Master of Religion

During this course, I have learned a great deal about the Christian religion. One of my favorite lessons was on Bible Study. There are numerous resources online including E-Sword, Christianity.com. and edible.com. It is very interesting to note the information in the Bible in contrast to organized, dogmatic religion. people have put their own rules and preferences into worship practice and then want to call it another denomination. The Bible is the Word of God and should be used as the final authority in all cases.

There is also no evidence in the Bible banning women from priesthood or ministry. Women have contributed to the spread of Christianity over the centuries. The only really necessary qualifications for ministry are good people skills, wanting to serve God and spread the gospel, a desire to serve others and to bring the word of God and the importance of church and relationship with God to others.

Sacraments differ in the various Christian churches based upon interpretation. In the Protestant church, sacraments are those that Jesus specifically called out in the Bible - Baptism, Eucharist and Confession. Other churches, such as the Catholic and Orthodox churches add marriage, ordination (holy orders), confirmation and anointing of the sick. Again, I believe that the best practice is to consult the Bible and make a decision after reflecting on it sufficiently.

There are many worship practices depending upon which denomination one belongs to. It is important to go to church regularly, pray and participate in the worship--not just go to enjoy the music. The Eucharist is the center of all Christian worship services and it should be received regularly by Christians along with going to confess sin to a minister or priest. The Bible does say to confess sins to each other and to forgive others if you want to be forgiven.

As members of the church, we need to reach out to others that have problems such as drug abuse, alcohol and are involved in prostitution. Jesus sought out people who had problems such as these so that he could bring forgiveness to them and heal their illnesses. We are called to walk in his footsteps and do the same. There are many ways to help people with these types of issues and it is important not to shun them, but bring God's love to them.

One of the most important subjects in this course was the subject of divorce. It is interesting to note that the divorce itself is not so much a sin as what leads up to divorce. Infidelity is a big cause and can involve both partners. What I found interesting is the more insidious causes of divorce that are hard to even identify until it is firmly established. These would be: sarcasm, impatience, lack of respect, financial mismanagement, alcohol, overall failure to love. These things can creep in during times of stress and can really take a toll on a relationship over time. This was a very important learning that I took away from this course.

The lessons on church history were very valuable. In many current publications it is still being debated whether Constantine was really Christian or if he converted on his deathbed. There have been many influences on the church over the centuries and many atrocities that one would not expect to see from an institution proclaiming itself as divine.

Lastly, we in the US are very fortunate to be able to freely practice our religious beliefs (Christian or other). There are many countries in the world where people are actually killed for their faith. This is really being put to the test. We need to support our government even if we do not support all decisions made by it. After all, we live in the best and most free country in the world. We should pray for our country and be willing to pay taxes honestly to support it.

Overall, I really liked the course content and thought it was very objectively presented. It held my interest all the way through and helped me to better understand all denominations and perspectives on Christianity. Thank you, Amy, for making these courses possible. I plan on taking all of the courses offered through the seminary. They are quite valuable.

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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.

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

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A Course in Miracles

Doctor of Metaphysics Essay

Michael S. McGee, MS, LPC, Mht

ULC Seminary

The Course in Miracles has to be one of the most beautiful and difficult life courses to undertake. I have started the lessons at the back of the text every year in January for the last decade and usually lose track in April or so. It has been frustrating. But, as the Course states, “this is a required course” the only choice is when you will eventually complete it. I was excited to begin these classes and have not been disappointed. The meditation CD, “In the Middle of Know Where” by Loretta, was one of the most helpful meditation/trance tools I have ever used. I make my own and they are not near as well done as this one. I immediately began to use the CD daily and study the materials. I have to say, this has been a healthy life altering experience for me.

First, I decided that I would define what would be considered a miracle for me. Something, I could use as a measure of my success that had seemed impossible for me to achieve before. I have been continually upset by the actions of the administration where I work my “day” job. I reacted to most of their decisions as if they were personal insults. This was a key indicator that I was allowing my ego to dominate my thoughts with fear/attack models of reality. So, I decided to take the time to really allow myself to forgive both myself and them through adhering to the methods of these lessons. Second, based on simple benefits such as peacefulness, lower blood pressure, and reduced physical illnesses. I would estimate my progress. Third, I would monitor my thinking to see if I was progressing towards higher energy thoughts and reduction or elimination of low energy thinking dominated by attack or fear. Finally, I would note any synchronicities that indicated my change in thought was allowing me to experience everyday miracles.

I have over 200 hours of formal training in hypnosis and many years of experience in psychology/therapy. So, the information on levels of mind and functioning, was mostly a review for me. I see the strong similarities between the information provided here (and in the Course), psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, and particularly, Edgar Cayce’s work “Mind is the Builder”. As I write this, it seems that my Ego is awaiting recognition here. This is interesting.

Anyway, my preoccupation with unfair practices at work began to appear like one of those problems that are incapable of solutions that the ego loves. The amount of skepticism and suspiciousness was becoming overwhelming. I was in a most unhealthy state. I was like a swinging pendulum moving from under inflated victim thinking to over inflated I deserve more thoughts. The more I used the meditation CD and read the lessons, the easier it became to stop. And, the easier it became to imagine my connection to spirit in ways that helped me to feel more connected to the source and others. This still brings me to state of compassion I had not felt before. This helps me to laugh at myself when I do forget instead of condemning myself and others.

A lot of this comes from the reality that there is no separation from anything. The course tells us that separation is illusion. Now, science tells us the same thing. Quantum physics indicates that we are all a part of an infinite field of energy. I see this as just another way of saying the same thing the course teaches. There is NO separation. The world is illusion. There is only oneness and love in reality. The split in mind, including the levels of consciousness are all illusion. It is all a matter of perception. We perceive what we believe. We are taught to fear from an early age and go from fearless/loving child to egotistical/neurotic messes. But, we can change our thoughts and change our perceptions. We can be in this illusion but not of it. We are always in touch with spirit. We just need to remember it. So the madness of ego, fear, guilt, and blame, is just a silly game that makes no sense. If all are one and god loves all of us (how could god be so egotistical as to hate a part of itself), then, we can love and let go. All is God. God never dies or has to worry. So what do we really have to fear? No worries. My first breakthrough was to understand that if I experienced anything besides peace, no matter if anger or fear, etc. then, I was forgetting. I merely had to return to love. As I said, the CD and lessons were the best way to keep me on track. Plus, these lessons were just easier than reading the Course.

I continued with daily meditation for the entire time and still have not missed a day. I focus on positive or as I prefer to say, “high” energy thinking, by maintaining awareness. I began by making a vow that I would not use low energy or fearful language. My desire was to not speak unless I could make the message high energy. I can remember a lot of silence. Sometimes, I just could not get out of ego thinking and had to be silent while I processed just how confused and “mad” I had been. The truth is that I still have many silent days. The difference is I laugh at myself now as opposed to giving myself a hard time and increasing the fear responses. For a while many of my colleagues thought I was losing my voice (or my mind). In a way I was losing my mind and still am. I am losing the part of my mind that forgets to Love. It is bigger than ME. ME is not even real anyway. I also find that more of my co workers are now open to me in ways they had never been. Many of the difficulties I experienced were due to my own lack of Love. That was my first true “Aha” indicating a new awareness of miracles in my life.

This led to an enhanced experience of responsibility for the circumstances about me.

I could really begin to notice how my belief in how things are shaped them. So, I began to strongly imagine things as being abundant and safe. My business increased, my health improved, and relationships became closer/deeper. I began to feel a sense of relief from fear. I noticed that some people around me appeared uncomfortable with my new sense of peace. They wanted me to be afraid of getting hurt, getting sick, losing money, and many other common fears. When they did not receive a proper fearful response, they appear to feel the need to convince me to be afraid. It became a pretty funny game. I named it the “Michael is crazy and needs to afraid” game. The realization was most strong when one speaks out as not fearing death. Surely, one is mad if they do not fear dying. Personally, I believe I may have become fearful if I thought the physical body was really me or this world was all there was to existence.

So, I am continuing to use the intention exercises, the meditation, and I have started to work the Course again. These lessons have helped me to make the teachings more a part of my life by simplifying them and putting them in a more easily digestible form. I am not perfect. I still “practice” every day. It seems that my love actually influences many of those around me without me having to say a word. We are all one after all.

I pray to be a channel for god’s intention. I pray my ego never clouds the message. But mostly, I pay attention. So that I may not allow the influence of fear to attract things I do not want into my life. I take each challenge in stride. I spend many hours every day reaching out in love to others helping them to empower themselves and improve their lives too. I never forget to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit each day. And finally, I am open to the spirit’s answers. This is a great seminary course and has helped to change my life.

Thank you.

Michael S. McGee, LPC, Mht, MS

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

Paganism

Universal Life Church Seminary

Paganism for a New Age

Final Essay by Rev. Justin Oles

Having been a practicing pagan for several years I decided to take this course for three reasons, none of which were to actually learn anything new. I took it to see what kind of courses and what quality of courses ULC Seminary offered, to reaffirm the ideals and beliefs that I had already had and ultimately as a step towards completing the ULC Seminary Program. Having taken the course I can honestly say I learned some new things that I had not originally thought I would.

After practicing for almost ten years and doing a fair amount of research on my own I thought I knew a fair amount. However, I discovered through the course that there are far more faiths and ideologies than I though and that the ideals held by some of those groups are very different from my own. Lessons 15 and 16 for example which cover the “Great Rite” brought out some differences in the way I see things as a Druid versus the way that Wiccans; of all sects, not just traditional Gardnerians, see things.

The course also brought about some thinking on my part and led me you set new goals for myself. Lesson 20, Daily Life, for example pushed me towards creating the goal of implementing things more in my daily life instead of just on the major holidays. Now I’ll admit that my life isn’t as easy to fit some of those things in as the authors was but I feel that I can do quite a bit towards implementing my faith and rituals more into daily activities. Some of the things mentioned are things I already did while others were things I had never even thought off.

In short, while I went into this course feeling that I wouldn’t truly learn anything and that is was just a simple step on the way toward my goal; I discovered a wealth of knowledge and view points I hadn’t seen before, which caused me to open my mind a little further and refreshed my thirst for knowledge.

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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.

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Miracle of Prayer

Final Essay Dr. of Spirituality – The Miracle of Prayer

Rev Sharon J. Mayer

Prayer. Each religion has a form of prayer and from an early age we are taught to pray in one form or another. For those raised in a Christian home the first prayer may have been “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take.” This might be followed by “God bless…..” sometimes involving a very long list to keep from having to go to bed. Then there was a prayer of grace before eating. As the child grew up they were exposed to the “Lord’s Prayer” during church services as well as other prayers... Some children understood what prayer was about and some just mouthed the words.

Now there are churches that tell the parishioners that if you pray hard enough and believe enough you can have any thing you want including all the money you might want, a new car, home etc. Just pray and follow the Prosperity Gospel and it will be given to you. If these items don’t come the person is told they did not pray hard enough.

But are these prayers correct? Is that the proper way to pray? What is the Lord’s Prayer really about? Why should we pray with love and continually? The lessons in Miracle of Prayer explain what we are to be doing and how to correctly pray. It teaches to use prayer for thanking and thanksgiving, for a means to receiving the bountiful blessing we are entitled to. This doesn’t mean fancy cars or unlimited funds but our needs being met on a day to day basis.

I use to ride to work with a wonderful gentleman who was a preacher from Africa. He would have a conference call going with abut five or six people each morning and they would be praying in French and other languages. Every other sentence was a thank you to God. This kept up for about a half an hour as we rode along. I could not understand all that was said but I could understand the thank you that punctuated each sentence of each of the people in the group that were praying. I would be so uplifted and calmed by the experience each day. I was sorry when our schedules changed and I no longer rode with this person. Until I studied the lessons in Miracle of Prayer I did not understand the reason for my uplifting was that all of us were joined in thanking for our particular blessings of the day to come even before they happened. Because we did the thanking the best happened to each of us. It was a wonderful experience. As taught in Miracle of Prayer the people in the group believed that they were in communication with God and he was in communication with them on a personal basis. These trips to work and the wonderful feeling I got from the experience were the beginning of my quest for a way to spread the love and my joining the ministry of the Universal Life Church Seminary.

During the class we were asked to try praying for someone and some things and to report what the experience led to. I found that when I went into the day thanking before hand that there were more good things that would happened then bad. I was calmer and more focused on what needed to be done then distractions caused by the bad things that might happen or in some cases did. With a prayerful and thankful heart I was able to bring a thankful day to a close.

I don’t get riches or extra goods when I pray now. I do find that each day I have what I need to be able to get through the day and provide for what is needed. I see that funds seem to go farther and if something is needed it seems to be taken care of without as much fuss and bother. That is the Miracle of Prayer. The ability to handle what happens and to receive what is needed to go forward. It took me many years to understand this with all the outward distractions and false ideas I had about prayer. I am richer for having taken the course and receiving a good understanding of prayer and what to expect. Do I always get an answer – yes – Is it what I wanted? Not always but my needs are taken care of now that I know what to look for and what to expect.

The lessons were well written and using the Course In Miracles and the companion book on prayer helped with the understanding of the material. The excellent course by Rev Siani was what made me purchase the books as I am a person who needs reinforcements to reach a better understanding; and to be able to actually see the parts of the books cited and read them along with the lesions was a wonderful way to enjoy the lessons in a richer and fuller manner. The course was a great revelation and the lessons are stepping stones to further study and contemplation.

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To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link.

Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church, as well as an online seminary program and a chaplaincy program.

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Four Gospels

Dear Rev. Amy Long,

I had to find the old paper I wrote for the class, Four Gospels, on a backup. After reading it I decided to write a new paper as the old scripture is replaced with a new very special one. As I told you in the letter I wrote you I had to have some extensive surgery done. If you want to clip the paper here to use for others, go ahead. This is the purpose of this paper anyway.

After deteriorating muscles and nerves finally quit working, I had a tracheotomy and now am on a volume ventilator. I had polio when I was two years old and was “cured” from it. Forty years later it has come back with a vengeance.

When we give our lives to Christ all bets are off on what ‘we want’ and it becomes what God wants. I have multiple disabilities and have a wheelchair to scoot around in and a machine to breath for me, a real blessing in the disguise of a real tragedy. Ever hear of a preacher that couldn’t talk anymore? We never know where the blessings are coming from. I work with adults and children with challenges not disabilities. God put me in the condition I need to be in to witness to others with conditions that they feel are insurmountable.

We pray for healing and miracles everyday for our family and friends. Did you ever think that maybe this challenge is God’s will. Our lives are an example for Christ’s power and also the power of prayer. If it was not for the wheelchair and the ventilator I would not be able to reach both emotionally and spiritually the children I work with and the adults I preach to. God works in such mysterious ways. We are placed it God’s hands and we need to be moldable and able to accept the path God wants us to live.

Matthew 4 : 23

23 And Jesus went about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.

What is happening is Jesus is healing people by giving them everlasting live. The spiritual healing that is necessary to give a person everlasting live is to believe in Jesus.

John 3: 16

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.

This is my favorite scripture. John 3: 16 You say this is a scripture that is just to use for conversion of non-believers, I say it is the scripture we should all have as a favorite. Remember what the demons said as they were being cast out.

Mark 1 : 24

24 What have we to do with You, Jesus, Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are -- the Holy One of God.

When we believe in Jesus the evil spirits flee. This evil spirit is here around us in great numbers at this time. All we have to do is look around us and see the results of this spirit. To cast out this demon, all it takes it to believe in God’s son. They will no longer perish, but would have eternal life.

Let us pray, “God help us all to believe in Jesus, to have him the focus point in our lives. Keep this evil spirit away from us, away from our children, and away from our churches. Amen”

Rev. Dr. William Stilwater, Ph.D. D.D.

So much suffering

So little time

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To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link.

Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church, as well as an online seminary program and a chaplaincy program.

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Comparative Religion

This was the first time I took an online discourse with the ULC Seminary. I have been a practicing Witch/Pagan for the past 10 years and am at a place in my learning and working where I am ready to take my spiritual development to the next level. Since starting this discourse back in July 2007, I have received my Mastership in Usui Reiki, plus have taken a few spiritual development classes. In my own personal opinion, in order to know spirituality in its entirety, it is very important to have a broad view of spirituality and religion. In college, I had taken a Philosophy course in comparative religions and the philosophy of faith. When I saw the ULC Comparative Religion class, I was quick to sign up for the discourses based on my own views that knowing about many religions and faiths can broaden your own personal faith and spirituality.

I really enjoy that the discourses are very “do it yourself.” I could read at my own pace, supplement some of the suggested readings and other activities where I needed to, but I liked that I wasn’t required to do so, because I have already read a few of the suggested readings mentioned and have done similar activities that were described.

I really enjoyed that this class was more about the theory of faith and religion. It wasn’t so much – This is Hinduism. These are the tenants of the Hindu faith system. This is Buddhism. These are the tenants of the Buddhist faith. I liked that it was more generic – this is what defines a sacred or holy text and these are examples of such. These are some theories about death, dying and the afterlife. I enjoyed the broadness and generalities. After All, this is a comparative religion course, and many times faith is easier to compare from a general perspective, instead of putting each piece of the belief structure under a microscope.

Specifically, I think that the actual discourses I enjoyed the most were the Sacred Space and Architecture. I was happy that someone finally put it out there that sacred space is more than just a place where you light incense or a candle or pray. There are specifics that most sacred space is picked for – celestial alignment, feng shui principals, etc. I also enjoyed the discussion of the significance of certain parts of architecture such as spirals, pillars, etc. I also think that the discourse on religious titles was very informative and interesting. I also particularly liked the flow chart of the structure of the development of religions and faiths. This reminded me a lot of a previous model that I like to use of a tree – where the oldest religions are the first branches off of the trunk and also the thickest. All of the offshoots of the faiths are depicted as sticks and twigs. I liked seeing this pictured in a different way.

Because I took this class for spiritual enrichment, I don’t really have any negative comments. I took this class to gain further knowledge and clarification on a wider variety of faiths groups. I feel that I have done this, and also have gained new examples and explanations to use to help others understand the wide spectrum of religions in the world. I am the facility director for a New Age/Holistic store in Maryland and I feel that I have a better knowledge base to answer customer questions on a multitude of different topics. I have already signed up for another Masters discourse through ULC Seminary because I really enjoyed the format and structure of this one. I would be willing to take a class from Rev. Kythera again, depending on what the class was on.

Rev. Jacob Perdue

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To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link.

Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church, as well as an online seminary program and a chaplaincy program.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Islamic Studies

Master of Islamic Studies Final Essay

By: Rev. Cynthia Ewing

I was definitely interested in this class when it was offered. It came at the perfect time. I was working with a Muslim male and wanted to understand how to work and communicate with him better. I was raised in a Christian household and taught all of our current belief systems of the time. As in any Christian household we were not taught about any other religion.

When I first started this class I wasn’t sure what to expect. I found it very enlightening. The Islamic views are very close to how I was raised. It includes all of the teachings of the Old Testament in the bible. However where it differs is in the New Testament. They do not believe in the resurrection and call Jesus a great leader and teacher. Their main authority is Mohammed, one of Gods various messengers.

He was an illiterate man who was given the word of God to pass on to his people. It was very important that he was illiterate for he communicated God’s message to the people.

The Quran is different from the Christian bible. It is not considered a bible at all for Muslims. It is the Quran. If one thinks the Bible is hard to read and understand, the Quran is even worse. There seems to be no unified story to the manuscript. Islamists believe that God has revealed himself in the Quran not a story like the bible carries.

I have heard on TV about different Islamic sects like the Sunnis and the Shi’ites. There has been such violence in the world between these two sects all over a difference of views. The Shi’ites follow the teachings of Muhammad’s son-in-law and daughter, Ali and Fatima. Since they were not in the direct line of decendency of the prophet, many problems arose. This difference has separated the two sects.

We all are fighting against evil in whatever shape or form it may take. Muslims call this jihad. Currently we think of jihad as a holy war, a war about beliefs that has led to many deaths. They do not even know themselves clearly what determines a jihad and what is genuine. Why should there be so much fighting if we all believe in a common God? I think too much blood has been spilled over personal beliefs.

Although some of the beliefs of Islam are very similar to my own and others are not, I believe I still have a lot to learn before I understand this religion. I have definitely enjoyed this class and is sad that it was canceled. It strove very hard to give a good account on such a giant topic. I think we all need to learn about other religions to help us understand people as well as ourselves. Thank you for the experience.

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

Wiccan Studies

When you say you are Wiccan, people look at you like you are possessed, you are the devil itself. So many people have tainted the name of Wiccans' that now people just believe it is bad. They get it mixed up with being goth, satanism and even a few emo. Although some Wiccans may be Goth or Emo (none are religions) we are not Satanic.

Wicca is about, in short, nature, karma, lunar cycles and your believing. We go by the rule that anything you do will come back to you three fold. That is the karma part. We treat others how we would like to be treated. We do believe in a higher power, some believe in God, some people in many Gods, like the Greeks did. There is nothing wrong with that since so many people before us thought that way.

Emo and Goth are not religions, so you can find some Wiccans that are these. Which is fine. But being Satanic is not the same as being Wicca. Satanism is another religion all together.

Satanism has several definitions. You can be the hardcore one, that does sacrifices, harming others, and living for Satan of the Devil. But a newer kind of Satanism is coming out which is less hardcore, it's living for oneself. Where 'Satan' means me. So Hail Satan would mean Hail Me. They belive that in fact, that the human being is a power all in itself and yet is nothing more than another form of animal.

As with any religion there are the good and bad Wiccans. Or Light and Dark magic. Light magic is anything from helping people, finding something, or anything that doesn't cause harm. Dark magic is anything that causes harm or goes against the person's will.

Wicca is dealing with nature, most of the spells we use are done outside, at a cleansed space (our altar). Some spells even go down to what day they are used at, or what lunar cycle it would be good at, whether on the full moon or the new moon, Monday or Friday. Even during Winter or Spring.

We also have our celebrations, Yule (which some say is the exact same as Christmas), the Equinox, and most are the same as our regular holidays. We thank Mother Earth for allowing such a good harvest for the fall, we thank the Earth for a good spring. We thank nature, which most people over look and take for granted.

We are not evil, we are not dark. We are one with nature, our energies, and Earth. We do believe in God/Gods, fairies and angels. And karma, so we do not do bad unless we want to to come back to us three fold.

Misconceptions

For two thousand years the image of the Witch has been associated with evil, the devil, and blasphemy. These ideas have their origin in Christian myths created to convert members of the Old Religion to that of the new. By making the Witch into a diabolical character of evil and action, the Christian missionaries were able to attach fear to a word that had once meant Healer, Wise One, and Seer.

Witches Do Not Worship Satan

To believe in Satan, one must believe and agree with the Christian dogma. We do not. Wicca does not have any belief in, nor do we worship a concept of evil incarnate. You can't worship something you don't believe in.

Witches Do Not Cast Evil Spells.

(Most)Modern Witches have a very strict belief in the Witches/Wiccan Rede. Whatever we send out into our world shall return to us. The spells that we do involve things like healing, love, wisdom, creativity, and joy. If you see a website, or meet someone claiming to be a witch yet they talk about casting evil spells and hexes, THEY ARE NOT REAL WICCANS.

Are Male Witches Warlocks?

No. There is no such thing as a warlock in witchcraft. This misconception is one of the most popular, it seems. In fact, a warlock is supposedly a "wizard" (according to the dictionary) and in fact, means a traitor, or a devil. It DOES NOT mean a male witch. A male witch is in fact, a witch--just like the female witches.

Rev. Sean Cooper

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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.

A Course In Miracles

Throughout this course Love has been mentioned. Lightworkers in general, and those who follow New Age beliefs often mention Unconditional Love. Many of them claim to love everyone, but if you really pay close attention to some of their comments, you soon realize that this is simply not true, there is one person that they do not have Unconditional Love for, and that one person is themselves.

True Unconditional Love has to start with ourselves, until we love ourselves unconditionally, it is impossible to love others unconditionally. Lets forget about others for the moment and concentrate on ourselves. How can we know that we do not love ourselves unconditionally? It is really very simple. If we find ourselves getting angry at someone because of their actions or speech, unless they are doing something to harm us or someone else, it is because they are reminding us, if even only subconsciously, of some aspect within ourselves that we do not like. The guilt of that aspect makes us project anger at them.

Having determined that there is something within us that we don’t like, we cannot feel Unconditional Love for ourselves. And since we are angry at someone else, obviously we do not feel Unconditional Love for them. Unconditional Love is not judgmental, it judges neither ourselves nor anyone else, it simply accepts all as they are and loves without conditions.

If we find ourselves becoming angry about other’s behavior or words, it is time for some serious soul searching and meditation. We need to find out why we feel that anger, and then to rid ourselves of the cause.

If we can almost immediately come up with a reason that we are angry, it is very likely that we have not really found the cause, only an excuse. If on the other hand, we do find the cause, it may be a secondary cause of an even deeper aspect. So we need to eliminate the secondary cause and then find and eliminate the original cause.

Only once all of the things within our makeup that we don’t like have been eliminated can we find Unconditional Love for ourselves and others.

Charles H. Grooms

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

Mystical Christianity

Mystical Christianity Final

Sharon J. Mayer

Mother Maryesah Karelon’s classes on Mystical Christianity were a definite turning point for me on my path to knowledge. The lessons covered many themes of early Christianity and church dogma. The practice of making the church masculine and taking the feminism out of worship was brought into the Christian church in the fourth century. In 1950’s the Marian Year was introduced to the Catholic Church and has been an integral part of the religious structure since. Why was the feminine part of the church removed? And why was it brought back in such a form? It can not be said because of the area of the globe where the church started as the church had moved beyond its humble beginning to encompass most of the known world. It seems that it was done as the many peoples who were members of the church needed to have a feminine side to worship as well as the all powerful male side. The people clambered for a softer side to hold on to in faith. Since the church could make the Mother of God a person who was obedient and pure this belief was allowed by the church.

The Church had followed the Roman Road throughout the years and the leaders had taken much of the thought from the religions that were prevalent in the areas that Rome conquered. If one studies the areas and beliefs of the people it can be seen that integral parts of local belief were added to the practices of the church. This was done either to pacify the people or make the church more accessible to the masses but with the final reason of holding all to one faith and rule. By making the church part of the ruling country and making it the only means of salvation, ruling the masses was made much easier. If the beliefs of the masses fit in and the holidays and services were compatible with what the church and the rulers wanted then they were added to church doctrine. This is why we celebrate when and what we do if members of the faith.

In many areas it was the belief in the feminine that prevailed as the life giver and sustainer to all. The feminine was considered the seed that all life sprang from and the nurturer that sustained life. Because the church and the leaders of the world thought that too much worship was given to the feminine and they were espousing a masculine all powerful and vengeful god they suppressed that part of the worship and made only the masculine god the deity to worship. The concept of Spirit was changed to one and the duality of the spirit was suppressed. By doing this the church and leaders could control the peoples as according to the new religious belief on through the church could one find peace, joy and redemption. Before this time, about the fourth through twelfth centuries the belief in a feminine side of Spirit was normal. It was the feminine side that was the teacher and giver.

It was about the fourth century when the church wanted to make a point that their “founder” was as much a mythical god” as other religions that the true nature of Jesus was changed and the feminine was removed. The debate of who was a part of Jesus’ life also started at this time. There are passages in the modern Bible that are in conflict because this family and possibly his personal life did not include women. If he was to be thought of as a teacher in the time he most certainly would have followed the prescribed rules and taken a wife. I find it hard to believe that he was sent by God to be a part of the human on earth and was not to live life. How would he be able to fully understand if he did not participate in life fully?

As for the church taking a person out of context and at first giving her a dubious history and then making her a saint as they did with the Magdalene is one of the mysteries of the church. There are so many female mystics of the church that it seems improbable that the feminine side of religion can be ignored. All other with the exception of Christianity have a decidedly female side. With the introduction of Mary, Mother of Jesus into the picture this feminine since has been reintroduced. That seemed to be acceptable when she was deemed to be pure at the birth of Jesus and made to be able to represent all other women no matter who they may have been or their relationship to Jesus. In the early years of the Church women were able to teach but after the fourth century they were greatly monitored.

It is so interesting to see in one publication all the women being a part of the understanding of purpose of life and what we are to learn while in our earthly bodies. No matter what is written or believed by some the feminine must play an important part in the paths each of us must take to gain understanding and reach our full potential of wholeness. Even in modern times the women who have tried to guide us to this understanding have been given a back seat to the masculine side of religion.

When the Europeans came to the New World they were met by peoples that believed it was Mother Sky, Corn Women, White Buffalo Women, and Spider Woman – to name a few that gave life and sustenance to the people. The Europeans worked very hard to suppress these teachings and to impose the teachings of the Church on the people. Granted they allowed the teaching that Mary, the Mother of Jesus could be worshiped as this had been a part of the church for some time. All else was taken away from the people and women were thought of as lower than men. Since the basis teaching of the value of womanhood was lost the poor and in some cases brutal treatment of women has prevailed among the Native Americans to this day.

If the time is coming when we all must start learning the real reason we are on earth and bring the thought of Oneness to the world then both sides of understanding must be taught and present. There must be a masculine and a feminine to have a whole. All must come to an understanding of the true teachings for the great Oneness to happen. When both sides come back together learning and peace will be possible.

Mother Maryesah has skillfully written the course so we can see history unfold and gain understanding of what has taken place in the church and what needs to be accomplished. With her writing skills and ability to bring us to a point of further reference and understanding she has shed light on a part of religion that has been suppressed for many centuries. I truly feel that much light has been cast on the subject by this class.

In addition to the lessons I also read the following books which in many parts parallel the writings of Mother Maryesah: The Secret Teachings of Jesus, Four Gnostic Gospel; ; Forbidden Faith, the Gnostic Legacy, Richard Somley; Peter, Paul and Mary Magdalene, the followers of Jesus in History and Legend, Bart D. Ehrman; Lost Christianities, the Battles of Scripture and Faiths We Never Knew, Bart D. Ehrman; Lost Scriptures, Books that Did not Make It into the New Testament, Bart D. Ehrman; and Sylvia Browne’s The Two Marys.

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