Mystical Christianity

Questions For the Heart and Mind

1. What role does sacrifice play in your life?  Do you view it as positive or negative?

 

Sacrifice plays a role in my life. Being available to minister to people who are in need often requires that I work unsocial hours and times, over public holidays and family days such as Christmas or Easter. At times there might be a personal need to be attended to in my life which needs to be put on the back burner for a while in order to assist someone else who needs assistance. This involves a small sacrifice of what would suit my life best at that point, in order to be available to help another more in need at that time.

 

I believe that sacrifice can have both positive and negative aspects. The reason I say this is because sacrifice, if done with maturity and balance, involves my putting aside a lesser personal need in order to be available to effectively minister and assist others. However, if I lose balance, sacrifice could be pursued to the detriment of personal well-being and health which in the end, defeats the purpose. Ministry should not be pursued to the detriment of family life and personal health and energy. Each sacrifice thus necessitates ongoing discernment, and a renewed decision as to the best course to take in each instance.

 

2. If Yeshua did not come to save us from our sins, what was his mission and purpose?

 

I believe that Yeshua was our Redeemer, and His mission was to establish His Church to bring comfort and ongoing emotional/spiritual support to all; and to build up the relationship between humanity and God.

 

3. Do you believe that Yeshua survived his crucifixion? How would it affect your faith if he did?

 

I do not personally believe that Yeshua survived his crucifixion. I believe that He survived his crucifixion in another dimension, that is, He resurrected after his crucifixion. The importance of this for me is that Yeshua was able to resurrect to immortal life, giving testimony to the fact that He was Son of God with Divine powers, as well as being of human origin. If Yeshua had physically survived the crucifixion, and died later of old age, the testimony of His regenerative powers of immortality as Son of God would not have been borne testimony to, as they were in the Gospels.

 

If Yeshua had survived his crucifixion, and was human and not the Son of God as He claimed and I believe Him to be, the difference it would make to my faith is that instead of following Jesus as Son of God with the hope of immortality and a life of happiness in the heavenly afterlife, I would be following a good human being who had mistakenly thought Himself to be Son of God. Either way, I would still be following the most wonderful Person Who chose life over death; peace over war; peacemaking instead of violence; forgiveness instead of revenge; mercy instead of retribution; gentleness instead of harshness; kindness instead of cruelty. These are all values I hold in reverence and honour, and which are embodied for me in the Person of Jesus Christ.

 

4. How do you see the role of Judas in the drama of Yeshua’s passion? Was he a betrayer or part of a larger Divine Plan?

 

I believe Judas to have been a betrayer, but no more culpable of malicious wrongdoing than many who have made a mistaken decision. Judas' sincere repentance and remorse so swiftly after the consequences of his decision to prize money over loyalty and relationship shows, to me, that he had not thought through what the results of his actions would be. The fact that he committed suicide because he could not bear the suffering of the torture and the fact that Jesus was to be crucified shows, in my opinion, that he had a conscience and sincere affection for Jesus. He made a colossal mistake. And who of us, as humans, has not made at least one mistake?

 

I believe Judas' weakness for money became part of the fabric of a larger Divine Plan, and became the catalyst for the events that unfolded. God worked through the tragic events, to unfold the greatest act of mercy and gift to our troubled humanity we could have been given; immortality and redemption from the breach in relationship which had existed between humanity and God for so long. I believe, too, that there is forgiveness for Judas. As I heard in a sermon in a church many years ago, the person who commits suicide throws him/herself into the infinite ocean of mercy of God.

 

5. What influence do you believe the pagan mystery religions had on the development of Christianity? What do they have to teach us today?

I believe the pagan mystery religions had a significent influence on the development of Christianity. Many of the pagan rites and days of celebration were remodeled and incorporated into Christian feasts and days of worship. I believe the merit of balance to be important in the body-mind-soul trinity of each human and each structural organization. It is when the three elements of the human is respected in equal balance that greatest maturity and growth in each human occurs.

 

Pagan mystery religions often had great respect for the wonder of the human body, and the mysteries of the human mind and spirit, as well as great understanding of the miracle of nature. The sense of mystery, of the great unknown, was also deeply respected in pagan religions. I believe respect for the wonder of the gift of the creation of the human body by God, allied to the mystery and wonder of the human intellect and spirit, inspire us to celebration and reverence for mystery.

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Many people get ordained through the ULC as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.

Christian Ethics

Myrna L. Durr
Dr. of Christian Ethics
Lessons XI & XII


1. Define Caritas & Cupitas
     A. As used in Lesson XI and defined by Augustine, the definition of Caritas is man’s love of God.  The Latin translation would be a reference to charity, virtue, or love for all.

     B. Lesson IX refers to Cupitas as the love of the world.  The Latin reference is to desired.

2. Knudson’s view on the disjunction of agape and eros is a false abstraction.
     A. Knudson states that to exclude self-love and duties to self are non-Christian and to limit Christian love unmotivated towards others would be to create an abstract Christian ethic and fall into sentimental immoralist.

3. Text for “to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ”  is found in: Eph. 4-16.

4. To the Christian, the ultimate source of strength is God, who’s will is the final standard of what is good.

5. The statement: “within the immediacy of interpersonal relations lies mans greatest capacity for self giving love and his worst temptations to love” is True.

6. “Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” is found in I Cor: 10-12 in the Bible.

7. Four things that moral dullness may be the result of are:
     A. Ignorance
     B. Willful moral blindness
     C. Unconscious self -deception
     D. A mixture of the three above

8. “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”, is found in Romans 12:2 in the Bible.

9. Three types of Christian actions open to us in challenging and changing the gigantic structure of social evil and social sin that infests our world are as follows:
     A. Social Service=Projection of Christian love through sympathy and compassion and responding to human need.

     B. Social Education=Understanding social issues that may negatively effect society.  Through education and speaking truth in love can have a positive outcome on social action.

     C. Political and economic= Combining coercion with love may result in justice but must be spearheaded by love, it must not be just the seeking of justice.

10. The force that is relevant to every situation is LOVE.

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Many people get ordained through the ULC as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.

Shamanism Course

Master of Shamanism, Lesson 2  Response for the forum.

 

This has been a very interesting lesson because it has made me see that I do have Shamanic tendencies and already do some of the things mentioned in the lesson. I have been healing with touch for some time now and have told others that they need to find the part of themselves that is hidden but I never connected that with Shamanism. Here is a dream I had last night that I now know was a Shamanic journey. At the time my dish washer was on and was making a low whishing sound like it does each time. (A slow drone)

 

When I was in bed last night, drifting into a slumber, I was suddenly, standing beside 2 horses. They enclosed themselves around me and we walked a long distance with them taking turns letting me ride on each one's back. We went into a large valley and they pawed the ground and nudged me to the east. As I looked in the easterly direction, I saw a bear standing on his haunches and watching me with great intent. I didn't feel threatened, yet I could tell something important was about to happen. The bear and the horses turned their eyes to the north and as I followed their gazes, I saw a large cloud come over the horizon and begin to engulf all that it came in contact with. I still wasn't afraid and watched intently as vast areas of land began to disappear. About this time, a strong wind blew in my direction and the bear walked in the opposite direction, looking over his shoulder from time to time, as if trying to tell me it was time to leave. The horses guided me in the southerly direction and started walking, taking me with them. The wind grew stronger as we walked and dust began to swirl around us and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I was in bed and the fan on my bedside table was blowing in my face. It was so real, I could still feel the dust and had to get up and wash my face. My hair looked wind blown and I was very tired as if I had been on a long journey. I laid back down and slept deeply until morning.

 

I have experienced the feeling of ecstasy at the births of my children and felt their essences touching my soul.

 

I also experienced soul loss at the death of my husband, my brother and the physical and mental abuse on my by my mother. I now know that my soul was returned to me because I feel whole again.

 

My guardian has always been a horse of some form. For many years she appeared as a Unicorn and stopped coming. Last night is the first time in about 16 years that my guide has come to me and shone me glimpses of things that I believe are to come.

 

I have always been drawn to the World Tree, I just didn't know what it was nor the significance of it until now.

 

As I had said in the last lesson, my grandmother was a Shaman and taught me many things about Shamanism but never really called it that. Interesting--- She was teaching me Shamanism and I never knew it. Now I am seeing things more clearly and am understanding what she was telling me, so many years ago in my childhood.

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Many people get ordained through the ULC as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.

Astral Projection

Astral Projections

 

As I started these classes at the same time as my Dr. in Metaphysics, it was interesting taking the 2 classes at the same time.  They, at times were very in sync and one helped the other.    

One of the areas throughout the course I enjoyed is the theoretical lessons or just hearing about your views of the different areas and topics.  This gave me a different view and also allowed me to have my own view of the subjects.  You presented other works from a lot of greats in the area of AP.  I’m sure it was meant to give us more to think about and ponder.

When you think of all the places you can travel to and explore in this vast cube.  Yes, cube like a large rubrics cube.  You may think that the yellow square is the one is above you, but just as you move so does it.  Your drawing was interesting and during my RV and travels before taking this class I never thought of this as you described.  When I did my 1^st travels many years ago I always walked down the steps into the realms.  Your class opened my eyes ever wider than they have been before. 

As you spoke about being gods or god like and that is when I compared it to the person on Star Trak by the name of “Q”.  He can go any place at any time in the universe.  The universe and the heavens were his play grounds.  When he went back in time to show where we as humans came from it was a very strong statement.  It made me see how small the human race really started out as.

A while back while studying RV, OOBE, Quantum Jumping, and others it came to me that if a person can train themselves they could move their bodies using mind and spirit as a whole to another place.  I call this TDT or Trans Dimensional Transportation.  Maybe someday people will not need modes of transportation. 

As I spoke with my friend in this astral plane she is an alien from another world.  When I told her I was taking these classes it was strange that we as humans did not have this knowledge already.  On their world it is 2^nd nature.  I explained that over time I think our ability to use the mind and spirit together has been stifled.  I’m not sure if this was stifled on purpose or was there a larger picture.  Or as today some believe we as humans cannot handle the real truth about our own minds and spirits.

You pointed out about protecting yourself while moving between planes.  Of all the times I have traveled I have never ran into others who wanted to harm or were negative toward me.  I do make it a #1 item to never approach others on the planes until they approach me.  We are all travelers on these worlds/planes and we make our own way just as we do in real life.  You talked about the shields and wards and these I have not needed.  But you did open my eyes that someday I may need them.   

I know now with this increased knowledge that the mind is endless and with the spirit anything is possible.   

 

Rev Carl Bjerke

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Many people get ordained through the ULC as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.

Chaplaincy Program

Chaplains are a special type of minister. Usually, when you hear the word minister. You think of a church pastor who teaches and assists a particular group or denomination. Chaplains on the other hand, are charged with helping anyone who comes to them for help or counsel.

The chaplain will work in a variety of environments and they generally are not bound to a particular faith, denomination or style of worship.  While the chaplain may or may not attend a certain church or be a member or a single denomination, s/he will ultimately be charged with the welfare and spiritual guidance of all people, primarily of those outside the church.

I was ordained in 2006 at Universal Life Church. Universal Life Church is about religious freedom and allows the minister the necessary freedoms and privileges to perform adequately those beliefs and practice of their particular faith or religion. This being said, my church does support the chaplaincy and accordingly they do make available the title of chaplain.

I think that chaplains are charged with the duty of reaching out in fellowship with people of all walks of life, helping these in need, regardless of their religious or non-religious beliefs, and providing both general and specific counsel to those people who may come to him/her for assistance. Their work has a profound impact on society, especially those serving in hospitals, nursing homes, group homes, and the military, as they are so called to assist those dealing with particularly consequential issues and concerns. I honestly believe that the many who come to the chaplain for their needs more often than not will leave the chaplain with a renewed sense of confidence and strength. This in and of itself is very large impact on society at large.

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Many people get ordained through the ULC as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.

Spirituality Course

1.       Write short essay describing how I agree or disagree with the Course’s definition of the Holy Spirit.

I have always believed in Spirit.  I hadn’t really given much thought to the role of “the Holy Spirit”, however. When I think of the Course’s definition it makes sense that the Holy Spirit guides us and intercedes for us.  I liked the analogy of the Holy Spirit being seen as “fire” and “also wind”.  Both energies are powerful and create movement.  I believe everything has spirit within it.  If we think of molecules and atoms and even smaller pieces of matter all have movement and energy.  An example would be a glacier.  Although glaciers appear to us to be set in one place they move very slowly.  In Glacier Bay, Alaska are beautiful examples of the tremendous power of these slow moving mountains of rock and ice.  As one nears the base of the glaciers one sees the water is murky.  The murkiness is caused by the glacier pulverizing the rocks into fine bits of sand.  The Norse believed in 9 worlds of creation.  One of those 9 was a world of fire and creation.  One of those 9 was a world of ice and standstill/reflection, if you will.  Things in the world of ice moved yet moved slowly.  Since God the Father or in some points of view Mother/Father is the creative force then we are all part of God. In the Course and various other religious texts God is depicted as 3 energies in One.  I like the descriptions of Jesus the Son of God and his role and also the role of the Holy Spirit.  I like the depiction of God as a loving Creator Who cares about His creation and gives us assistance in living our lives as was intended in happiness and peace.

2.       Give a personal example of how the Holy Spirit has functioned in my life. 

 I believe we are all Spirit having a human experience. I believe the Holy Spirit has inspired me to do what I do for my vocation and continues to inspire me to walk the path I came here to follow. Now that I have more information about the Holy Spirits role I will be calling upon Him more often in prayer.

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Many people get ordained through the ULC as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.

ULC Religious Philosophy

I loved this course and in a way am sad that I just read my last lesson.  This course was well written and researched and the author really seems to have put together a fascinating look at philosophy and how it relates to our religions of the world and our religious culture. I believe in one Universal God that displays Himself/Herself to different peoples in different ways so everyday people can relate and find a spiritual path. One path to God is no better than another one. No relgion is better than another one. There are no superior modes of worship or belief. This course has reinforced my beliefs in such a wonderful way. Different cultures and areas of the world have adapted their view of Deity based on geography, population and previous social and historical experience. This author has delved into all these aspects in such a thorough and insightful way, explaining why there are differences in the concept and worship of God. I especially loved the chapters on the Nature,Social,Psychological and Political affects on religious belief and culture, wonderful analysis of what makes religion tick and how the environment plays such a dramatic role in the formation of a religious sect etc.

 

I learned quite a bit about world religions and belief systems as myth,doctrine,sacred space and scripture was discussed in good detail and explained in everyday English. This author kept his work interesting and not dry, he tried to use everyday examples and a sense of humor at times to lighten things up and make you want to read more.  I especially loved the eastern, western and southern faiths and areas chapters, on how geography played such a major role on the develop of religious belief and structure.  The only thing I would add to this author's conclusion, is that the future of region and belief in God, is not so reliant on mankind. God is God is God, and that to me means that there are things beyond our control, there is a Destiny for mankind to walk which is beyond all the influences this author describes, there is a Master Plan at work here. God is the Diamond, and all the religions and beliefs of the world as facets of this Diamond. We all see God or Deity through our own facet. This author has done a wonderful job in explaining how and why these facets came to be. I would highly recommend this course to everyone.

 

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Many people get ordained through the ULC as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.

Chaplaincy Studies

 Master of Chaplaincy Studies

Rev. Sandra P. Malloy

Chaplaincy Studies Reflection Essay

No one was more surprised about my decision to enter ministry than I.  As one of those spiritual, non-religious types, I feel that keeping my soul open to the simple directions from God and exploring what ministry looks like for me with an open mind and heart is essential.  As part of this exploration I was called to serve as a prayer chaplain in my community church.  As a lay spiritual leader, I was taught to pray with and for others and to encourage others to be actively involved in their own prayer lives.  I immediately realized a deeper spiritual connection with God through serving and was interested in the way other chaplains served in outreach to congregants in hospitals, nursing homes, and through telephone and home-visits.  I felt I was unprepared for this kind of ministry and my hope was that this course would give me a starting place to find more about what is expected of a chaplain and what I should do to prepare for this kind of volunteer position.  I am grateful that I found this and much more.

The greatest gift from Reverend Moore’s discourses is his emphasis on the chaplain’s role as the one who is there; The one who asks, “How can I help?” Understanding this central message immediately helped me in my prayer chaplain duties.  I realized that knowing the right thing to say or having the right theological wisdom is not what people need from a chaplain.  Giving an honest, “I don’t know why,” and being there with compassion and a tissue is far more helpful than any words of wisdom in times of need.  This helped me see that as a chaplain, I do not need to know what to do, I need only ask how I can help, offer prayer, and stay in the present moment with congregants.  This is something I feel confident and comfortable with doing, so I immediately started participating in the outreach ministry at my church.

Some of my reluctance to serve in outreach as chaplain is I do not always feel qualified to give advice.  Reverend Moore makes the point that honestly answering that I am not an expert in certain areas and making referrals to see someone who is qualified is an important part of chaplaincy.  I enjoy helping people find resources and feel confident this is something I can do.  I now understand that, as chaplain, I should give advice only when someone asks and I should not feel the need to be the great dispenser of knowledge.  Overwhelming someone with information can make the situation much more stressful.  Instead, I can take the current facts of the situation into silent prayer and listen to the congregant and to God’s simple directions.  

Listening is key to being an effective chaplain.  Much of the advice for active listening was review for me, but so important I wrote the key ideas, such as the paraphrasing and reflecting sentence starters, on note cards and added them to my toolbox as reminders.  As someone just beginning ministry, I found all examples of short replies and questions to ask in different situations very helpful.  What they really reinforce is that there is nothing to know.  I only need a willingness to be open to helping others in the way they need to be helped.  Only they know what they need. The toolbox itself is a very useful tip.  It is surprising how well the business cards have worked.  I designed them with my contact information, a nice quote from Mother Teresa, and plenty of room to write a message. As suggested, if someone is asleep when I visit them in the hospital, I leave a note to let them know I’m praying for them and to call me if I can help in anyway.  I’ve also left my card with other congregants, friends, and co-workers to let them know I’m praying for them.  Many people have kept the card, because they like the quote and they comment it is nice to have a reminder someone is praying for them.  I’ve also used some inspirational pamphlets that I keep in the toolkit.  I used Post-It note colored tabs to mark the suggested comforting scripture in my Bible.  Not only can I open right to the passage, but I can color code verses by topic.  In the few instances someone has asked to read scripture with me, I have found it especially touching and comforting to read allowed, chorally.  It is surprising to me how the space around us changed and there seemed no need for further explanation or discussion, but maybe just a hug.  

I appreciate the discussion about the chaplain’s role in ceremony and worship.  The central message is clearly summed up in the statement, “It is to develop an attitude that can bring worship into any space where people meet.”  I identified with story of Moses taking off his shoes to connect with holy ground. I learned it is a greater gift still to help someone hold sacred space for themselves and their loved ones when they are not able to do it themselves.   

Counseling is an area that is new to me, so it is helpful to have Reverend Moore’s ideas for creating a safe place and for listening to the counselee to find out the best way to help them.  I feel that this in itself builds trust, because the counselee feels “heard.”  Again, the focus is not about what I think the congregant needs, but what they feel they need.  Making the congregant the focus makes me more likely to help them make the changes in a way that will work for them and leaves me open to follow my own inner guidance to facilitate the process, rather than dictating it.  I found the ideas for breaking up the sessions and helping people replace old habits with new ones helpful, but I could use more training in this area.  It would be helpful to have more how-tos, but this could probably turn into an entirely separate course.

It would also be helpful to include more sentence starters, general comments, and questions to use with people in different situations.  Those given were very good, but I’d like to know others, for instance some ways to delve for more information to make it easier for me to assist people in counseling.  In my primary job I am a science teacher.  After taking a course on inquiry where good inquiry and encouraging comments where modeled for me, I began designing lessons around them, so I could facilitate the learning process rather than showing an answer. My role as chaplain may be short term, but will still include facilitating a process with the congregant, so the more modeling I can see the more I will be able to do this on my own.  It may also be helpful to receive a list of suggested readings.  I really enjoyed Reverend Moore’s perspective that chaplains should be readers, so I’d love to know what books he suggests.

I plan to continue using guidance from this course to further develop skills in my role as prayer chaplain.  I am currently completing classes for certification as a licensed teacher in my church and I feel what I learned will help in this role also.  In addition, I am pursuing the chaplaincy endorsement and Master of Ministry from the ULC Seminary.  At this point I feel I will continue facilitating people in prayer and spiritual development as a volunteer chaplain and possibly as an assistant to the spiritual leader of a church, but I am excitedly keeping an open mind and heart as to what my ministry will look like after my goals are met.

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Many people get ordained through the ULC as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.

Religious Philosophy

  Master of Religious Philosophy

                                                     Final Essay

     As stated many times "more wars are fought over religion . . ."  Reviewing this class on Religious Philosophy you can see where this can all come about.  If I could create my ideal world it would consist of acceptance of every group or individual beliefs in their own God.  Really, what does it matter what shape or size your God is?  Or my God is stronger than yours.  If you have a belief in a higher power and know that one day you will have to account for your actions on earth, so be it. That's my dream world and now back to what really is.  The four forms of religion was quite interesting.  I have never categorized them before in that way.  The Individualistic, Communal, Shamanistic and Ecclesiastical types of faith can be somewhat overlapping.  I see my stand in religion a mixture of all four.  Raised Roman Catholic, this is my religious base, although I have trouble agreeing with all doctrines.  This brings up the thought of taking a doctrine and picking and choosing the ideas and rituals you like and discarding the rest.  Regardless there are traits of the other three that I incorporate into my daily life and practice.

     Learning the history and practices of the many less known religions was enlightening.  The comparison of psychological, political and social brought a new outlook for me in how religious communities relate or do not relate to each other.  Seeing how area and culture play such an important part of which group the religion falls into.  This is a new concept, which is why I took the class- to learn different ideas and thoughts.  The last discourse going into the conflict between science and religion was 'crazy'.  Each field of study wants the other to prove or disprove their theories.  They bring a 'truth' to the moment and wait for the other to show that it is not the truth, but we on the other side have the real truth.  Ping-Pong.

     When I think of philosophy, scholarly people sharing thoughts comes to mind.  Religion is a way of honoring your God.  Put the two thoughts together and you are scholarly honoring God doesn't make much sense.  Religion comes from the heart not the brain.  Our beliefs come from the mind of knowing that there is a Higher power that interacts with us on different levels each day, each moment.

     This was a fantastic class!  Each lesson was concise, to the point and very informative.  Robert Chamberlain did an excellent projection of the many aspects religious history and how the physical location in the world can determine the bases for the practices within the religion.  Thank you, Robert, for sharing your knowledge.

Rev. Constance J. Hitts

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Many people get ordained through the ULC as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.