Seminary Program

This is where we post the essays from many of our Universal Life Church Seminary students. When students finish a ULC course, they write a comprehensive essay about their experiences with the course, what they learned, didn't learn, were inspired by, etc. Here are their essays.

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Thursday, December 21, 2006

Spiritualism

Rev. Vicki A Bennett D.D.

As a Buddhist, I am awed when I read the Pali Canon and the knowledge and wisdom of the Buddha's teachings. He was fully awakened and in receipt of all the intrinsic intelligence of the Universe. I aspire to becoming an awakened being that I may bring all whom I come into contact with the same awakening.

I have been on a solidly spiritual path for over 24 years now, but that was not always the case. I am a 59 year old woman who struggled through the lessons of this lifetime for 35 years before I began to see just who and what I really am.

I have tried to instill the knowledge of my journey in my daughter and now my granddaughter. I find that we are so frail until we take the journey within and discover the truth of our existence.

As a student of Buddhism, I have trained myself to be the objective observer so that I may not judge others, but see the lessons that they struggle with and be compassionate. This also allows me to be compassionate with myself and that is the greatest gift of all.

You were so open and honest in your final lesson to us; I will try and be the same. Like you, I did not have a wonderful mother. She was distant and silent, and I struggled to make her love me. I was and still am an artist and she felt that I was a failure even though I graduated from college and went to grad school, taught college and am a success as an artist. This was not good enough for her.

My father abandoned her when I was born, and so to her I was, “just like my father and so she never attached herself to me as I would, like my father, leave her. She remarried when I was 4 and he died of a heart attack when I was 7. I saw the whole thing, he was sitting in front of me, but she never explained anything to me, didn't take me to the funeral, just abandoned me even more completely.

I was constantly seeking affection, someone to pay attention to my emotional needs and unfortunately I was a beautiful young girl and this got me molested by a 25 yr old neighbor when I was 13. I was severely traumatized but again she ignored me. Her solution was to have our family physician prescribe mild tranquilizers for me and force me to live on them for 3 years.

My pattern became to seek out men who were emotionally distant, who would abuse and ignore me and then abandon me. After a second divorce at 33, I was a brilliant artist who suffered from chronic migraines, hated men and had managed to give myself uterine cancer.

After my hysterectomy, I gained weight for the first time in my life. I was 35 and no longer a perfect size 8. Since I had based my entire life on how I looked and how many men I could attract, I was devastated. I actually would cross the street if I saw a good looking man sitting out on his porch for fear that he might cringe if he had to look at me. (And I had only gained 25 lbs.)

Loosing my perfect figure was the perfect catalyst for me to begin my spiritual journey, the why me? became, who am I and why am I here? And this led to a number of synchronicities that became the path that I followed. As I opened myself to a higher consciousness, I was pulled through one door after another and allowed to explore the rooms within myself.

I learned to be completely quiet within, and then to journey out of body, to meditate for hours on end and to see the magic of the universe unfold before my eyes. I flew in my lucid dreams, brought back the wisdom of the clear light beings that woke me and took me on expeditions into the universal consciousness and beyond.

I have been given a gift that is beyond riches. I have come to a place where I am approaching clarity. I am grateful for that gift everyday, thankful that I found this church of open-minded beings that I can commune with over the internet. Happy that people like you have chosen to dedicate themselves to the greater good and hopeful that you will achieve clarity also.

In your final essay to us you wrote:

I have decided that any philosophy written by a philosopher who has never been married (and who if married has not made it through at least ten or more years of marriage) is a philosophy that is less than worthless. Marriage teaches us about ourselves like nothing else. When we live with someone, that someone will eventually learn who we really are, not who we want the world to think we are. This forces us to look at ourselves. This is so traumatic that divorce, as difficult as divorce can be, is often easier than honest introspection. Without this part of life, any philosophy is left wanting because the philosopher has never had to face himself in so honest a way as marriage requires.

This caused me to stop and take pause. I can see the truth in your words and yet I know that this was not true for me. I could not see myself or the person that I would become while I was in an abusive relationship. I kept asking, What is wrong with me? and, How can I make him love me? These were the very same questions that I asked my mother.

When I realized that I could not be whole while I was trying to get someone to love me, I left my husband whom I loved with all my heart and soul. I left him so that I could love me, so that I could discover the woman that I have now become. And now when I perform weddings, I am filled with joy for the couples that I am marrying, I don't feel the sadness of loss, the why am I alone?

I am full, whole and complete. And this was only possible by giving up the need to have someone love me physically and emotionally. Balance is best kept by finding your ground and staying in the moment.

At this moment, I am reading Quantum and the Lotus it is a dialogue between a Buddhist monk (Matthieu Ricard) and a physicist and professor of astronomy (Trinh Xuan). It is the meeting of two minds discussing the reality of reality

The Heart Sutra is the mainstay of Buddhist thought, form is emptiness, emptiness is form meaning that nothing in and of itself arises independently and so everything is devoid of intrinsic being. We are just collections of atoms (energy) each creating our own universe with that energy and colliding with each other so that our realities overlap and evolve. Thank you for sharing your energy.

We are all one.

Rev. Vicki A Bennett D.D.

*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Monday, December 11, 2006

Spirit Quest

spirit quest

When I first signed up for this class, I was expecting to talk to a spirit guide and have some sort of out-of-body experience. Instead, I practiced using an amazing array of practical spiritual tools. I would subtitle this course “Practical Spirituality”. It's a course that takes 30 weeks to present, and a lifetime to learn.

My favorite lessons are on using energy. I'm a mother, wife, and teacher. Most of my time is spent responding to others' needs. I often use the grounding cord to remove the negative energy that my husband and kids generate when they complain. Their negativity doesn't affect me as much. I use the grounding cord when I'm driving in congested traffic. It's a great way to remove the frustrations of stop and go driving. I like to run energy, too. It gives me a boost when I'm feeling tired. The very last lesson talks about using personal energy versus cosmic energy in healing. So many times, I try comforting my family by using my personal energy. I wind up feeling very drained, but I want to help them. Now, I going to invite cosmic energy in to use in healing them. Of course, the hardest thing to do is remember to use these tools in a situation.

Some of the tools don't work as well for me as others do. I have trouble creating a protection rose. I can create one and sit in it, but I don't feel protected. This tells me a couple of things. One is that I probably don't need protection as much as I think. If one sees love in all of creation, why is there a need to be protected? Of course, we have a society which encourages and rewards victimhood. Why seek protection and seize controls of one's life when being a victim works so well? There is a lot to learn from our struggles with certain lessons.

I am very grateful to Amy for this course. I now have more tools in my toolbox for integrating spirituality into day to day living. I've saved all of the lessons, and I will go back to them from time to time. I'm sure that some lessons will become clearer after I've had a little more time to reflect on them. It has been a fun and interesting journey. I rather sad to see it come to an end.

Rev. Donna Kruse


*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spirit Quest

ULC Seminary
Roberto C. Nina

Greetings!

I'm a seminary student that is always looking for God and the good in people. This course has helped me get closer to God and self. It really helped me focus and build on my strengths and improve on my weaknesses.

The whole course was very interesting but there is one thing about this course that really stood out for me. Writing down my spiritual goals really changed my life. By writing down my spiritual goals I became aware of a plan of action. This plan of action has started a chain of events, without planning or thinking about it, to heal mind, body, and spirit.

One of the miracles that I have created for myself is that now I have created a different life and a different environment. I control my environment and it doesn't control me. I have literally moved away from negativity. Don't get me wrong, we find negativity everywhere we go but I now have the tools to protect myself from negativity. Before, I used to absorb the negativity of others not knowing how to deflect it. I would become angry and impatient with myself and others. Now is a whole different ball game.

A far as disagreements with the course, it challenged my basic beliefs. Some things taught in this course clash with my core belief system. How I got around this is that I'm open to other teachings and take things with a grain of salt. What worked for me I will treasure and those things that didn't I will discard. All in all it was nice to learn about what others believe.

Metaphysics is a journey into knowledge that one should tread carefully. It is a journey that I will always be on. The fact is that I have opened a door in my life that has endless possibilities and potential for change. The change could be positive or negative. It all depends on you and what you do (especially if you invite beings into your personal space). The things that I picked and chose from the course will be helpful to tweak and improve my life. Thank you ULC for giving me tools to grow.


*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Comparative Religion

comparative religion - charity
Final Essay
Rev. Craig M. Holderbaum
Charity

What you gained from this course.

It is very difficult to say what I gained from this course. That is because I will continue to use the course as an inspiration and resource for many years to come. I have gained not just an awareness of other religions but also an understanding and appreciation of how they are all connected. Just the information in the course material is enough to serve as a basis for preparing my sermons. But, the direction to so many other resources is incredible.

What you liked best in this course.
I would have to say that the links are what I consider the best part of the course. Being directed to other websites and more information really broadens the impact of this course.


What you liked least about this course.
This may sound silly but what I really wish that I had was a printed copy of the entire course. Yes, I can do that but I would be willing to pay for a copy of the course that I could carry with me and read at my leisure without having a computer handy.


How you think these discourses could be improved.

This is the best presentation of an online course that I have ever experienced. I do not believe that I would suggest any change.

Any other comments.

A 500-word paper is not deserving of the work that you have done in preparing this course. So, I decided to use your course as a guide toward investigating my own passion, charity. Following is what your course inspired me to do. The paper has served as the basis for a sermon and is being used by a number of our church members to understand the relatedness of the three major Western religions.

Would you be interested in taking other courses from Rev. Kythera Ann?

Courses, seminars, books. Whatever you have, if it is anywhere near as good as this course, I am interested.



Rev. Craig M. Holderbaum

Charity - A Comparison of the Laws and Practices

'faith and hope are the shield and suit of armor of the Christian soldier. But, charity is the sword.'

Introduction

During the course of this class, we have studied the many similarities and differences of the three major Western religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity. It is not surprising that because of their common Abrahamic origin the similarities are much more numerous than the differences. The fundamental fiber of these religions, before they are altered because of predominant lifestyles or embellished because of adopted rituals, is essentially the same. They are all monotheistic in that there is one omnipresent, omniscient, all-powerful deity. They all believe that Man must ultimately answer to this deity and the teachings that have been given to Man through its spokespersons. And, they all believe that as each person is a creation, if not extension of this deity, we should all be each others keeper. It is on this last tenet of the three religions that I will focus. Judaism, Islam and Christianity all include laws, practices and exhortations concerning charity. I hope to present accurately both the canonical view of charity as expressed in the sacred teachings of these religions, then observe how these mandates are practiced in the present day. In my summary, I will consider the perseverance or deterioration of the “hard laws� and present my opinion on why the practices have taken the paths that they have.

Definition

Before discussing each of the religions, it is absolutely necessary that I provide a working definition for the word charity. This need is not driven by any personal desire, but by the lack of an equivalent word in the Judaic or Islamic vocabulary. The Oxford English Dictionary Online defines charity as:

1. Christian love: a word representing caritas of the Vulgate, as a frequent rendering of agape in N.T. Greek. With various applications: as:

2. Man’s love of God and his neighbour, commanded as the fulfilling of the Law
3. The Christian love of our fellow men; Christian benignity of disposition God's love to man. (By early writers often identified with the Holy Spirit.)
4. expressing itself in Christ-like conduct: one of the ‘three Christian graces’, fully described by St. Paul, 1 Cor. xiii.

5. Without any special Christian associations: Love, kindness, affection, natural affection: now esp. with some notion of generous or spontaneous goodness.
6. Benevolence to one's neighbours, especially to the poor.

The first definition explains why, when searching through the King James Version of the Bible, you will not find the word charity even once in the Old Testament. During the writing of the New Testament, Christian writers used the Greek word agape, or familial love, to express charity. In early translations of the New Testament, agape was sometimes written as the Latin dilectio (to esteem highly, love) and at other times written as caritas (dearness, love founded on esteem). Agape was never translated as amor (passionate love). In the later translations, dilectio and caritas lost much of their distinction and charity is used only when it contextually fit within definition 1c above. Throughout my presentation, I will be using the word charity as presented in the second and third definitions.

In Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians (13:13) he says "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." Of these three pillars of the Christian faith, only charity requires giving of oneself. Certainly, Faith and Hope are the shield and suit of armor of the Christian soldier. But, Charity is the sword. Charity compels itself. The feeling of charity causes charitable deeds. Because of this, charity is not just that wonderful feeling of love and caring that is shared between a man and God and his fellow men. It is also the activities that are motivated, the giving, helping and sharing, by the feeling.

I was once in a department store when I saw a necklace, not an expensive one, that I was sure that my daughter would like. On a whim, I bought it for her and gave it to her when she came home from school later that day. I was right; the smile on her face said everything. I was happy that I was able to bring a little joy into her life by a simple, spontaneous, thoughtful gesture. She wore the necklace twenty-four hours a day for almost a week. Then she came to me and asked if it would hurt my feelings if she gave the necklace to a friend as a present. She explained that she did not have enough money to get what she wanted to because of the 'meager' allowance that she received. And, she felt that the necklace was the perfect present for her friend. I must confess that I almost cried. But it was not because my feelings were hurt; it was because I knew just how much the necklace meant to her and what she must be feeling to be able to give it away. I explained to her that, in the first place, I did not buy her the necklace expecting to get anything other than to see her enjoy it.

When I gave it to her, I no longer owned it. Secondly, I told her of just how proud I was of her that she should care that much about her friend. I explained that when I gave her the necklace, it had made two people happy. If she felt good about giving it to her friend, then the necklace had just brought happiness six times. She thought about that for a second and said "I understand the two of us being happy when you gave it to me. And I understand that will happen again when I give it to my friend. But that's just four times. Where did five come from."� I told her that number five was me knowing that I had a little something to do with her friend and number six was knowing that she had the kind of love that would let her give up the necklace. The reason that I mention this incident is because it shows the three basic characteristics of charity,

First, charity must be a willing, almost spontaneous, gesture, one that is not coerced. Secondly, charity should be anonymous. That is, it is not important that the giver know the recipient. Nor is it important that the recipient know the benefactor. All that is important is that something good was done. Lastly, charity does not place expectations on the use of the gift. It allows, even promotes, the independence of the recipient. One or all of these characteristics must be present in any charitable act. As I discuss each of the religion's view of charity, these three characteristics will expose themselves again and again.

Tzedaka - Charity in Judaism

As mentioned earlier, there is no occurrence of the word charity in the modern translations of the Old Testament. That is because charity has a Latin root derived from the Greek word agape. In the Talmud, the sacred law of Judaism, you will find the word tzedaka or tzedakah. This word, though it represents charity translates more meaningfully as righteousness, justice or fairness. A comparison of verses from the same books of the Torah and the Old Testament reveal this. In Mishlei 21:3 we read Doing tzedaka and justice is preferable to HaShem (God) than a sacrifice.' The equivalent text in Proverbs reads 'To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.' In this example, tzedaka is replaced with judgment. The judgment referred to here is wise decision making or fairness. Another example can be found in Yeshaya 1:27 which says 'Zion will be redeemed through justice, and those who return to her through tzedaka.' Looking at the King James version in Isaiah the text reads 'Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. Here tzedaka is replaced with righteousness. This last translation probably more accurately carries the meaning of tzedaka in Judaism. Righteousness, in Judaic writings, implies the responsibility to 'do right' by your fellow man. In modern Christianity, righteousness is more often used to describe an act the is right in the eyes of God. This simple difference sets the tone for Judaic charity.

Tzedaka encompasses all facets of a persons life. Of the 613 commandments in the Talmud, the vast majority of them concern tzedaka, man's righteous interaction with his fellow man. It ranges from the very structured practice of tithing to the business ethics of loaning and on to the personal behavior of how to treat a bondservant. So important is tzedaka that it is one of only three ways to obtain forgiveness for sins, the other two being repentance and prayer. The great medieval Jewish scholar Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides and Rambam, categorized and listed the many acts of tzedaka under the following headings listed from the least desirable to the most meritorious. The categories are:

1. Giving begrudgingly
2. Giving less that you should, but giving it cheerfully.
3. Giving after being asked
4. Giving before being asked
5. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity
6. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity
7. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity
8. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant

Reviewing these categories, we clearly see the role of the three characteristics of charity emerge. Following is the same list of categories with characteristic designators attached; (W) for willingness and spontaneity, (A) for anonymity, and (I) for independence. A backslash (/) in front of a characteristic stands for a reduced amount of that characteristic. And a double-backslash indicates an absence of that characteristic.

1. Giving begrudgingly (//W)
2. Giving less that you should, but giving it cheerfully. (W, /I)
3. Giving after being asked (/W, /A)
4. Giving before being asked (W)
5. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity (W, /A)
6. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity (W, /A)
7. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity (W, A)
8. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant (I)

If you mention tzedaka in a conversation with a Jew, the first thing that will come to their mind is the collection and dispensation of tithes. This is understandable since it represents the greatest reservoir of money and assistance available for social programs. Equally understandable is how this manifestation of tzedaka established itself as the main source of charity. Recognizing that for much of its history, the Judaic people were one without a country, the church served as the government. Evidence of this is the existence of judges within the Rabbinical ranks. This duty is normally relegated to the political structure. And, as Jews in many countries lived as second class citizens, they had limited, if any, access to governmentally administered social services. It is only natural that the church should assume and maintain the role of providing these services.

An interesting facet of tzedaka is that it not only provides guidelines for the benefactors, it has guidelines for the recipients. Foremost among these is that any person must do there best to stay out of a situation where they require tzedaka. Specifically, a person should take any job that he can get to avoid becoming a public charge, even if he believes that it is below his dignity. However, if a person is truly needy and has no source of income, then it is a transgression to refuse it, particularly when it may affect the person's health or life. Causing oneself to suffer by refusing tzedaka is tantamount to shedding one's own blood. If a person comes to you who you know has limited means, you can show tzedaka by selling him something at a reduced price, perhaps even at less than your cost. This form of tzedaka is charitable in two ways. Besides the obvious financial benefit given to the person in need, you have also shown charity toward his dignity.

With an understanding of how pervasive tzedaka is in the life of a Judaic believer, how it manifests itself in forms from a simple smile to monetary gifts, it is obvious that charity is indeed a cornerstone of this religion. 'Jewish charity does not belong in the list of oxymorons with “military intelligence' and 'jumbo shrimp.' Jewish charity is synonymous with leading a good Judaic life every minute of every day.

Zakat and Sadaqah - Islamic Charity

That there is a striking similarity between charity as it is practiced under Judaism and how it is administered under Islam is not surprising when one considers their common roots in Abrahamic law. However, there is a strictness in the rules governing charity under Islam that far exceed the guidelines under Judaism. This may be, in part, because of the relationship between religious and political leaders in Islamic countries, and the fact that Muslims had countries at all. Even in present day Iran, there is debate as to the amount of power that the Mullahs, the cleric leaders, have over the civil leaders. As more liberal thinking Mullahs and non-Mullahs move into positions of political power, the traditional influence of the church in the day-to-day lives of Muslims is being questioned. Along with the revisiting of the validity of the clerics’ power is a questioning of how traditional religious practices fit into the lives of a people striving to catch up to the rest of the world in other sectors.

The obligatory giving of a calculated amount to the church is called Zakat. So important is this duty that it is the third pillar of Islam. Unlike tzedaka which can gain you forgiveness and consequently entry to Heaven, not participating in zakat can get you banished from Heaven. Facing that kind of punishment, few, if any, Muslims do not participate. Zakat is no less than an income tax for the church with forms available on various websites. Zakat is calculated by each individual on the wealth accumulated for the year less a deductible amount for each dependent. Essentially, it amounts to roughly 2.5% of one's capital.

The principle behind zakat is a simple one. Muslims believe that all things belong to Allah and that man was placed here as a caretaker or trustee of this property. Zakat means both 'purification' and 'growth.' Setting aside a portion of one’s wealth is supposed to purify the rest. It also is supposed the purify the caretaker's heart from selfishness and greed. For the recipient, zakat is supposed to purify his heart from envy and jealousy and foster a warm feeling for the contributors. This redistribution of wealth is meant to free society from class warfare, from ill feelings and distrust and from corruption' (Khan, 2000). Paying taxes to a government does not reduce or eliminate a person's need to pay zakat. This last point has created some concern among Muslims in Western countries. As an example, Sweden's income tax typically is in the 50% range. In return, Swedes pay nothing for education or hospitalization, and even housing is heavily subsidized. With all of these social services provided by the government, it is no wonder that Muslims there wonder to what use their zakat is being put.

Much closer to what we consider charity is the practice of sadaqah. In most of the writings that I reviewed, sadaqah is referred to as an extension of zakat. That is, sadaqah is a monetary donation above that required by zakat. However, there is a wonderful explanation of sadaqah in the Sunnah, a companion book to the Qur’an that is a compendium of discussions between Mohammed and his Companions (disciples). When questioned about sadaqah:

“The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Charity is a necessary obligation for every Muslim.' When asked, 'What if a person has nothing?' The Prophet replied: 'He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such earnings in charity.' The Companions then asked: 'What if he is not able to work?' The Prophet said: 'He should help poor and needy persons.' The Companions further asked: 'What if he cannot do even that?' The Prophet said: 'He should urge others to do good.' The Companions then asked: 'What if he lacks that also?' The Prophet said: 'He should check himself from doing evil. That is also charity.' (Khan, 2000)

This explanation is much closer to the definition of charity of which we are familiar. In the first place, it is voluntary, not obligatory. Secondly, the emphasis on money diminishes proportionately with the resources of the giver. And finally, it more directly addresses active participation between individuals.

Christian Charity

Although tithing was promoted in the early Christian as a form of charity, this practice has slowly disappeared. Indeed, the Eastern Orthodox Church, when it split from the Catholic Church, dropped tithing altogether. In exhorting its followers to lead more Christ-like lives, the Christian religion has as an example the greatest act of charity as a guide. What greater act of charity is there than that done by God upon allowing his Son to come to Earth, suffer at the hands of Man, and then absorb and absolve the sins of his tormentors?

Paul the Apostle spoke endlessly and repeatedly of the importance of charity. In his first letter to the Corinthians, probably the most moving passages describing the importance and power of charity, he says:

'Though I speak with the tongues of men and of the angels, and have not charity, I am as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,'Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.'

There is nothing that I can add to this passage except to stress the importance at the time of being able to speak in tongues, or prophesy or to be a bearer of knowledge. Having even one of these facilities identified you as a chosen individual that had been touched by the Holy Spirit. But Paul puts all of these behind being a charitable and merciful person. St. Augustine, the great proponent of Christianity in the Roman era summarized charity when he said Charity is a virtue which, when our affections are perfectly ordered, unites us to God, for by it we love Hi And St. Thomas described charity as “the foundation or root of all Christian virtues.

Christian charity manifests itself in many ways. The number of benevolent organizations supported by Christian charity is innumerable. The participation of the Seventh Day Adventists in disaster relief is well documented. The missionary work of the Jehovah Witnesses and the Latter Day Saints are very important acts of charity. The trademark of Christian charity is not the giving of money as much as it is in the giving of self. This belief makes it very simple and inexcusable to be a charitable person, to follow in the path of Christ. When one only need give an ear and a heart to a friend who is going through troubling times or spend some time reading for a bed-ridden neighbor, charity comes easily. This is not to diminish the virtue of charity. Indeed, it enhances it. Charity is, after all, the embracing of another in God's love with whatever we have to give, even if it is just our time.

Summary

In this day and age when there seems to be so much strife in the world, when neighbors are killing each other in the name of religion, when children are shooting each other over words said, and when man's greatest concerns seem to all be material, it is hard to believe that charity has any room in our lives. But, it does live on and it thrives in the hearts of many people in many religions. Brotherly love, caring for each other, wanting to help strangers still happens. Neither the alienation brought on by a population jammed together in over-crowded towns trying to preserve its privacy nor the fixation with personal appearance perpetrated by cosmetics and diet advertisers seems to be able to squelch the acts of charity that happen everyday. Perhaps, it can be explained in Darwinian terms of the almost biological urge for specie survival. Or maybe it is what Des Carte referred to as a 'fundamental aspect.' Or maybe, and this is what I believe, we can look in the text that is at the root of the three modern religions and find and answer. Maybe we truly are “created in His image and charity is His love shining through us.



Bibliography

Oxford English Dictionary Online

http://www.apollolibrary.com:2086/cgi/entry/00036949?query_type=word&queryword=charity&sort_type=alpha&edition=2e&first=1&max_to_show=10&search_id=J6zr-Oz1apb-29

Eliezer C. Abramson. Tzedaka - The Mitzvah of Charity. [Online]. Available: http://hometown.aol.com/LazerA/tzedaka.htm

Tracey R Rich. Tzedakah: Charity. [Online]. Available: http://www.jewfaq.org

Akhtar Khan. Zakat, Sadaqah and Zakat-ul-Fitr. [Online]. Available: http://users.erols.com/mccmd/zakat1.htm

S.Abul A'la Al-Maududi, The Meaning of the Qur'an, vol. VIII p4-10.

Sayyid Qutb, In the Shade of the Qur'an, part 18 p2451-2455

The Bible Gateway. [Online]. Available: http//bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible

Encyclopedia Britannica. [Online]. Available: http://www.britannica.com/seo/c/charity



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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Wiccan Studies

Wicca Training Course
Rev. Jac Martins


First, let me preface this by saying that I have been a witch and a Wiccan (Alexandrian tradition) for over thirty years, so I was already familiar with much of the material . That being said, the course was interesting and informative.

The section on the history of the Craft was well done, without a lot of the misconceptions and false myths that have crept into Wiccan lore over the years. However I would have mentioned Alex Sanders, Janet and Stewart Farrar, Doreen Valiente, Isaac Bonewitz, and Star hawk (even if you don¢t agree with most of what she writes).


I found the section on mythology and legend interesting. However, I do encourage all people to explore other pantheons besides Celtic. I discovered a very personal resonance with Isis myself.

I found the exercises in dowsing fun and useful. In fact, I found all of the exercises useful, and excellent training techniques.

I also found the discussions of ethics interesting. Since a witch is one who shapes reality, one is then under a greater responsibility to engage in ethical behavior. You can¢t lie, steal and cheat all the time and still be able to work effective magick.

The one glaring inaccuracy I found in the course is in the section on herbs. I make my living dealing in herbs and essential oils. And while I am not an herbalist, I am familiar with herbs and their uses. Diazepam, also known as Valium, is not derived from valerian root. Valium is a benzene - derived synthetic which acts on the same brain receptors as valerian, which, by the way, smells and tastes as bad as they say.

Other then that, I found the course to be of value, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the Craft, no matter their level of experience.



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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Friday, December 01, 2006

Shamanism

Shamanism
Essay on Shamanism
By Rev. Robin Muldowney

Shaman-wise one, healer, guide, medicine person, seeker of Spirit, link to Spirit, Sage; A title given to those whom are chosen, not a title taken or given to oneself; One dedicated to Spiritual enlightenment/healing of self and others.

To be a true Shaman, one must loose all fear. Speaking with beings on the other side, partaking of hallucinogenic materials or using self-hypnosis (masters of group hypnosis), meditation, movement, scents or music to go into an altered state require a loss of fear and great amount of personal, aura and psychic protection.

Shamans are highly respectful beings, giving honor to ancestors, the sky, earth, plants, animals and the people around them.

In the class on Shamanism, I was made aware of the churches which exist and have the practice of ethnogeny at their heart. I also was made aware of the many books and web sites which discuss this aspect of Shamanism in depth.

This class came along at a time when my attention is being drawn more and more to the practices and practitioners of Shamanism and its rites and rituals. I am very drawn to herbals, hypnosis, energy healing, channeling the divine energy, our energetic beings and the ways which influence that aspect of our selves.

This class also brought to my attention the various types/styles of Shamanic practice and practitioners. I have had, and still have many questions about 'true' Shaman and those who practice an art form which they call Shamanism. It seems I will continue to look for clarification.

I am thankful for the opportunity to learn that which was presented. It has pushed me to continue my search of the Shaman; most especially the one who speaks to me, however that may be.

Blessings to all of you and the path which lies ahead of you.

Robin

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Master of Religion

master of religion
Masters of Religion Essay
Defamation of the character of god.
By Ronnie Myers


I believe that the true Deity is the eternal source of unrestricted love for all that are created. The true Deity is without enemy, is of impeccable character and must maintain such high standard, in order to be perfect. However, the Majority of the so-called religious luminaries are spreading all sorts of misinformation that have generated fear and confusion regarding God's character. All of those fallacies are centered around the following issues:

1. Who or what created us.
2. Who or What created our creator.
3. Why are we here?
4. Where do we go from here?
5. When and how consciousness was first experienced.

It is my opinion that the intelligence of the masses is hopelessly lacking with regards to our quest for immortality. Most of our religious leaders are primarily salespersons that resort to drama and all sorts of erroneous arguments to mislead the gullible. In their efforts to explain some of the concerns listed above, they have created a Bible that is rife in fable and contradictions. These religious leaders have sworn that the writings in the Bible are the infallible words of God. They try to intimidate us by suggesting that it is blasphemy to question the validity of its contents. The net result is their success in the spreading of a type of doctrine that clearly shows that they are worshiping not the true God, but rather an evil spirit.

First, they concocted a myth that out of a perfect Heaven, created and controlled by an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent and infinite God, a rebellion lead by his right hand servant, Lucifer, resulted in turmoil in heaven. They went on to intimate that Lucifer was created perfect! However, they cannot explain why Elohim's type of perfection does not equate to our human standard of perfection. They also argue that when all the new converts go to Heaven such revolt will never recur! How can this be guaranteed?. It happened before even when Godly perfection was Heaven's ensign! Apparently, Yahweh did not learn any lesson from the first Heavenly mutiny, so he created Adam; out of dust mind you! Mysteriously, forming hair, intricate internal organs, blood, skin, bones, body cells, nails and so on out of dust. But, guess what? the same Lucifer created such havoc with Adam and Eve that the entire world is now under the sentence of death. This sentence of death was passed on us not that we did anything wrong but rather by the edict of a vengeful Elohim who in the first created an imperfect Adam and allowed him to be tempted by the master renegade Lucifer. Did Yahweh, the all-knowing God, not know beforehand that the Adam's venture was doomed to failure and would fuel such mayhem and carnage that would eventually conclude with millions receiving an imminent inhuman punishment, in an eternal lake of fire?

According to the Bible, God on a number of occasions threatened to wipe our ancestors off the face of the earth and had to be rebuked by Moses once and another of our forebears on the other occasions. The Bible states that years ago, Yahweh personally drowned, the entire world saves for Noah and his family. Yahweh, no doubt was stunned to see the descendants of Noah rising up later to create myriad of crimes that are even more heinous than those for which he drowned the earlier malefactors. Yahweh eventually selected a tribe “the Jews- and instructed them to murder; in his name, all men, women, children and animal of other tribes that Yahweh had also created. The regimental order was to destroy anything that moves, unless he, she or it was Jewish. After each tribe is slaughtered take their lands and jewelry, then rejoice with a loud noise. Do not forget my meal, which should be promptly send up to me in the form of very burnt offering-after each mass murder. The bible endorsed the murderous acts of Moses, Joshua- a renowned war criminal, Samuel, and David –to name a meager few. The Bible relates how one of God Prophet called down wolves and watched with pride and delight as the wolves devoured some kids who merely called him a baled-headed prophet. According to the Bible, Yahweh, found a way to save the world that would at the same time give Him some worldly pleasures. He personally came down from Heaven, impregnates one of his daughters, Mary, and to get a son called Jesus. This Jesus is therefore his son and his Grandson. Now the major question is this. If God is the father of Jesus and Mary is the mother of Jesus, then, who is Mary to God?

Did the writer of the Bible made Yahweh into a rapist, who is also guilty of incest, fornication and intimidation seeing that it is written, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, etc.' When Joseph complained about the pending disgrace, Yahweh sent an angel to tell him to stop his whining. About thirty “Three years after Jesus' birth ordinary human killed this Son of God and He return to Heaven to sit on the right hand of an infinite God. How do you find the right side of infinity? Why, did Jesus rush back to Heaven? Can you imagine how may converts would abound had Jesus been amongst us today? He is gone to prepare a place for us. What! God the all-mighty has no residence for us in Heaven? Yet?

The best-kept secret of the religious fundamentalists “never will they preach this in church- is that the Bible is in fact a composition of the early beliefs of ordinary men who were primitive in most matters of science, and geography. In view of this, the Bible's teachings are contrary with modern knowledge. No intelligent person can in this modern age accepts the Bible as the infallible word of god. Modern technology debunk the story that Joshua in his zest to murder more men, women and children could not of caused the length of that day to increase by commanding the sun to stand still. Any kindergarten kid can explain why the sun standing still has no effect on the length of a day. Ask most clergy persons to explain this major error in the Bible and they tell will give some irrational argument, which only prove further that had God inspired those writers they would not have written such rubbish and attributed to an all-knowing Deity. The chief writers of hr Bible were Eastern Semitic and Palestinian Jews. Their writings are about their concept of the nature of their God, Yahweh and Yahweh's relation to a “Chosen People, the Jews. This preferential treatment meted out to the Jews is a prime demonstration of racial prejudice in their so-called Holy Bible. The Bible does not present a God of unconditional love and justice. The substance of the writings portrays an evil spirit that is jealous, prejudice, unfair, cruel, incites to riot, war and plunder, encourages deceit and sanctions a litany of unbecoming practices. As for me, I prefer to believe that such literature was the work of man rather than a loving God. Recently, an eight-year-old kid said that God committed all those atrocities before God was saved. Well spoken my young friend.

In view of these myths being promoted by the various denominations we now should strive to protect the holy image of the true Deity. There are charlatans all over the world that are defaming the character of our God of unconditional Love? Can the true Deity have enemies? promote racial prejudice? Wage wars? Be egotistical, jealous, vindictive, and fickle? God forbid.

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

A Course in Miracles

A Course in Miracles
The powers of the human mind
BY: RONNIE Myers


There is an old adage that says, 'A mind is terrible thing to waste'

An in-depth metaphysical research on the mind disclosed that we are all endowed with a three-dimensional mind, namely:

1. The Conscious Mind.
2. The Sub-conscious Mind
3. The Highest Mind

We observe that our conscious minds control our conscious activities such as,

Seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling and smelling.

Our Sub-Conscious Mind was designed to control our unconscious acts relative to dreaming, entering into trances, hypnotic states and the control of astral travels. Some of us also believe that our minds have the ability to move objects without physical contact, transmit thoughts, has perfect memory and incredible powers of concentration.

The conscious and the sub-conscious minds were probably created to work in a manner whereby only one mind should be in control at any specific time. This idea is best demonstrated by observing that in most cases only one person may sit comfortable in a chair or on a throne. When the conscious mind is on the throne, the sub-conscious mind should be off the throne and vice versa. If both should occupy the throne or chair at the same time such action may result in chaos. Certain drugs, deep breathing and sometimes music or other chemical or organic substances may induce or invite both conscious and un-conscious minds to occupy the throne at the same time. Can you imagine being under the influence of a drug such as cocaine that has the ability to put your Mind into the sub-conscious state; while the conscious mind is sharing the throne? Under such influence it may be possible to injury another person believing you are dreaming.

A popular school of thought is that the sub-conscious mind is the vehicle that ferry thoughts from the conscious to the Highest Mind and again from the Highest Mind back down to the conscious. We generally believe that the proper channeling of the flow of information back and forth between these levels of the minds normally results in enlightenment, in the form of divine inspiration.

A clear understanding of the working principles of the mind is vital to those seeking to develop intelligence from information gathered at the conscious level of the mind. Such intelligence will help to protect our minds from irresponsible waste.

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar