some, with Christian Science group is that God is defined in an impersonal form.  It is a form that some more traditional Christian denominations do not consider to truly be God at all. In that case, it isn't enough to be God-centered, the description of God must also apparently comply with some unwritten set of criteria to qualify.   Absurd? Absolutely. Offensive? Certainly it is to some. So, why bother to even mention it? Because when looking at religious philosophy we not only must agree on the method of analysis, but also on what is being analyzed (i.e. a religion versus an ethical system).       Precepts     Although most people don't know what it is, there is actually a significant difference between a precept and a concept. And, in the field of religion, this difference can be critical. Consider the dictionary definition of each:         concept n. [L. conceptus, fr. concipere to conceive] 1. A thought; an opinion. 2. Philos. An idea, as distinguished from a precept; also, a mental image of an action or thing.         precept n. OF fr. L ;ceptum, fr. ;cipere to take beforehand, instruct, teach] 1. Any commandment, instruction, or order intended as a rule of action or conduct; esp., a practical rule guiding behavior, technique, etc. 2. Law An order, warrant, or writ issued pursuant to law, esp. to an administrative officer.    These definitions make it relatively clear; but, just to be certain we have the difference firmly in mind, consider the following example. Each of the Ten Commandments is a precept. Each one is a "commandment, instruction, or order intended as a rule of action or conduct". According to the story in Exodus, 'Thou shalt not kill' isn't an idea that God had one day and would prefer all of us to think about (i.e. a concept) It is an injunction, an instruction whereby He has provided a "rule of action" ( i.e. a precept).  If it is possible to give someone a clear idea about something that is foolish, nonsensical, and nonexistent, then one would assume that it must be a lot simpler to provide an image of something that was important, logical, and real. To adherents of a religion, God most certainly exists; He is supremely important; and, the rationality and reasonableness of a belief in God is to be accepted without question.     So, how does this make these two terms differ when referring to religion? A concept is a mental image of either an idea (e.g. God) or action (e.g. forgiveness). A precept is a rule of action (e.g. "thou shalt not steal") or conduct ( e.g. love thy neighbor as thyself). Precepts, however, turn out to be a lousy way to analyze religion. Either they only exist within a specific faith (e.g. atonement -Christianity), or they exist within virtually every faith (e.g. the Golden Rule is found in every world religion). In neither case do they offer grounds for comparison or understanding of religion.   Fundamentals       What are the fundamentals, or fundamental concepts, that religions tend to share? I consider the following to be a partial listing of the fundamentals of what it takes to be a religion. The examples are minimal, but should provide at least a basic understanding of the questions each raises with regard to one's definition of religion.     Deity/Reality Most religions accept that there is some form of, for lack of a better term, "spiritual being", some Ultimate Reality. Where religions often differ with regard to this is in defining how many of them there are; whether they have gender, and if so which; and what are the attributes of Deity. Even those that generally avoid discussion of Deity are almost always concerned with determining the true nature of Ultimate Reality, whether it is completely spiritual or totally materialistic and physical or perhaps even both at times.           Theophany: If some form of Deity is accepted, does that deity ever "come to earth" in physical form? Has it, does it, can it incarnate?           Prayer: What does it mean to a group to pray? Is this a process by which the followers petition Deity to act in their behalf? Or, is it simply a means of aligning the individual with either Deity or Ultimate Reality?          Soul: Do we have a "soul"? Is there "that of God" in every man? Is there a divine essence, a divine spark, an inner essence of spirituality? Do all humans have this? Do animals? Do insects? Do plants? Is this just another term for "life force", or is it something far more spiritual and ethereal?          Worship: What does it mean to "worship"? Does it make sense to worship an impersonal deity? Does Deity/Reality respond to human worship?          Sacrifice: Virtually all religions embrace some form of sacrifice as a means of acknowledging the supremacy of Deity/Reality. What forms can this take? What do humans "get out of it"?           Salvation: Not every religion has the concept of salvation. Salvation is predominantly a Christian belief coming through the belief that Jesus the Christ died for our sins and only through him might we be "saved". If there is no sense of impending doom, why must one be saved? How does this impel the other beliefs and practices of these groups?           Mysticism: When is a religion being "mystical"? What does that mean? Is mystical knowledge somehow automatically either superior or inferior to conventional physical knowledge?           Death: What happens after death? This is a key feature in studying religion. There are several possible answers: nothing, resurrection, reward, punishment, corrective penalty, reincarnation. Typically, the views a religion holds regarding death are indicative of a whole host of other beliefs and practices.           Dualism/Monism: Dualism is the basic belief that reality can be seen as existing along a continuum with two opposing poles: good & evil, right & wrong, yin & yang, et cetera. Monism, by contrast, is the belief that all reality is composed of a single essence. This may be material, spiritual, or some third essence underlying both physical and spiritual existence. The impact that this belief has on one's religious practice is immense.           Orthodoxy: Composed from two Greek roots, orthodoxy simply means to hold "correct thoughts". Most analysts seem to identify the orthodox position by a democratic process; in other words, it is often accepted by outside observers that the ideas held by the largest number are the "orthodox". Obviously, those within a religion, who may hold to different ideas, don't necessarily agree and find themselves in a conundrum of remaining within a sect, order or belief system or leaving to form their own.           Orthopraxy: Similar to orthodoxy, orthopraxy (or orthopraxis) comes from the Greek roots meaning "correct practices". We can think of orthodoxy as "what they preach", and orthopraxy as "what they practice".          Pantheism: Pantheism is another composite word that, literally, means all (pan) is God (theos). Although there have been pantheistic religions for thousands of years, it was the rise of neo-paganism in the 20th century that brought this back into academic discussion.           Universality: Where most religions espouse and practice a degree of universality, there are clearly some that focus on an ethno-centrality. This means that most religions believe they are the answer for everyone. To that end, these groups often attempt to convert others to their way. By contrast, some religions accept that there is a strong cultural component to their religion, and that their religion is not the answer for people who do not share those cultural distinctions. Most of these groups would permit others to join with them, but they find it largely foolish, and therefore usually make no attempt to convert others.           Uniqueness: Across the religious landscape, there are a number of religions that hold to unique (or rare) beliefs or practices. These are sufficiently rare to make it nonsensical to make them into a 'category' of beliefs to be analyzed; but, they may have significant importance to the group that holds them.           Truth: What is it? Who has it? Is it exclusive? All religions claim that they have access to "the truth"; most believe that they are the only ones who do; a very few acknowledge that truth is a personal and cultural phenomenon, and that there can be many paths to Truth.   Defining Aspects of Religion   Spiritualism A definition of Spiritualism    Spiritualism is based on the conception in the mid 19th century of Spiritualist mediums having abilities in connecting the physical and ethereal worlds. A contemporary view of this belief includes the association with the ethers or Spirit Realm with our three dimensional physical world. It also revolves around the faith observers of this form of intellectual perception have in "God" being a collective conscious and touchable by meditation and concentrated thought.  It is defined by some as a "religion" however it is far more than that. There is no specific dogma, doctrine or creed beyond the Spiritualist's motto of "Do what is right." Right in the eyes of "God" first and man second. Spiritualism holds strong to the belief that our Spirit or Soul continues after physical death of the vessel (body) that it inhabits during its time here in the physical planes of life on Earth. It is through discussion on this topic that most followers of Spiritualism beliefs are formed and used throughout their lives while interacting with other 'travelers' of the physical dimension.  The spiritualist affirms that man's spirit survives death and enters a spirit or ethereal plane of existence which surrounds and interpenetrates our material life.  This statement can be demonstrated under certain conditions when communication can and does take place between the spirit world and the earth plane. This communication is possible through people who have what are known as mediumistic abilities or "Gifts". Spiritualists, for the most part, tend to stress that the right conditions must prevail for communication to take place and that there is a spirit willing to communicate to the physical plane.  Communication will take place if spirits are at ease and the medium agrees to channel for the communication. A misconception about Spiritualists is that they "call up the dead", this is not accurate at all, it is more accurate to say it's the reverse.   A great deal of evidence has shown throughout history that the spirit energies call to us, we do not call on them.   There has also been found a number of "Higher Spirit Beings" that seem to have an intended and enlightened message for the physical beings. These 'messages' usually revolve around topics such as our purpose and destiny and what this higher consciousness sees as a benefit to our humble lives here in the physical world.  The modern Spiritualist movement began around1848 when sensational happenings in America led to the beliefs in such things ethereal and eventually spread across Europe and around the globe. The largest Spiritualist Organization found today is the Spiritualists' National Union based in the UK, as it is recognized by H. M. Government, being the legally established religious body for Spiritualism. It has an extensive philosophy based on the Seven Principles that expressly set forth ethics for Spiritualists to follow in their beliefs and everyday manner of living.   The Seven Principles of Spiritualism (4) (4) Provided by the resource www.pathwaytospirit.co.uk   1.The Fatherhood of God By the study of Nature - that is, by trying to understand the Laws of Cause & Effect which govern all that is happening around us - we recognize that there is a creative force in the universe. This force, or energy, not only created the whole universe, but also life itself in its many forms and is continuing to create today. The effects of this eternal creation can be seen around us and this leads us to the evidence that 'God' - 'The Creative Force' - manifests directly, or indirectly, in all things. We know this power as God and as we are part of the Life created by God, we acknowledge God as our Father.   2.The Brotherhood of Man Because we all come from the same universal life source we are, in effect, one large family, small individual offshoot from the whole. This means that all mankind is part of a brotherhood. A brotherhood is a community for mutual support and comfort. We are all members of the same divine family. We need to share our joys as well as our burdens; we need to understand the needs of other individuals in order to assist them as part of our service to each other. As we learn to give so must we also learn to receive thereby achieving the necessary balance for our life. We must look not only to the material necessities of our fellow creatures but also to their spiritual needs and help those in need to become strong and worthy of their relationship in the Family of God.   3.Communion of Spirits and the Ministry of Angels All religions believe in life after death but only Spiritualism shows that it is true by demonstrating that communication with departed spirits can and does take place. Spiritualist Churches provide one of the venues where communication, through medium-ship, is possible and many loved relatives and friends take advantage of this opportunity to continue to take an interest in our welfare. There are also spirit people/teachers who are dedicated to the welfare and service of mankind. Some bring inspiration and teachings whilst others work within the healing ministry.   4.Continuous Existence of the Human Soul It is scientifically proven that matter cannot be destroyed; it merely changes its form. Spirit, as part of the Creative Force is, therefore, indestructible. On the death of the physical body, the spirit continues as an integral part of a world, which interpenetrates our world but in a different dimension. This world is referred to as the Spirit World. In spirit life we have a spirit body, which until we progress far enough, is a replica of our earthly body. We are the same individuals in every way with the same personalities and characteristics and we change only by progression, or otherwise, as a result of our own efforts. Our personal responsibilities do not stop at death.   5.Personal Responsibility This principle is the one which places responsibility for wrongful thoughts and deeds where it belongs - with the individual. It is the acceptance of responsibility for every aspect of our lives and the use to which we place our lives depends entirely upon ourselves. It is not possible for any other person, or outside influence, to interfere with our spiritual development, unless we are willing to allow this. No one can put right the wrongdoing except the offender. As we are given freedom of choice (freewill) so also are we given the ability to recognize what is right from what is wrong. We are totally, as well as personally, responsible.   6.Compensation and Retribution hereafter for all Good and Evil Deeds done on Earth. As with all the other Principles, the natural laws apply and this one echoes the law of Cause and Effect (e.g.: as you sow, so shall you reap). One cannot be cruel and vindictive towards others and expect love and popularity in return. It must be understood that the compensatory or retributive effects of this law operate now -on earth - they do not wait until we begin to live in the Spirit World.   7.Eternal Progress open to every Human Soul In every heart there exists the desire for progress and to every human spirit belongs the power to progress in wisdom and love.   All who desire to tread the path that leads to perfection are able to pursue it. The rate of progress is directly proportional to the desire for mental and spiritual understanding. If we do our best in earth life to follow our inward prompting or intuitions; we shall find progress very easy, on earth as in spirit; if not, every step in advancement will follow a struggle against imperfections, which we ourselves will have worked into our natures. Within the Family of God, with all the advantages that our realization of that state can give us, we are all given the opportunity to be responsible for our own eternal progress.    Influenced by these Principles as well as its scientific and philosophical ramifications, for many people Spiritualism has become more than just a religion; it has become a Way of Life.    What is also a misnomer among those outside of these teachings is that followers of Spiritualism do not believe in God. This is far from the truth as it is the first principle in the belief system. Most Spiritualist have a firm belief in a Higher Being, a Creator, The Source, The Collective Conscious and myriad of other 'labels' or names. Spiritualism does not try and confine and define "God" as being anyone thing or being. Instead they acknowledge that there is a Divine Source that manifests itself to individuals in many different forms so that collectively we can identify this source within our Self. What may make sense to one person may not make much sense to another so the message changes even though the end result is a unified understanding.  For instance, we could say "God is: Love, compassion, understanding, devotion, Self expansion, caring, graciousness, ethereal, spirit, higher power, creator, source, never ending" and so forth. No one description gives a full and complete understanding of God's love for us, yet collectively encompasses the many and diverse aspects of a Supreme Being.  I am enthusiastic about my Spiritualism Beliefs. Spiritualism in our contemporary view incorporates the principles and theories of the medium-ship abilities of the Spiritualist with those of a more contemporary view of religious believer. To have the belief that "God" bestowed these abilities or gifts upon us to use in our quest for a better understanding of ourselves and our eternal spirit expresses no conflict in my faith.  I feel this is what resonates the best with my inner core being, my Spirit. By removing dogma and doctrine from this basic principle of the Cosmos we find that labels, titles and names are far less important than the message of "Doing what is right". When we fill our lives with striving to be the best we can be by being 'love, compassion, understanding, devotion, Self expansion, caring, graciousness, ethereal and of the Spirit, we set an example to emulate for those not so grounded.  After all, every prophet or messenger of God's will has described this basic premise of God being "within". That we are in essence a part of God and God is a part of us, puts a whole new angle on things. It is through this very statement that we should all strive to be a representative of God's Will and allow that energy to flow through us from the ethers  to mankind.   Nine Noble Virtues Odhinnist Charge      Asatrû Folk Assembly Courage                  Courage is better than cowardice Truth                      Realism is better than dogmatism Honor                     Honor is better than dishonor Fidelity                   Kinship is better than alienation Discipline                Strength is better than weakness Hospitality               Joy is better than guilt Self Reliance            Freedom is better than slavery Industriousness        Vigor is better than lifelessness Perseverance           Ancestry is better than universalism     The Old Nordic way was one of personal responsibility and inner strength. By living up to The Code of the Nine Noble Virtues, one was expected to have a full and meaningful life. One of the most beneficial virtues was that of Self Reliance. This meant to the ancients that one had a full and complete understanding of the other eight virtues and practiced this belief system in everyday life. To be individually strong of character assured the benefit of the clan, family and community.  One of the most misunderstood aspects of the Nordic clansman was the incorrect view that they worshipped a pantheon of gods. They did in fact have a large number, some 100-150 "gods" that they recognized, however emulation, not worship of the aspects of each 'god' was their inspiration. In all actuality they held strong to the belief that worshipping any deity was belittling to their inner strength and character.  Insomuch as Odhinn (Odin, Othin, Odinn, Oddin a.k.a "All Father) is the highest ranking god in Asgaard (heaven) who sits in Gildesheimer, the Golden House, he himself is not the ultimate "god" of the ancient Norsemen. The following is a brief view of Nordic story of creation, which in contrast, is greatly familiar to most "Christians".   Odhinn, the All Father, brother to Vili and Ve, father to Thor, born of Buri and Ivesta, took up his cause in his youth. There was no order to the cosmos and Earth had yet to be formed. Aldunna, the Mystic Cow had brought forth all manner of things from her mouth, yet there was no one to make things usable for mankind.   During this creation, it was said that there must be division between the spirit world and the physical world, just as there is separation between night and day. Therefore it was commanded and the physical world became day and the Spirit world became night. But there were so many spirits in the ethers that darkness prevailed so that Sunni (sun) could not shine bright enough to balance things. It was Odhinn who took on the task of bringing balance and harmony to the ethers.   He asked the Creator to make available to him all manner of spirits from all corners of the Multiverse (the nine universes) so that he could achieve his goal. A small speck of dust (Earth), near to Sunni seemed the right place to collect his bounty, so it was there he placed each spirit as he caught it. He called this place Midgaard, the world between worlds. The spirits could not leave this place as the light prevented them from finding the ethereal darkness.   After a long period of searching the ethers and collecting all forms of spirits, Odhinn once again called on the Creator. In communing with Creator it was determined that balance and harmony were in the true heart of Odhinn, so Creator granted him his second wish, that all spirits be given form. It was done. From the Earth sprang every form of living thing. Feathered and scaled creatures, those creatures with smooth skin and those with fur all manifested into physical form.   Odhinn noticed that Sunni had began to brighten, yet darkness still held the majority of the sky. Only when facing her directly did Light prevail. Odhinn thought on this awhile and once again sought counsel with the Creator. It seemed to him that as long as things remained the way they were, there could be no balance between light and dark so he petitioned to the Creator.   "Oh Great Creator, who brought forth Aldunna which brought forth life, you keep the spirit of all within you so that nothing may change. If one is a spiritual thing then darkness is of no consequence, however, if one is a physical thing light gives hope and blesses the icy coldness with warmth. Shall I always, forever and forever, be held in the clutches of the cold? Or should all spirits know the joys of warmth to make their cold eternity worthwhile? Therefore I propose as All Father to allow each spirit to know warmth and each manifest creature to know coldness and dark. I shall return the manifest creatures to their origins when their time has been allotted, however while in the Light, they shall know comfort and multiply."   Thus it was for all living creatures that they should have the privilege of knowing both the manifest and spirit world of the ethers from whence they came. The Creator saw this as good and called upon all things to adhere to Odhinn's command. Since man was the closest resemblance to the gods, in mind and spirit, he would be given authority over all things. Thus the cycles of life and death began. It was therefore commanded by the Creator that all living things should know the comfort of Light and the Blissful Peace of darkness.   And when things came into being and manifest upon the Earth, they should live kind with kind and give of each other readily in order to bring balance to night and day. As there were then creatures of the day there was also brought into being creatures of the night. As Odhinn would hunt the manifest creatures for meat to fill his belly and furs to clothe his cold skin, the cycle began. So many creatures now existed that the Creator saw need for help for his manifest presence on Earth. Odhinn was blessed with two brothers, Vili and Ve and in turn blessed each of them with many wives to fill there houses.   It is from this lineage that the Keepers of Balance came into being and from whom we were taught to respect the cycle of life and death and allow it act freely in the best interest of the Multiverse. Odhinn commanded that on Midgaard, no living creature should be taken before it's time, therefore hunt only those of age or inflicted with wounds. Be thankful and give praise for each life returned to the Source of All Life.   Since those early days of life in the ethers came the cycle of one physical death gives way to one spiritual manifestation, and for every spiritual return gives one physical birth. And thus it has been so since near the beginning and how we have obtained balance between then Light and Dark. From good comes evil and from evil comes good. It is the purest form of Isa, the great cosmic contraction and expansion, that all things are manifest whether spiritual or physical manifestations.  As well, the ancient form of divination with the runestaves was knowledge handed down to us from Odhinn to mankind by his "hanging on tree nights nine and he fell back to the ground roaring with the knowledge of the runes". This gives us the picture of an inherent "knowing" of things ethereal rather than a learned or instructed education in such things. As a person well versed in the runestaves and the use of these instruments of divination it is much the same as a true medium or psychic. There is an inner strength, an inner working of one's Spirit that allows us to read the staves 'correctly' and give Spiritual knowledge to those that seek it with a genuine heart.  The ancients of the Viking era were a prime example of theosophy in orthopraxy in that they practiced their Spiritual knowledge in a very real and manifest physical form. This was the true embodiment of esoteric emulation versus the exoteric venue of worship.   Image of God    Our images of God are an attempt to decipher the Being we have intellectualized and manifested as God. For instance in the clockmaker model, we think of ourselves as the product of creation, evolved here to harvest the world's resources and to exploit and dominate the planet. In the spirit model, the function of every being is to participate as co-creator in our collective consciousness. Seeing ourselves in those terms, we tend to view our responsibility to the larger whole, whereas if we think of ourselves as the end product, then we have no particular investment to try to make this a better world for all.  The humanistic image of God merely sets up a competition between "my" Belief and "your" Belief, which is the basis of all religious confrontations and violent exchanges. However, if one thinks of creation as the manifestation of a unified spiritual intelligence, the interwoven nature of all beings comes to the forefront of thought. Therefore a perception of competing gods evaporates. We then are able to see the face of God in every human being and every other living thing upon the Earth.  Michael Angelo painted one of the few pictorial representations of God creating Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Other than this historical reference very few likenesses have been produced mostly because God is granted a supremacy role of which we humans are to tread upon very lightly. In this thinking God is far too holy to be depicted by the hand of mere man. This creates yet another authority over our lives that is mandated by a religious hierarchy. (I would have liked to have been present at the meeting of the Pope and God when this edict was handed down.)    Since we have no depiction of any of the myriad of "gods", beyond that of the imagination or vision of the artist, we must assume the following: A. "Gods" do not photograph or pose for paintings B. No one has ever actually seen a god, including Moses when given the Ten Commandments(5) C. No god exists D. God(s) are a concept of intelligent philosophy (5)  Biblical reference   I tend to believe in choice "D.". We have conceptualized the face of God in order to lend graphic credibility to his presence and to expand upon the philosophy. I am certain that among the earnest and devout followers of any of world's religions, sometime, somewhere the Supreme would have made a physical manifestation of some form in order to end the suffrage of blind faith. To my mind it is inconceivable that any benevolent god of love would allow the hundreds of wars and billions of deaths that have resulted over the question of his existence by merely being a bit 'camera shy' or too busy to show himself.  Actually a couple of things come to mind on this premise. There are numerous mentions in religious texts of "God" communicating with mankind in the form of a trumpeting voice or booming verbalization. We are also instructed in the Old Testament: Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man(kind) in our image, after our likeness: and let them  have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.    This tends to give the "image" that "God" is at minimum a dyad if not a triune because of the reference "Let us make…" and "…in his own image". If we are to take as evidence that Genesis is actually the word of God given unto Moses then we must accept the precept that God deliberately made reference to his multifaceted Being. The Holy Roman Catholic Church uses the terminology of 'God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit' in its blessing and signing by priests of the Order.  In contrast to this, Heathen, Pagan and Naturalists beliefs use "God the Father, God the Mother and God the Son". Even further to the left there are those of paganistic beliefs that use "Mother Earth, Father Sky and Spiritual Son" in their trinity and yet others that conform to "Father Spirit, Mother Manifest and Son Ourselves". This translates to the Father being the ethereal Spirit within, the Mother being the earth and all that is 'alive' upon it and the Son being mankind and its capacity to show emotion, speculate and conceive of ideas beyond what is manifest before us and real.    (I feel it necessary to also discern here that the definition of "Heathen" simply refers to those who, in ancient days, worshipped a naturalized world amongst the heath rows, or rows of the heather plant commonly used as land partitions from about 600 BCE to 1900 CE. "Pagan" is an Old English word that simply referred to those that lived in the hills or pages and goes back to around the first century.)    Since we do not have a clear understanding if "God" actually dictated the words to Moses to write down in Genesis nor do we have a clear interpretation of the dyad, triad or greater division of the omniscient Being, we again have a situation of mere faith and belief concerning our understanding of the exact nature of The Almighty Creator Spirit. What we can clearly understand from Scriptural reference is "God's" absolute intention to have us figure this out for ourselves through our physical interpretation of the ethereal plane of existence.  Physical beings or matter can not occupy the same space at the same time without a great deal of turmoil in the surrounding area. In simplistic terms, this is why we get a nuclear explosion by forcing two elements to occupy the same space. So since Earth is not like the Sun, in that it is not a continuous hydrogen explosion, "God" in the multiple or singular, must have meant that image of himself was to be Spiritual in reference, not physical.  It seems to me that attempting to depict Spiritual Energy is much like trying to paint a picture of electricity. We can portray lighting, sparks and the trailing effects of electricity, but not the actual series of electron flow. So much like an artist paints a picture of a bent tree or flailing piece of fabric to represent wind, we would have to come up with a similar method of depicting "God". In other words, the effects of "God", not the Being itself. And of course this is done on a regular basis by the spectacular sunrise, perfect flower or beautiful animal with a scripture attached that lends the reader to imagine the awesomeness and wonder we have labeled "God".   The Purpose of Religious Belief    Regardless of which particular path one may follow, their belief is mostly a conscript of their raising and upbringing; Christian begets Christian, Muslim begets Muslim, Jew begets Jew and so forth. This is of greater importance to the church, temple or synagogue than to the individual by all means and is why the first five years of a person's life is so important as to what influences a child during those years. Even if in adult life one happens to stray from their parent's views and doctrines there remains that tingling little question at the back of the mind "what IF they were right?"  No matter how devout we may become to a different belief than our parents and their peers in our adult years, that one, seemingly inconsequential question burns at the very base of our latter found belief. However, many of us have found that when we truly open our hearts, minds and eyes, we see something that seems to be overlooked by our predecessors. All religious beliefs are so very similar when we take away the mask of illusionary uniqueness.  Whether religious doctrine or secular enlightenment permeates our thinking it boils down to a set of moralistic and ethical behaviors we are subjected to, and expected to follow, in order to be accepted by our fellow human beings. So whether it is the Nine Noble Virtues or the Ten Commandments in which we place our belief, the source of those beliefs is instructing us in basically the same manner.  As a member of the human race and supposedly being the highest form of intelligence on this planet, I find it hilarious that we need to be taught these things when the majority of other species we share space with do it with what we have labeled "instinct". But then we, as humans, have this one little aspect of Self that fails the animal kingdom, we have the abilities of dreaming of things beyond instinct and to speculate and conceptualize. However, these "abilities" come with a great responsibility, to do that which is right and for the best of all.  For most people this is where their sense of right falls into the category of what they have learned through religious teachings. In order to be accepted by others we must follow a certain guideline of moral and ethical behavior. We are taught our responsibilities and the consequences of choice. If we follow our religious foundations (moralistic) we are included or accepted by the rest of humanity (ethic).   It is purely the need for mankind's ego to be stroked that the authority of religious tradition and doctrine be given precedence over secular law. "Do only that which is right" in itself has no religious connotation to it. Addressing what was said above about our morals and ethics versus animal instincts, philosophically there tends to be a gray area. Our instincts dictate to us that if we treat others as we wish to be treated, for the most part, that is what happens to us.  If we act in wanton disregard for the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for others, that is more than likely what will become of our short life.  So in essence we could surmise that religion serves a purpose in lengthening our physical life as much as offering us hope of yet another life to come in the ethereal planes of existence. However, should we choose to be in touch with our instinctual self preservation guidelines through secular means, we will have reached the same intellectual goal.  It seems to me that man has redefined what we are taught through "God's" Word by requiring worship, through public demonstration of prostrate obedience to an invisible, ethereal Being. Emulation of the qualities, ethics and morals already embedded in our instinctual sense of self preservation appears to have a higher vibration closer to that of The Source. If we are made in His image, it is a Spiritual image, not a physical one. As well, if "they" decided to create us to dominate the Earth, They did so with full knowledge and intent of our using our instincts and Spiritual Gifts. Instincts are embedded, doctrines are learned, which do you feel is of a Higher Power or Supreme Source?   Theosophies vs. Theologies    By title this is basically the difference of religious speculations dealing with the apprehension of God versus a study of religious truths concerning the nature of God; Emulation vs. Worship.  We certainly could not have one without the other unless we were not meant to use our brains for every purpose of understanding and defining our world around us. I may be crossing a line here, but I firmly believe this is one of the fundamental differences between the two: Theology is provided for us by the great Prophets and religious teachers since the dawn of modern civilization, Theosophy is experienced and thus self taught through varied means and occurrences of situations presented to the individual. The sheep mentality of follow the leader or fox mentality of being an independent, self sufficient spirit.  The only "right" or "wrong" that should be differentiated here is what fits the individual best. Some of us simply can not survive in a world where everything is handed to us and there is only "one" correct way of living. Some people fold their socks while others prefer to stuff them, some do a little of both. There is nothing more important, or shouldn't be anyway, than our Spirit, Soul, God Within; that tricky and elusive little thing we label the "spark of life", to any individual. How we choose to treat that spark should be completely up to the owner of their personal little spark insomuch as it does no harm or ill will towards others.    Centuries ago I would have been called before the Inquisitor and almost certainly been hideously murdered for such a belief. I'm also certain that there are far more Inquisitors in Hell than average folks.    While there has never been any direct evidence of a Supreme Being, beyond that of visions, this is where I believe it only healthy and being right minded to express theosophy rather than theology. Theosophy questions and intends to answer mankind's individual needs while theology declares itself the true nature of God and authority over the individual while having absolutely no grounds for doing so. I'm sure my "vision" of being Supreme Dictator of the World would end rather badly should I try and enforce my true nature.  We would not have been created with our intellect, instinct and creativity were we to simply be a sheep of the masses. By the very nature of our creation, in being given these qualities, it seems to me by default we were meant to question and become Self sufficient. When we surrender our Self to that of dogma and doctrine we fail to grow, expand and add to the Collective Conscious in any form or manner. This to me would be like insisting that we manage our contemporary lives by using the official dictionary in use at the time of the Magna Carte.  When we usurp our very intellect by failing to expand our understanding of the Universe, the world and our Self, we box ourselves into a stagnation effect that was never intended for us by the Almighty. In today's world we paint a very different picture than that of the Apostle's when we hear "look within". Theologian or secularist can see, now, that this means looking at the true nature of that by which we were created. A Source Energy that is meant to be emulated not worshipped and that we are an omniscient Being in the physical form.    Our purpose then is to learn, grow and bring intelligent thought back to the Collective Conscious from which we originated. How then do we do this?    We do this through a very simple concept. It is called Hope. Hope is the greatest attribute to religious belief and faith. It is hope that tends to keep us all, for the most part, obligated to lead a good and moralistic life. Without hope we would have nothing for which to strive to keep us responsible to Self above all things and to each other as a rule. It is therefore Hope that is the goal of all theological, theosophical and theoretical thinking concerning our disposition, as human, in context to the universe and all living things within it.    In summary Hope becomes the purpose of religious belief. We fulfill this purpose by following a family tradition or a path we discover through our individual desire to adhere to a doctrine that best fits with our own thinking. Regardless of an individual's means or reasoning for taking on a belief system it is merely a method through which the person expresses their own vision of Hope. Thusly, anyone who then demands adherence to only one vision is completely blind to the concept and purpose of faith and belief in the first place.   Closing Remarks The statement was made that the impact of being monistic is immense. This is the belief that "All is One". If a faith is monistic, what might it mean if that "One" is God? Is there any such thing as evil? Is there matter? Do you exist?   If you do, what is your true essence? What about the apparently physical world in which we find ourselves? Is it real? Is it separate from the "One" or is it all encompassing? Orthopraxy is the practice of expressing orthodox views, in other words putting faith into actual works and action. Is this a necessary function? Is there a point at which orthopraxy is merely a condition of attempting to prove one's faith in their belief to themselves?   I believe this to be one of the fundamental differences, and one closest to my own belief, of Universal Life Ministries. That we may speak orthopraxy, or not, and still be able to communicate Spiritually amonst each other. Regardless of our personal views and beliefs, we have faith in a common goal of "Doing That Which is Right", not doing that which is "Orthodox", dogma or doctrine.<<< Submitted by: Rev. D. A. "Reverend Al" Kjono  Church of Universal Humanism Atwater, CA   Universal Life Seminary ID# 12600   Reference also previously published articles: Living the Humanist View, Rev. D. A. Kjono, 11/08 Emulation or Worship?, Rev. D. A. Kjono, 07/08 Monotheism in a Spiritualist Age, Rev. D. A. Kjono, 10/07 Cultural Views on Paganism, D. A. Kjono, 04/07 The Gods and Their Runes, D. A. "Felbain" Kjono, 03/99 An Introduction to the Runestaves, D. A. "Felbain" Kjono, 07/98 Nordic Beliefs, Contemporary Religions, D. A. "Felbain" Kjono, 06/97   Blessings of Peace, Light and Prosperity, Rev. Dr. David A. Kjono   ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Why I became a minister by Pastor Colin

Life has greatly changed in these last 30 years or so. I can only speak from an East Coast New Jersey perspective. I remember when love really was looking in someone's eyes and enjoying that person's company. I remember when doubting a person without a reason usually didn't occur. I remember firm handshakes and eye contact that meant something. I remember when a handshake was more than a business-type maneuver. Believe it or not, I remember when business and government actually gave money back without our demanding or requesting it.   All of a sudden it seemed that everything changed. Job placements deceased, the belief that humans needed a "Higher Power" deceased, and the word "love" became associated with escapism. The "good" old fashion way no longer seemed "good". Things of character were replaced with "if it looks good and gets by, then who can judge?" This mentality has led to the collapse of our economy, good government, and trust in leadership.   What could I do to try to change things? What could you do? What would Jesus do? There had to be someone, somewhere who still believed that I (or you) could make a difference in our area for the better.   I tried religions and other "organized" bodies. They all had one thing in common. They would all mold "God (Higher Power)" into their image. Some would even create "holy books" of this "God" that really enforced their own power structure. If any of these "ways" were true, our world would face less wars, dysfunctions, and greed. The religion walk had some good points, but it wasn't for me. I really believe what Jesus told Nicodemus, that God moved how He chose to move (like the Wind), and He called whom He chose to call (like John the Baptizer).   My life was in shambles. My financial institute repeatedly failed me and then attacked my character when I complained. I tended to have a Joseph relationship with my spiritual brothers and earthly family members. I was always "pushed" or forced out. It took me years to realize that God had other plans for me. My agenda to be "quiet and do my part" was not enough for God. God would Oversee the "pushing" to get me to where He wanted me to be. In poverty, I attempted to donate sometimes coins, other times dollars to charity. I was immediately placed on a "donor's list" and endlessly contacted by other solicitors.   I began to realize that the God of the Bible and the way that modern humans attempt to worship Him appeared to be in contrast. Yet, I also witnessed the early deaths, the legal problems, the court trials, the break ups, the infidelities, and all that goes will serving a "made God of the Flesh".   When I think of Jesus, or any "Holy Man", I see a person who stood on His or Her own. This was a person who heard the Voice of God (the Wind-John 3:1-16). Jesus, who represented such a Man, told Nicodemus (who represented organized or structure religion) that God's Servants must obey God not men or women (Acts Chapter 5).   I became an Ordained Minister of the Universal Life Church for these reasons: 1) I am allowed to follow God's voice. There is no person or body in the ULC which attempts to dictate what I am or am not to do (as long as I do the right thing), 2) We truly are One. This is the motto of the Universal Life Church. "God" wants us to strive beyond our human shortcomings and look out for the better good of all, 3) I'm actually doing what I truly enjoy doing! I AM A MINISTER OF GOD! It's a joy and a Freedom from all organizations and human made rules (which often tend to be oppressive), 4) I see God's Presence and hear the Voice of God in nature, in life, in animals, in insects, in study, and in supernatural manisfestations of the Most High God. The final reason I enjoy being an Ordained Minister of the Universal Life Church is one that I did not expect or ask for. My concerns are respected more by onlookers. Actions are more readily taken against unethical persons or those who exploit the elderly and others.   I wish to encourage everyone to listen to the Voice of God, however God talks to you. God has Higher Callings to offer. We don't have to accept the dysfunctions of life. I'm a firm believer that God will bless us with our needs, if we are willing to let Him lead us in His will.   Pastor Gary Colin Booker is a Minister of the Universal Life Church. You can contact Pastor Colin at seeingbeyondthetrees@yahoo.com http://www.webspawner.com/users/comingagain Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

thoughts on Reincarnation and Christianity by Rev. Judith

Christianity and Reincarnation = Mystical Christianity = Lesson 17:                                    1. Sometimes, no matter how good a person is, lessons remain to be learned. When you pray to God to help you out during these inevitable "bad times" of your life, He may seem to not be listening or there is a delay in answering your prayer. In that situation, He is telling you to take an active role in resolution with Him as a much needed back-up. Yours become the hands and He is the strength and courage to see it through.                          2. As a Christian, I have asked this question over and over again to my Pastor and to others in authority to know.  One answer is that there is always a reason behind every tragedy and that God is working behind the scenes.  When you are close to dire circumstances, it's hard to notice the hand of the Creator at work.  (It occurred to me that in some mythologies the god of creation is also the god of destruction.  The Biblical God has also been known to play that dual role …)  This past year, my mother died of brain cancer – that was a family tragedy.  She was a strong, vibrant, intelligent woman who quite suddenly began to manifest violent personality changes.  We took care of her at home and thank God, she passed away without pain.  Bad arrives with good- at least that has been my experience to date.  When my Mom died, she left me in financial hardship- unpaid medical bills, reverse mortgage people trying to take our home etc.  I had to terminate my employment at a job where I worked for 21 years to get my pension to attempt to remedy the situation.  Unemployment is tough, but the little things I did not appreciate before have become big blessings –A life lesson!  So the bad is coupled with the good: quitting my job = it was a position of mental and physical slavery in which my soul was under a crushing weight for too many years.  Sure, we're scrambling and sticking it out – not fun by any means- but I received an unexpected scholarship to study at an accredited seminary and hope to be ordained as a pastor within the year.  That's a good thing!  I am going to be able to help others, pass on the blessings that I was fortunate enough to receive, in whatever ministry the Lord leads me to.  It's a dream come true!  I hope this makes sense.                                                                                                        3. This is a hard question. I think that when you do a good deed, positive energy is sent out into the world.  In contrast, those who do not care about their "neighbors," those who are set on revenge, are always angry and deal unfairly with others, send out negative energy which seems to compound.  I wonder why the negativity is stronger than the good.  Good deeds may not receive beneficial gains in return but evil will without a doubt multiply.  The doer of malevolence, the so-called "bad" person will eventually be caught up in the whirlwind of results which he has set into motion.  I think that we must always keep it in mind.                                                                                                                             4. Karma may be a factor but I think that human beings have some control over their circumstances.  I really have to know a bit more about reincarnation and the laws of Karma to give an intelligent answer.  Perhaps if you teach another course dealing with these subjects specifically?  I'll be the 1st to sign up!   ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Chaplaincy Program thoughts

When I first looked at the ULC Seminary and came across the Chaplaincy Program I knew immediately that the Chaplaincy Program is where I wanted to begin. I have been emerging from my own hell this past year, as much of the world is still struggling to do as well it seems, and as I emerged I found my vocation of living a profound contemplative and reclusive life had changed to one more…outwardly.  While I am still recovering from my own travails I am also feeling myself pulled towards working with individuals and small groups; mostly hospices and end of life situations but also with troubled teens of which seems to be a growing and serious problem and one to which I can, like I can with end of life situations, relate to. This first lesson speaks of Chaplains once being the "keepers of sacred relics."  This has a two-fold responsibility implied for me.  The first is the absolute knowledge of that which is and within all beings, that which is eternal and infinite, the star, the burning ember, the flame, the spark; how precious it is, this pearl.  Yet, as "Keepers of this Knowledge", we are like those who hold the keys to the most sacred, the inner sanctuary, those who never enter and never let anyone else enter; that there is the tendency for us to become like dogs guarding the feed that don't eat nor do they let the livestock eat. As chaplains, I feel it is important to free ourselves and to free those in transition, whatever that is for the person we are working and counseling with and despite any judgments I may have about the person or their beliefs.  This would be much easier if we were working with people of like minds and faith.  But it is made all the more difficult (and exciting and rewarding) by the fact that as chaplains we absolutely must be able to see and work with the beauty of each individuals bouquet of beliefs.  This may be especially so when working with troubled teens.  This all means, as this lesson points out, we must also be people of great tolerance.  I.e. it would take a lot, a real lot, for me to work with someone from the extreme Christian right, or for that matter any extremist.  I pray I can be that person of complete loving tolerance, I know I will struggle to be that person, a person who can leave his judgments at the door. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Master of Religious Philosophy by Rev. Nicholas Federspiel

ULC Seminary Religious Philosophy   -  End of Course Essay Rev. Nicholas Federspiel       ===============================================================     Recently on a major syndicated radio program I heard, "A country's economy can only be as vibrant as the average citizen's economic circumstances..."  I might adapt that to say: a country can only be as strong as its moral fiber and commitment and is proportional to each citizen's separation from hypocrisy as perceived by others while leading their lives, their family and business. Our government regulates many aspects of religion in America including sermon content; for example, the politicians and the IRS can publically debate church and its social services and even sermons, but ministers can not debate them even within their own church facilities – only one way attacks are allowed.   What this current inane wave of separation of church and state as practiced today has accomplished is that the core values of religion(s) are not as omnipresent in family, schools and work place as was the case for the prior ten generations of America's founders.  The net result is our foundation is cracking.  What has my opinion have to do with ULC Seminary's course in "RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY"? Well, let me say this about that: Numerous canvases produce statistical results that show that a decreasing percentage of America's population is "religious."  And what is religious? Lesson 7 says that during the early to mid-nineteenth century (1830-1860), the most common method to classify religions in use was an evolutionary mode(s) of religion. " … At the "low" end (i.e. more primitive) were animistic beliefs (everything has a soul; the whole world is "alive"). They saw cultures evolve from this primitive level progressively through polytheism (many gods) to eventually reach the "high" end (i.e. more advanced) of monotheism (one God). …" But it is the (our) core philosophy that drives a converted devoted member of any religion to abide by and improve the social norms of their society.  Lesson 7 again:  " … That leaves us with the final method to be discussed: problematic classification. The "problems" that this method is addressing are the "three primary problems of life:   ·         how to 'get along with the physical world', ·         how to 'get along with each other', and ·         how to 'get to know ourselves so that we can make sense of it all'. …" Lesson 13 was interesting in that it discussed religious functionality of the practices of religion – which goes hand in hand with my theory that religion provides a foundation for a moral and righteous society.  " … Whether we realize it or not, each of these theories as to the reason we engage in religion … Consider this list: ·         mental projection reassures us that the "world makes sense" ·         psychological projection resolves the "great problems of life" ·         economic defense mechanism keeps our lives calm, and 'under control' ·         cultural transmission tool validates our personal values ·         physical–ideal reconciliation cognitive dissonance reduction ·         genetic predisposition biological necessity …" If religion accomplishes the above functional things then those without it (religious commitment) are in a world of hurt and ANY society without is the worse for it. What do other religions say of these issues?  Lesson 14 explores that.  I read years ago that all religions are essentially the same – not true, of course, but the "good nature" of most of them is very similar to 'good' Christian's ethics and morality. By example, from lesson 14: ·         "… You are the best community that has been raised up for mankind.  You enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and you believe in God." [Islam; Qur'an 3:110]. ·         Consider the family of humankind one." [Jainism; Jinasena, Adipurana]. ·         although there are northern men and southern men, north and south make no difference to their Buddha-nature.  A barbarian is different physically, but there is no difference in our Buddha-nature." [Buddhism; Sutra of Hui Neng 1.]…" Lesson 17' is about "spreading the word" to the world.  Who wants to proselytize? Of course which word and what word and what is the truth and what is knowledge and why do we care to commit to any belief is the message of the evangelists of the world's religions. We know the Roman Catholic countries explored the world and spread Christianity worldwide along with claiming the new lands and riches for the King.  Were all the reasons the right ones in regards to the functionality tests of religion?  Based upon my study of history, certainly not.  Wars were fought and many times defined by the religion the aggressors professed. The barbarians, the Christians and the Muslims all crossed swords by the tens of thousands. Christianity might never have survived if Constantine did not raise his sword in the name of a religion that was at the very least a huge thorn in the side of the Roman pagan empire at that time – what image is shared by a cloud and a battle flag and one third of the world's population?  Is that a true and righteous religious philosophy – or brute force evangelism! What is the end game for the pagans and the religious?  Lesson 18 discusses eschatology and apocalyptic faiths. " … An eschatological faith is one whose theology or teachings are concerned in large part with "last things", the "end of time", and the general concept of "salvation".  … and is used in the field of philosophy as well as the field of theology … so, eschatology included the study of death, the afterlife, heaven, hell, purgatory, salvation, a day of judgment, et cetera. an apocalyptic faith is one that is concerned with prophecy, or revelation. … Judaism is an apocalyptic faith. …" I might suggest atheism as a religion growing in America is an apocalyptic religion as defined by common layman's definition of the word. Per Webster's:  "... foreboding of immanent disaster or doom…"   If one believes in nothing much but himself and today and religious functionally proposed by this course is true then what is the converse?  Might not doom be one of the functions of a not for me organized religious philosophy? The course discusses regional identifications with numerous religious philosophies defining them as the Eastern, Western, and Southern faiths. Included but not limited to were:  Taoism (China); Confucianism (China); Shinto (Japan); Ainu (Japan); Ch'ondogyo - Ch'ondogyo (Korea); Cao Dai (Viet Nam) … and others. The lesson references them to the three paramount problems religions seem to address: " … the Eastern Ecclesiastical Religions emphasized the social problem; the Western Ecclesiastical Religions emphasized the natural problem. the Southern Ecclesiastical Religions emphasize the psychological problem. …" These three problems were treated by each doctrine and within the lesson's conclusion offered this:  " … The social problem, however, was of tremendous importance to these people. We are talking about an area with one of the highest population concentrations in the world. China is the numerically largest country on earth (with roughly 1.3 billion people). Japan, although having a much smaller population, is also limited to a group of Pacific islands that are incapable of providing adequate food or resources for the population. Similar obstacles face Korea, Viet Nam, and the rest of the Far East. As a result, it became tremendously important that these societies learned how to "get along with each other" (i.e. to solve the social problem). …" Perhaps the agnostics and atheists and terrorist fanatics need to READ scripture and quit listening to those who expound upon it for their own self serving purposes – false prophets abound!   But read what? From lesson 11:   " … Religious scriptures are intended to permanently codify the doctrines and beliefs of the religion. Once something is committed to writing … however, as scriptures often must be "interpreted". What does that mean? Why did they say that? Did they really intend for us to do this? The Holy Bible is scriptural to Christians, the Qur'an to Muslims, the Tao Te Ching to Taoists (photo), et cetera. Some examples (not intended to be exhaustive) include: ·        Holy Bible Christianity ·        Qur'an (Koran) Islam ·        Tanakh Judaism ·        Avesta Zoroastrianism ·        Tao Te Ching Taoism ·        Analects Confucianism ·        Book of Mormon , Pearl of Great Price Mormonism ·        Science and Health Christian Science ·        The Vedas Hinduism ·        Dhammapada Theravada Buddhism ·        Adi Granth Sikhism ·        Book of Certitude Baha'i ·        Heart Sutra Mahayana Buddhism ·        Acarangasutra Jainism ·        Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines Seicho-no-Ie ·        Ofudesaki Tenrikyo …"   Lesson 21 provides an impressive comparison of many of "our" world religions. Of course, there is always the issue of God the creator, be He good (Judaism), offering salvation (Christianity) or somewhat evil (Gnostic), etc. Lesson 22 refers back to lesson 6 discussing the four types of religions:  Individualistic, Shamanistic, Communal and Ecclesiastical. My favorite theological subject is examined in lesson 23: " … Fundamentalist Christians look to science to serve as the material proof of their scriptural injunctions. Archaeology is seen as revealing the evidence that the stories contained in the Christian Bible are historically accurate; and, when archaeology seems to dispute one of those stories, it is seen as either erroneous or incomplete scientific investigation. It may seem strange for a group to accept science as a valuable tool in proving what is already accepted as truth when it agrees, and demeaning it as a false tool of apostates when it disagrees; but, that is often the approach. …" I authored the ULC Seminary course on Biblical Egyptology and my wife Kathy and I traveled to Egypt this year to confirm my research.  Indeed I was doing exactly what the above paragraph implies – looking for tangibles to prove the foundations of a faith.  I refer to the religious trilogy of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as all three build upwards from The Old Testament story in Exodus of Moses.  I found it! Dig and read and ye shall find! The facts are the Old Testament is an extraordinary history book not withstanding its moral and philosophical messages.  To me the core message is this: if one has nothing of value inherent in a religion that is apparent to others, and religious functionality is a truth, then those people have an enormous unfilled void (darkness?) and the overall society is at a lesser state and it is. 'God' then destroys corrupt regimes for such are adulterous to the purposes and image of His creation so let there be light. Finally, lawyers in charge of us all today need to heed the lessons within this course as those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it (as we are now?).  From lesson 24: " … The Religious Past. A number of nations around the world experienced some sort of revolution during the twentieth century. Frequently, those revolutionary leaders formed their government based on the teachings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (e.g. Vladimir Lenin in Russia, Mao Tse-Tung in China, Babrak Karmal in Afghanistan, and Fidel Castro in Cuba). In doing so, they adopted Marx' view that religion was "the opiate of the people", a mental and social drug that served only to dull resistance and perpetuate the class inequities that they saw in the world's economic systems. For that reason, the new governments of these nations nearly always adopted an "officially atheist" position. …" The lesson points out that these atheistic regimes all feared religion and compromised it in some cases exterminating the faithful, and yet each failed in short order.  Religion is returning to them - sort of like the sequence of events in the Old Testament!  Perhaps the message is as simple as the need for religious philosophy is instinctive and as inherently human defining as our DNA and thus, in due course of events, it trumps ignorance and imposed despotic and heretical self interests. Like in the old Westerns the bad guys loose in the end to those wearing white hats. So what many ask is: who cares? – why me? – why church?  Those that do not have a religious philosophy at heart and soul need to acquire one – pick one. Obviously, mine is Christianity, but the course offers up all the options.  If one doesn't not know which to choose, then take this course.  ULC Seminary's Religious Philosophy course is one exemplary summary and well worth the investment in funds and time and, in my case, a sermon producing field as well.    ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Master of Paganism Final Essay by Rev. Daniel Moore

Master of Paganism Final Essay Rev. Daniel L. Moore   "More Pagan Than One Realizes"               Paganism is not a specific religion.  It is more a descriptive term to cover a loosely defined group of religions and spiritual behaviors.  Having studied Druidism, I came to learn one "branch" of paganism (if I can use that term) which made me curious to learn more.  This course began with a "beginning" – a discussion of the creation stories by various pagan groups.  Having studied Greek and Norse mythology as a young man, I saw a lot of common ground there.              I tend to view things through a Christian lens – so I studied with the tension of beliefs.  I would read the lesson, set it aside, re-read it, and tried to gain a "pagan" lens in which to gain understanding into the human soul.  There is much to learn and appreciate when one sheds the "Christian" garment and puts on the pagan cloak for a time.  In a sense, it is getting to understand basic humanity with natural hopes, dreams, and spiritual desires.             I looked for the common points of contact.  God, gods (and goddesses), spiritual beings (going by many names), the afterlife (reincarnation or resurrection) are among the topics studied in this course.  All spiritual people struggle and deal with these issues.  One commonality is that pagan and Christian believe in "something out there" and there is activity between this world and another.  There is also the belief in the afterlife – though we will disagree on some issues.             Celebrations and Sabbats were interesting lessons and revealed the pagan carryover into Christianity.  There is a lot of what Christians call holidays (originally, holy days) that have a pagan origin.  There are two views on this.  One is that the Roman Church "Christianized" local holy days so the local people would be more amenable to Christianity.  Another is that pagan traditions were not so easily given up.  I suspect it was a mixture of both.             For me the sacred place lessons really hit home.  Every person who seeks after God should have an altar or sacred spot.  I believe it is in our nature.  As a child, I had my "special place" where I could escape family for a time and just be.  It was in a tree.  I could lay on a huge branch, look up at the sky, and talk to God.  My study is now my "sacred place" with objects that help in my prayer, meditation, fasting, and other spiritual disciplines.             The discourse on rituals was another interesting lesson.  People just love rituals.  Whether it is getting the morning paper, a cup of coffee, and doing the crossword is a ritual for some.  We are creatures of habit.  Paganism gives religion or spirituality a sense of legitimacy.  All religions have rituals.              The Great Rite was a blessing to me.  I was able to develop my own version of it.  I used passages from the Song of Solomon as a means of blessing.  This Pagan rite is more "biblical' to me that the couple who marry at a church and rush off to Niagra Falls looking forward to pleasure without considering the spiritual aspect of the coming together of the two genders made in God's image.              As I set aside the pagan cloak and take up my Christians garment, I have a greater appreciation for the Paganist.  I understand more than I did before.  I realize how spiritual the pagan is and how much we have in common.  I look forward to learning more….   ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Four Gospels Final Essay by Leo Merchant

Four Gospels Final Essay:                                           This particular study has helped to open further my eyes as to the actual history of the Bible and perhaps the early world. This study has a lot of references of early times which elude to the life of Christ both as a Man and a Religious Figure for those that choose that particular path.    This study also has many references to modern day events such as Courts proceedings, Organizations Foundational building etc. as many of these seem to use Bible material or similar to maintain their respective orders. This has caused a bit of friction among the Minions of the World as sometimes there may be a "if you don't believe as I believe" mentality going on however it is an important building block none the less.    I suggest that the Four Gospels of which Five were actually mentioned and historical events put into place to begin to explain modern world, is a really nice way for someone to be able to understand both Old and New World History and also to be able to make sense of ones own exsistence.    This was and shall be a wonderful study for myself and I would Highly recommend it to others weather in the Seminary Degree program or not as it gives Great references to read.    Many different styles of writing have been used here as well from poetic to straight talk to very old world. These styles have lead us upon a path of many different genres as well. As stated before a lot of history has been discussed in these books and they are not all completely merely fictional religious books as some folks believe the Bible to be a great work of fiction, there are factual references to the world as we know it from a Geographical standpoint at the least within the pages of these works.    There is also some references to works such as belief that what you see is what you get type of stories as well as many different works of interest to many folks out there.    I suggest that one should just pick up a Bible and read as well as get the study guide of The Unvarnished Gospels then they themselves see or experience rather a neat chapter of our lives.    Thanks for reading this final Essay and I look forward to the Degree Card as well as the other courses I'm taking.    As Ever I bid you all to Please Take Care and Be Well,                                                                                  Blessings,                                                                                                   Pastor Leo ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the best button Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Master of Religious Philosophy by Rev. Nancy Rutledge

RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY FINAL ESSAY   This was a great and very interesting course.  It was unbiased and well thought out.  I would like to thank Robert Chamberlain for all his hard work.             This was definitely one of the favorite courses that I've taken.  I learned a lot and had fun doing it.  It will definitely help me as a minister to understand other faiths.  I feel that anyone who wants to become a minister, or someone who just wants to learn more about faith, should take this course.             This course defines what people believe, why they believe, and how those beliefs differ.   It covers that religion requires a God on which to focus, to worship, to give devotion and service to, and one to whom we must remain faithful.  Conversely, an Ethical System has no such requirement.  That is a system relating to moral action, motive or character.  The Ethical System is organized based on principals of behavior, right and wrong.  Some people have a hard time distinguishing between these terms.  For example, many consider the Ten Commandments are based on morality.  There are those religions that believe you must involve God, but there are other religions that see just the morality issue without a god, such as Buddhism and Jainism.  Then there is a small group of religions that fall into the religio-ethical trap.  This course, for all intents and purposes, considers no difference between these terms.  Any system of devotion could be by a single person or by a group.  It is said, and I agree, that no two people on earth believe exactly the same way.  That still leaves us with over 5,000 different organized religious bodies.  Many religions believe that if you don't belong to their religion, then you must belong to a cult.             The Religious Philosophy course covers four distinct forms generally recognized by human religiosity.  These are:  Individual faith, Communal faith, Shamanalistic faith and Ecclesiastical faith.  These four "systems of worship" were designated by anthropologists.  This course also covers the field of religion by four other methods.  These methods are specifically tailored for the field of religion.  They are:  evolutionary, multiplicity, theistically and problematically.             This course did a remarkable job of covering forty eight religions.  Studying religion is important to be able to assess, evaluate and understand the bias that might be present.  It covers the purpose and function of religion.  This course covered religion is so many different ways.              It was exciting to see so much information presented in so many ways.  It was a well written class that I'll definitely reread many times.  I do love the courses from the ULC Seminary and I do reread them all.  They are very good references that I keep near my desk to give me easy access.  I feel this course is a must for everyone.   Peace to All, Rev. Nancy Rutledge             ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Master of Spirituality Essay by Rev. Hope Macdonald-Vellone

In the reading of this course and some additional research I have done, I can see the similarities between science and the Bible, as well as the differences. In my own personal spiritual path, we believe that all Gods are one God. They just go by different names. In this course, I believe it to be the same, even with science-minded people. Whether they believe there is a God or not, they do believe there is a higher power. Even if that higher power is numbers, they see it as something greater then themselves.    I would like to address the creation hypotheses for a moment. In Genesis 1:1-3,   1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3. Then God said "let there be light"; and there was light.   Can we see how this can correlate with science and the Big Bang Theory? As a child growing up and attending church we were told that a life-time to us was but a blink of an eye to God. The way I see this is that if the blink of an eye to God is but a hundred years, a day would be thousands, if not more. (No one can ever be sure of this). No one is ever sure if indeed there was a "Big Bang". Other than scientists knowing that the universe is expanding and that it had to start from somewhere, no one knows for sure. Just like the Bible. No one knows for sure if this is how creation was actually started. But I do believe that they go hand in hand.   Science Vs. The Bible. The Theory of Evolution:    Charles Darwin's theory that life came from the oceans again coincides with parts of the Bible. Genesis 1:20-21.    Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens."    So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw this and it was good.    This was the fifth day.   Genesis 1:26-27  Then God said, "Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."    So God created man in His own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them.    Darwin's theory that life came from the ocean could be true. Again, no one knows for sure. Who is to say that the time that passes in a day to God could be hundred of thousands or Millions of years and in Darwin's theory, with time on our side being ever so slow compared to that of God's, it could indeed seem that man came from the ocean; that this is where life started.    There is a beautiful analogy that I believe covers all religions, faiths, spiritual paths and belief systems, science and so forth.    Imagine if you would, a beautiful mountain. On top of that mountain is God, Mohammad, Allah, The Goddess, Shiva, the Master Architect or whatever Higher Power one may believe in.    Everyone wants to get to the top of this mountain. There are many different paths for people to take. People need to find the path that is right for them.    Now some people tell others about their path and that their path is the right one, the only way and to follow them. They lead them to the top.    Some people tell others they know the best path to take to get to the top and in doing so trying to get everyone to follow them, wind up only going in circles at the base of this mountain.    Some people may take an easy route, while others tend to take a harder path, all to attain the same dissension. Some people's path may be lonely and they go solo. Others are in groups with support. It doesn't matter how you get to the top only that one tries.  Some people sit at the bottom of this mountain trying to calculate the best way to get to the top. Others wonder why bother? Maybe they will find another mountain they will come to climb.    The above analogy illustrates how God is inside each and every one of us. To some it could be the Great Mother, and to others it could be this gray haired, bearded older man or it could be the infinity symbol. I believe that this Omnipotence comes to us in whatever why it sees best for the individual.    I have always believed in the thought process that the cup is half full, rather then half empty. All belief systems are beautiful, no matter what they may be. Science has some wonderful theories, as does religion. I believe they all go hand in hand. No matter what path one may walk.     All Gods are one God.            Rev. Hope Macdonald-Vellone    ****************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Understanding the Western Spiritual Mind by Rev. Amy Heiser

Understanding the Western Spiritual Mind By Rev. Amy Heiser     The course Defining Spirituality was fascinating to me.  On the last page of lesson 18 the story regarding Socrates in relations to the difficulty we embark on this path of Ministry – It was good to read this, as I too had similar experiences.   Incorporating Spirituality into this modern life is a hard task at first because you are challenged to think about what you believe and to have faith in your beliefs; which really makes you reflect within.  Also, there are many people in the world who are quick to judge.   As Ministers we will meet others who sometimes expect us to solve their problems rather than finding their own power within.   I have learned that we can't take on problems of other people in such a way that we try to save them.  They are on their journey for a reason, so we need to help them find their lesson.  I feel it is part of our job as Ministers not merely help others, but to teach others how to help themselves.  This is a difficult job, as some people might not be ready to do that.     This course did help me understand various perspectives leading to how people think and therefore behave.  To understand the difference (and similarities) between the science minded and spiritual minded – I needed that lesson a long time ago!  That exact debate has come up in my study groups many times and I never knew how to handle it.  I am so thankful that this lesson gave me information and knowledge that I can refer back to in such situations in the future.     I loved the section in lesson 3 where it discusses the imagination.  I came to understand the power of imagination a long time ago.  When I was a teenager I let my thoughts, feelings and imagination take control.  Later in life, when my daughter was 3, we were getting ready for a family gathering.  I set up a dress and tights for my daughter to put on, and then I ran around the house like a chicken with my head cut off.  My daughter began itching her legs and yelling "Mom, there are spiders on my legs".  In the hustle and bustle I blew it off saying "There are no spiders, finish getting ready".  She argued "No mommy, there are spiders and they itch".  After going around and around I finally stopped and said "No, there are no spiders; it's just your imagination".   She responded, "Well Mom, my imagination hurts."  NOW that stopped me dead in my tracts.  What a statement for a three year old, for how true this can be.   This experience taught me that we must discipline our thoughts and our imaginations, and when we can do that in a balanced way then we can truly create our realities – then anything is possible.     Although my beliefs are slightly different, as I do strongly believe in morals and ethics yet I believe in the concept of Karma vs Sin.   As humans we are prone to make mistakes and have judgment errors.  We cannot always know every side of a situation, therefore we make choices and decisions based on what we know and perceive.  This is being Human.   I believe our purpose here is to have experiences.  As humans we don't appreciate what we have until it's earned or gone (this sometimes can include spirituality) but then when we get back what we lost, we can truly appreciate it and be grateful; or appreciate the next similar opportunity.  We will either see the experience as a blessing and learn our lesson at hand, or repeat the experiences until that lesson is learned.    I too was brought down like Rev. Chuck in the last lesson.  The scenarios are different but the feelings the same.  My scenarios came from someone I called a friend.     I trusted this person, gave this person all I could.   I thought God lead to me this person to guide them, to teach them something.   As this relationship continued, we started to "agree to disagree" about most things and in a subtle ways I was criticized, put down, and condemned.  I lost my foundation, my peace and how to stand up for myself.    This led me to be untrusting of others and defensive in my behavior.    My gut feeling told me I should walk away from this friend but I didn't understand why, I didn't realize the mental abuse that was occurring, so I did not listen and I actually did the opposite and put myself into the relationship more.  Finally I did not give this friend what she wanted and the bomb exploded.  Behind my back this "friend" attacked me publicly (online blogs) in which I had no way to defend myself.  This friend took my actions and added her own intentions and set out to take me down.   This really messed with my head, my ideas about life, who I was and who I was supposed to be.    I called out to the Deity/God/Universal Energy  for help.  I was lead to The Celestine Prophecy,  Wayne Dyer,  Deepak Chopra,  - and many other authors who had similar life philosophies , which made me feel  "normal". – I no longer had to "agree to disagree".     I once again found acceptance with myself, and through that acceptance I found my peace again.         What I learned from that experience was that WE have a choice who we allow into our lives.  This choice is OUR responsibility.    If we allow people who are aggressive or abusive into our lives and we ignore these traits, then we either become like them or we become victim to them.  So, one big life lesson is we MUST choose our relationships wisely.      Since then, I have recognized the people that were always in my life supporting me; those who recognized my positive traits, who encouraged me to be all I can be.  I have also met new people and common interest groups who understand me, just the way I am.  I learned that people who make you feel good are the people good for your life.  I have learned that relationships are about relating.   Through all this I have found wholeness again.   While I continue my personal journey I hope to take the experiences I had thus far, with the knowledge I am gaining from the ULC courses to help others as they seek their own truth, peace and enlightenment.        Thank you.    ~ Reverend Amy Heiser ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Master of Metaphysics by Rev. Nancy Kimes

Final Essay – Spirit Quest – Master of Metaphysics        This study course is a great course for those beginning their path and while serving others through ministerial pursuits. One of the deepest studies in this course is lesson 13, "Your Spiritual Path". Not many know or understand that we choose our parents and our experiences. This understanding is needed to make wiser choices and take responsibility for ourselves. If one learns this it can change the course of their life and make giant steps on their spiritual path. Lessons can be learned quicker and bring more awareness to making conscious choices.   One has the opportunity to sense that their thoughts are things and will project what they are thinking outside as well as inside of themselves, emotions such as fear and love. All thoughts stem from one or the other. This is an opportunity to make conscious choices conditioning the mind for a favorable outcome.   The bigger the lesson the stronger the impulse to change patterns that better serve you and prepares you to live a better life. It also helps when interacting with others. I am not fond of destroying roses while doing the meditations, which are great by the way, so I replaced roses for bubbles or balloons instead.   Also, there is great information on the chakras. It was hard to choose one subject for this essay as all the chapters are "gems" of knowledge. This course helped me solidify my beliefs and create a deeper connection and foundation for those beliefs.   Sometimes, I tend to get somewhat philosophical when talking to someone about spiritual matters. This course helped bring me back to the basics clearly and concisely so those who are beginning their path can ease into this knowledge. The lessons provide stepping stones of beliefs they can grow into. This course will help everyone!    In His service,   Dr. Rev. Nancy Kimes               ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Master of Buddhist Studies by Rev. Don Bowes

The Buddha is said to offer 84,000 categories of teachings to present them in twenty weeks in their historical and their practice context in a concise overview manner is a daunting task indeed. The course while not an in depth teaching of Buddhism succeeded in giving a good secular view of Buddhism. The questions asked could be better formulated and many of the references could be updated, some of the suggested reading was out of print. The Buddha teaches us how to overcome suffering with The Four Noble Truths and it is the basis for all of the rest of his teachings. Better than just solving the problems others he gives them the tools to solve their own problems and end their suffering. he teaches us we must be our own savior. Through out the years of religious study I have come to believe that all religions are talking about the same experience and that which is unthinkable and unspeakable is the same for all. The conflict which arises is when we conceptually fabricate an explanation and rely on the words of others rather than experience for ourselves the great wonder of creation. The Buddha was a guide to the path of self exploration and knowledge in order to end ones own suffering. The method he used was meditation. The simplest and most effective way to experience this is simple. Seek seclusion Sit Still Be quiet All that can be known will be revealed, since we are that which we seek. On November 15th I will enter a two month retreat and upon completion I will then begin a three year three month retreat at the Garchen Buddhist Institute in Chino Valley, Arizona. Thank you Rev. Mark for your moderation and thank you Rev. Amy for all the hard work that you have done. Many Blessings and Prayers Rev. Don Bowes aka Konchog Jimpa a Drikung Kagyu monk. ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Master of Christian History by Rev. Nick Federspiel

There are several miracles in the saga of the rise and survival of Christianity.  One is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and another the resurrection and survival of the church after persecution after persecution and meddling by the irrelevant, irresponsible, self centered, dishonest and of course the despotic – that is from both the outside and the inside.   I sometimes have to wonder which the greater miracle in the history of Christianity.  Psalms 37:11 and Matthew 5:5 comforted the meek, but blood of the bold Apostles and courageous martyrs flowed everywhere for centuries.  The Acts of the Apostles in the Bible, and per lesson 3, showed the strength of the Holy Spirit in motivating ordinary men without any other significant birthright of wealth and political influence to preach the new covenant of Christ. This was done so well that the Pharisee element of the 'Jerusalem church' collaborating for all intent and purpose with the Romans had to resort to terror and annihilation as the basic strategy to preserve both of their ill constructed heritages.  The word spread in accordance with Acts 1:1-8 indeed worldwide.  Of course as in lesson 3 the 'Good News' was not always spread as an engineered event as it was a flight for survival with the quasi exiled in Samaria and Rome appealing there to the Gentiles and the approachable Jews for converts and strength in numbers.  The enemy became a safer haven and more fertile ground than the homeland of Christianity. That home was pillaged in 70 A.D. and the Promised Land was plowed under over the graves of a half million in 135 AD.  Eusebius and Josephus write extensively on the persecutions and the heroes of the church. Somehow, as discussed in lesson 6, the church survived the first fifty through one hundred years to struggle through the bureaucratic process of development of government and liturgy as reported in subsequent lessons.  That took a thousand years to mature and yet it was throughout chaotic and resulted in the schism of 1054.  One wonders if the term 'Bible based' vs. 'man made' was ever used to resolve the disputes that took another thousand years to be somewhat repaired – a work still in progress. Time passes and ecumenical councils challenged politics, pagan heritage, and heresy doctrine and cult scripture in 1st through 4th centuries BCE to do the impossible and define (canon) scripture as we know it today. Yet archeologists today have unearthed the discarded heretic gospels and the same debates continue anew.  I find it truly inspiring that the tireless efforts of untold heroes and several scholars managed to stabilize the word so that 2 Timothy 3:16 survived as hallowed text and may well prevail another thousand years. Others shall I say 'less devoted to Christianity' must be so worried or their frenzied fanatics would not be so furiously implemented with flawed word and bombs. Although not a point of the lessons in this history course, the libraries containing the sacred texts, as originals they may have been each in its own time and place, were burned and dismantled right along with the temples and the devoted readers and scribes.  Today the 'church' is questioned in part because it can not produce tangible proof of Moses' notes or Solomon's decrees or Aramaic clay tablets of the preaching of Jesus Christ. Today the lawyers seem to have instilled in modern society the necessity for "proof" while they toil to invent 'lawyer speak' and strategies that seems to challenge any statement as some how vague and vulnerable to question. Can anything be proven, or is faith and spirit indeed the rock that Peter used as a foundation for the church; capable of prevailing and withstanding any force brought against it for two thousand years? Once the legislators of this country were educated as historians and now the majority is lawyers.  Which seem to have accomplished and which seem to have demolished? Indeed if anything at all is proven by the history of the Christian Church, it is that 'the word' is indeed stronger than the sword and 'the truth' is an impregnable defense against all false prophets.  'The way' was cluttered with potholes but the philosophy and the essence of Christianity prevailed.  One would hope the young would appreciate the lessons of history forwarded by historians rather than listen to the flawed arguments of a self indulging lawyer. Let the pendulum swing to return reverence to the historian and respect those he reports on so that history will indeed avoid repetition, but instead be the rock upon which wisdom, progress and meaningful accomplishment worthy of our inherited image of His creation mirroring His Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:26); for historians and ministers are today's apostles of Acts 1:7-8. Great course – well done and appreciated.   Rev. Nick Federspiel ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Wiccan Studies course essay by Rev. Rita Milo

Wicca Basic Training Course   Final Exam Essay - How Wicca Has Changed My Life             This course gave me a cleansing clarity about life and how my studies can benefit those around me.  "An ye harm none, do as thou wilt" has been my motto, my coat of arms, so to speak.  The knowledge I gained will keep my soul traveling on that path of white light, and it also allow me to share the goodness of that light with others.             Wicca is a special belief that uses Nature and cleanses negativity.  I have several people and a couple of friends who come to me regularly with heaviness in their hearts and souls, and I have been able to cleanse their psyches and give them a foundation in the basic belief that Nature and goodness will help them to a healing path.             That said, this course has been better than any book I could buy.  It added to what I have already learned through intensive reading, but provided me with actual scenarios of the proper way to perform rituals, etc.  Setting up an altar properly was very important; the only addition I made was my love of purple, so I do surround myself with it whenever possible.             I have been able to help friends and others to understand that Wicca is not a negative thing but a belief system that draws on the white light in Nature to make us one with it.  We come from Nature, at death we return to it, and during our lifetimes, we thank Nature by the basic and advanced rituals taught in this course.  I have helped them to understand that Nature's white light is like an outpouring of grace and to be careful for what they wish.              It has also helped me to show that what we give comes back to us triply and am proud to say that I talked a couple of people out of verbal or job retaliations that would blacken their aurae and bring them a negative karmic payback.  I was fired from my job in June because I had been ill - my former boss actually fired me via email because I was sick and couldn't go in to the office.  He told me my replacement was starting July 6th but if I felt up to it, I could go in those last few days of June to help him with his billing.  I didn't go but not out of spite: I truly did not have the strength.  Yet I did a blessing at home for him.  And yes, he did receive his karmic payment which I heard about literally as a fluke.  A friend of mine who works for another firm within his office space and she said he hired the new person at an hourly rate that was a lot lower then mine and that she is not working out.  Her bosses even said "when you buy cheaply, you don't get the best."  Did I gloat?  No - I hoped for enlightenment for him.             A typical reaction would have been a nasty call or email to him, but I took three cleansing breaths and re-assessed the situation.  Those cleansing breaths brought me clarity and I was able to see that it was his law practice to run as he pleased.  I wrote him a brief note saying I was sad the job had not worked out because I thought we made a good team and wished him all the best.  Had I not done that and remembered the Rede, I would have done something stupid, I'm sure.             This course has helped me embody the Wiccan beliefs I have always had even further.  I feel that I am more whole in mind and soul because of this wonderful course.  It has given me the ability to comfort those around me who need it, and to help them see that with the help of Nature and white light and grace, they can reshape their lives and cleanse their souls. ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Final Essay for Mystical Christianity by Rev. Ernest Kayorie

Final Essay for Mystical Christianity Presented by Ernest Kayorie   I have recently completed Mystical Christianity which I found to be an informative and inspirational study of the Sacred Feminine, a concept that, although recently popularized by mystery novels and movies has long been ignored by conventional scholarship.  The information was well researched, thoughtful and insightful.  Although each of the sections can stand on its own as in depth introductions to the topic of spirituality, the ones that captivated my interest were the overview presented of Matthew Fox's contributions to the resurgence of interest in the mystical traditions of the West and the section on the rediscovery of Jesus of Nazareth.   Although I was vaguely familiar with Matthew Fox's work, the material presented in the course stirred my interest and seemed to be a catalyst for me because after reading and re reading the section on Matthew Fox in the course, I went to our local library and took out three of his books and promptly read them familiarizing myself with his work in establishing the concept of creation-centered spirituality.  As Jane Strohl of Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary notes in Word & World  8/1 (pg 42), "Matthew Fox has struck a responsive chord in the hearts of many spiritual seekers, both within and without the institutional church."   Many years ago, as a young seminarian studying for the Catholic priesthood, I was severely cautioned against falling prey to pantheistic thoughts because I tried to relate to my peers and mentors the glories that I was experiencing during extended meditation sessions.  Upon reflection, I had to agree with their concerns because pantheism did not adequately describe my experiences.  Matthew Fox's description of panentheism and the revival of the mystical traditions of the West aptly provided a framework for this writer's thoughts from then until now.  Thomas Berry, author of  The Great Work, The Dream of the Earth and The Universe Story calls Matthew Fox "the most creative, the most comprehensive, surely the most challenging religious-spiritual teacher in America" and I can't agree more.   The rediscovery of  Jesus of Nazareth, both historically and spiritually and the implications that this might have on the Christian tradition are extremely well represented in Mother Maryesah Karelon's lessons.  She has presented numerous theories that cannot but tease the intellect and urge the reader to do more research and study.   Over the centuries, the efforts of the early Church fathers to justify the existence of this teacher and how he was to be represented produced a ridiculously unapproachable figure.   The recent work done through the Jesus Seminar group and accompanying scholarship presents more options to consider as we search for a more meaningful relationship with this teacher/mystic called Jesus.   All of this being what it may, Mother Maryesah's course materials will definitely hold a special place on my bookshelves.  I certainly can see myself referring to them often and for this alone, she is to be commended as a teacher and educator.  This writer hopes to see more courses written by her and presented for study in the seminary curriculum.     ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Master of Paganism by Rev. Nitza Melgar

Final paper for Paganism Course:   Life is Sacred.  Nature is Sacred.  Humanity is Sacred.  Every particle of creation is Sacred.  So believe the Pagans of the past and present.  Why then are there so many religions and so many lost souls walking around in a daze, looking for something to believe in and hold to as their core of existence?   I have spent, literally, a lifetime looking for the truth of my creation and my Creator.  I have studied many religious groups and their beliefs.  I have joined some in hopes of finding the truth.  But alas, nothing.  I have always been curious and my mind craves knowledge.  Knowledge based on what is, and not on what we wish it would be.   I found great comfort in studying Paganism.  Finally, a group of people who understood creation and the Creator.  Simple, straightforward, belief in the Sacred.  In Paganism, the human is not some flawed, frightened  little creature, cowering in the corner, waiting for his master to inflict unbearable punishments on him.  The human is Sacred.  We make our own decisions and live our own lives and we hold ourselves entirely responsible for the outcomes, so say the Pagans, and they are absolutely correct.   We must not hurt or cause harm to anyone or anything.  We must have a sense of honor and self respect.  We must also respect all that has been created and is there for us to share in it's greatness.  Blessed be to all and everything.   I sat on the beach, looking out onto the ocean and marveled at it's beauty and trembled at it's strength.  I felt very small and  I felt respect for the water's power over us.  I wondered, what is religion anyway?  And where do I fit in this picture?  Who or what is God?    I pondered and meditated on this for  many years.  Now, I believe that God is not a he or a she or even and it.  God is the great force of life, the great blast of energy inside the Big Bang!  I pictured it as a rocket in the fourth of July fireworks show.  God is the gigantic explosion and we are all the little bits of fire that falls to the earth, right after the explosion.  We are all part of the great essence.  All part of that which is God, which is life itself.  That force, that energy is within us and that is who we are.   As I sat on the beach, in my mind's eye, I saw, there walking out of the water,  a shape of a monk with his hood covering his features.  I thought, OK?! What is this about?  Who are you?  When the figure was a few inches away, the monk pulled back the hood and to my astonishment.......it was me!   Of course!!  It is me!  It has to be me!!  The only way to find God is in me and in so doing become closer to creation and all it's Blessedness.   The Pagans have it right.  Sacredness, self responsibility, Blessedness are what will make our existence on this earth worthwhile.  We are not flawed, sinful creatures, needing to be saved from ourselves.  We are guardians of the earth, keepers of the truth, and God's expression of love.  Many religions try to make us feel ashamed of our bodies, of our thoughts, of our feelings and they love to tell everyone how they will burn in the pits of hell!  Follow us or you will be sorry.  We will teach you what to believe and what to do.   It is not my intention to offend anyone's beliefs,  what I write here, is simply my point of view as to the path I have chosen for myself.   Paganism is a religion and it has clergy,  but it has no dogma and it is the individual's responsibility to behave in such a manner as to cause no harm to another.  I have found myself comforted in studying Paganism.  it has shown me a world before organized religion and controlled religious beliefs.  We were created free and happy.  I am not here to be a source of entertainment  for some higher being, but to enjoy life.  Paganism was here at the beginning.  The Pagans knew the wonders of the creation and the Creator.   I say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".  That applies to my chosen way of spirituality.   There are many pagan paths from which to choose what fits your beliefs.  I tend strongly towards the Druid path of spirituality.  Others, Wicca and so forth.   Thank you for offering this course. I have studied Shamanism, Druidism, and Wicca, each in their own individual courses.  This course pulled it all together for me and now life seems a little happier and fuller.   Blessed be, till we speak again. Rev. Nitza Luz Melgar, ULC Minister ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Master of Comparative Religion Essay by Rev. Elizabeth

UNIVERSAL LIFE CHURCH SEMINARY Comparative Religions Course Rev.  Kythera  Ann December 27, 2008 FINAL ESSAY This course was a bargain for the price.   Despite the fact I already had college credits from a similar class, there was quite a bit of new information presented - and presented in a unique format making it quite worthwhile. The graphics were valuable and kept the rote and mundane information more interesting. I was particularly impressed with the flow chart which provides an overview of the timeline/overlaps regarding the development of major religions.  In one snapshot there is a considerable amount of information.   The lesson of the virgin-birth-of-the-one-true-savior offered new insights and was particularly interesting.   I was well aware of the commonality of the many creation stories,  and i knew more than one religion held beliefs in a virgin-birth-of-a-savior story - making the neat, efficient one-page summary particularly helpful. The large number of definitions will allow the text from this course to remain a valuable asset for years to come.  It serves as a reference book that combines the width of an encyclopedia with the detail of a dictionary.   I did not gain that much new insight from  this course but I most definitely gained a confirmation that much of what I believe is more easily substantiated now.    I also gained additional web-links and additional resources for all topics discussed in the course. The presentation of the course regarding the vocabulary of all world religions.....the commonality of terms used.....the sensitivity paid in discussing things sacred, and the professional and neutral tone is worth noting as well.   There is an even tone throughout the entire course and a gentle, nonjudgmental statement of facts. The lovely graphics did present a bit of a problem of me to download as I am on an ancient and rural phone line and a (31) page document (loaded with graphics) was a source of some "crashes".   However, I realize I am a minority with that situation as most students will be connected to high speed access.   The other situation is that of the cumbersome result of all this great information and the fabulous graphics.    Truly the valuable and artistic graphics are great - in fact so great I wanted to put them in plastic pages.   However the weekly addition of (20 +) pages  makes the end result a bit unwieldy.    As a reference item on a desk it takes up a good deal of space with a 3 - 4 inch binder that weighs a hefty amount.   If there would have been an option to  BUY a traditional text to accompany this class I certainly would have opted to do so.  The time (and frustration) of downloading, using up reams of paper and ink cartridges would have been better served to just purchase a traditional book-but that is a very minor issue. My only other frustration was that some weeks it was far more like a classroom of terms (dictionary-like) than a comparative study.   There were some weeks when  the lesson compared specific similarities between religions and contrasted those with differences between specific religions, however, for my interest there was not enough of that information. Again, this is a minor observation and only one person's preference.   It in no way should be taken as a criticism of the value of the course.     It is, again, a bargain for the price charged.    I paid far more at the university and was not treated to half as much interesting information.   Nor did we receive the enriching and highly artistic graphics. I would be VERY interested in taking another course from Rev. Kythera Ann as this course offered a chance to move forward ...and allowed a path of new question for me to explore. Rev. Elizabeth ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Defining Spirituality Essay by Rev. Elizabeth

UNIVERSAL LIFE CHURCH SEMINARY Defining Spirituality Course Rev. Chuck December 27, 2008 final essay The most fascinating part of this course was the discussion of god/God as an ever maturing entity.   That was a completely new concept to me and one I rather enjoyed pondering.  The multi-discipline approach (science, philosophy, etc.) was also unique from other presentations so that too was quite refreshing. The teacher had a great capacity to present complex ideas in common parlance.  He also demonstrated considerably more than a passing understanding of the verifiable material presented. The romp through science was a great start to this course and I found the physics-lite portion of particular interest.    I wish I had bumped into some of these concepts when in college, as the material was the same, however this rendering was far more interesting. The section on Marx too was particularly interesting.  Again, the history was not new per se but the context in which it was placed allowed me to widen my understanding and for that I am grateful.  Early on I surmised that the teacher of this course has (in the past or currently) a Christian point of view.   Not a denominational affiliation - but an understanding of life's purpose and a relationship with God that aligns most often and most closely to my understanding of that shared by most Christians.    He does not state that - but that is my take away.    If correct, that point of view cannot help but color the lens and/or filter of his understanding. He makes every effort to be objective and certainly at every point is sensitive and accepting of other points of view as being of worth.    For that I am appreciative.   If that is his belief, there is no harm in sharing that fact directly. The last lesson in this course was a gutsy, personal and touching.   It has an impact.    Perhaps even a positive impact.    While it is not inappropriate in the context of this course - a more objective and less personal ending would have suited me better.    Classroom work is different from spiritual testimony and in a classroom setting one does not expect such a personal account. It is NOT a negative but it is a startling conclusion to a course that begins with science, traces the philosophers throughout the centuries and ends denoting the limitations of religion on personal growth. One final point in summation, I very much appreciated the condensed, clear and intelligent presentation of the materials and would encourage Rev. Chuck to offer a follow up course. ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Master of Metaphysical Healing by Rev. Krissy Mahrling-Harding

Metaphysical Healing: Final Lesson (20)   This course has touched me in a number of ways. Katharine's insight and spirituality embodies each technique and historical piece of information on the traditional and indigenous healers of South Africa. I found it intensely interesting to learn that there are over 35,000 healers in that country. It has made me wonder as to how many healers practice in the United States, and why these practitioners are not as recognized as their counterparts in South Africa. I would liked to have learned or seen more studies outside of South Africa. The information in this series was (at best) limited. The Native American and European cultures that have become more acceptably integrated into American culture have long and respected knowledge and practices that apply to the healing arts. Wicca, and other nature based philosophies, have ingrained in them, the knowledge of herbs and plants that are both beneficial and potentially harmful. While there is much to be gained and given from the practice of the laying on of hands, it would seem that it is also as important to know what herbs, plants, aromatherapy, materials for ritual…etc…are used and for what side effects accompany them. One of the final lessons on distance healing was probably the most inclusive of step by step technique and what 'tools' to use in the preparation. Perhaps an expansion would be well and good for another course study. A couple of the most important and interesting techniques that I gained from this course, is the examination of the aura and the techniques for relaxation, which are, by any other name, Hypno-therapy, and meditation. I have been able to practice these methods with my Husband with excellent results in helping him to manage his painful shoulders and back, which are a result of stress and physical labour. I am looking forward to reviewing all of the material over and over, so that I can become adept in fulfilling my calling as a healer as well as a minister and counselor. In fact, these all work together for the balance and harmony, the health and well being of everyone. Along with the medical profession, I believe that there should always be holistic alternatives available. Perhaps America will see the benefits of partnering with traditional healers, here in the US, to allow a more fruitful and complete form of healing the body, might mind and soul. It is my true belief, that if God has given you a gift, then it is your responsibility to hone it and share it, to give the glory to God for it's purpose and humble gratitude for its nature. I am grateful for the opportunity to have studied this course, to continue to hone my own skills (gifts) and the guidance that this study course has offered, to do so. ******************************************** To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button -- Click the link! As a longtime member of ULC, we created the seminary site to help train our ministers and our site has created a great ULC Forum. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials and some outstanding online seminary courses. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary. The ULC Seminary has created an RSS Feed. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and through the magic of the internet, we can post articles and news stories and have them appear right on your personal computer screen through Yahoo, MSN, AOL or Google. It's a great way for you to keep in constant touch with what's new at the Seminary. Please use any of these buttons below, you can personalize your or Google page to give you a daily, self-updating feed of information from the Seminary. For more information on how to do that, go to the RSS Feed page or click the appropriate button. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Dr. of Christian Studies Essay by Rev. Christopher Adams

Evolution of the Importance of Dress through to the Gospels of Jesus of Nazareth   by Christopher B. Adams Jr. © 2009, All Rights Reserved.       Abstract:  Through the Gospels of Jesus of Nazareth, God alters the sacrosanct importance of dress and clothing from that shown in the Old Testament of the Bible.       Table of Contents: Introduction……….….……...1 Findings………….………..…2 Conclusion………….……..…4             Works Cited…….…………...4           Introduction:  According to Christian tradition, the Word of God, the Creator of mankind and the universe, can be found in the Holy Bible; the Bible, a series of narratives and proclamations written by a collection of authors, is viewed Christianity to be a divinely inspired text.  The first half of the Bible, known as the Old Testament, details the creation of the universe by God and the history of the Israelites, his chosen people, until the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in approximately 4 BCE (Wikipedia).  Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ, is viewed by Christians to be the Messiah and the physical manifestation of God on earth.  The birth of Jesus and his life and teachings are chronicled in the section of the Bible known as the Gospels.  By comparing the Old Testament and Gospels, the evolution of the Will of God due to the coming of Jesus Christ can therefore be seen.  In performing this comparison, it is one of the less obtrusive verses of the Gospels that I found the most interesting.  On Mount Olive the night of the Last Supper, Jesus is apprehended by Roman soldiers for charges of heresy.  During the apprehension, the Gospels subtly note the following:   "And one guy, a teenager, was following him (Jesus), wrapped in a sheet and nothing else.  And they (the Roman soldiers) seized him, but he jumped out of the sheet and ran off naked." (Mark 14:51, Mark 14:52, Gaus)   This statement is often viewed figuratively to represent the symbolic release of Christ from this life by his crucifixion at the hands of the Romans (Matthews).  However, my hypothesis is that verse is not metaphorical, but instead illiterates an important shift in the Will of God through the coming of Christ: as Jesus' crucifixion absolved mankind of sin, so too does God relinquish the requirement that man physically and symbolically separate himself from God with prescribed clothing and dress.  I will illustrate and defend this point through the following findings.       Findings:  The Old Testament of the Bible first makes reference to clothing in the Book of Genesis through the story of Adam and Eve.  These first human beings, Adams and Eve, naïvely live in the paradise of the Garden of Eden and lack any knowledge of life outside the Word of God.  However, giving into temptation and curiosity, they commit the first sin against God by eating from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge (New International Version).  By eating the fruit and receiving wisdom of the Divine, Adam and Eve immediately became aware of their lack of clothing and rushed to cover themselves:   "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." (Genesis 3:7, New International Version)   By committing this sin, mankind is ejected from the Garden of Eden and never allowed to return.  These fig leaves, man's first clothing, become the first objectification of mankind's newfound separation from God.   Clothing gains greater importance further on in the Old Testament; God reveals His Word to the prophet Moses, detailing the prescribed dress of the Levites, the group of Israelites designated to serve in the Tabernacle:   "He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on." (Leviticus 16:4, New International Version)   The Tabernacle, the symbolic seat of God on earth, served as the interface between the Israelites and the Devine (New International Version).  It is here that God decreed man is to wear a series of sacred garments and be cleansed by a ritual bath before even coming into His presence.  This clothing separates man from God at their closest acquaintance; even at this juncture, this degree of separation is demanded between mankind and the Devine.               However, through the Gospels, a change in the importance God places on the physical form is seen.  During one of his sermons, Jesus is questioned by a group of Pharisees, a sect of Jews viewed as overly legalistic, concerning why he and his companions did not cleanse themselves before eating (Gaus).  Jesus responds to his followers:   "…Don't you see that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the belly and is thrown out into the toilet?  But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and those things pollute the person.  For out of the heart comes evil designs, murders, adulteries, whoring, thefts, perjuries, blasphemies… those things pollute a person, but eating with unwashed hands doesn't pollute a person." (Mathew 15:17-20, Gaus)   The evolved Will of God, manifested through the words of Jesus, shows little regard for the body and physical form, and instead places greater importance on character and spirit.  To further illustrate this, Jesus instructs his disciples to treat all others with love and compassion, even if the emotion is not reciprocated:   "And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well." (Matthew 5:40, Gaus)   While this verse presents the more obvious message that one should obey the Golden Rule, that one should treat others as they themselves would like to be treated, it also depicts another important point: material objects, such as clothing, can be freely given away as they are no longer essential in God's view and come second to the happiness and well being of man.               The decreased importance of the physical form and therefore clothing can also be seen in the dress of Jesus' followers.  As Jesus is viewed by his followers to be the embodiment of God on earth, it would be expected that those he traveled with would have taken the greatest care in their appearance and manners as they are in the presence of the Devine.  But instead, the opposite occurs: the more formal clothing prescribed in the Old Testament is exchanged for the plebian dress of the common person.  As stated previously, on Mount Olive the night of the Last Supper, Jesus is apprehended by Roman soldiers for charges of heresy.  During the apprehension, the Gospels subtly note the following:   "And one guy, a teenager, was following him (Jesus), wrapped in a sheet and nothing else.  And they (the Roman soldiers) seized him, but he jumped out of the sheet and ran off naked." (Mark 14:51-52, Gaus) &nb