Religious Philosophy

MY VIEW: MASTER OF RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY LESSON 13
                                                           Food for Thought

·    Which view best describes your personal relationship with nature — dominion, cooperation, or reverence?

Answer: cooperation. Yet this is contrary to the scripture I believe- the Bible Gen 1:28 which made me to understand that dominion is given to me by God. In Christianity we preach and believe in this dominion but sad to say that in practice majority of us including me practices cooperation rather than dominion using spiritual power.

·    How is this view played out in your everyday life? How does it (consciously or subconsciously) impact the way you live your life, earn a living, and function within society?
Answer: As I mentioned above, I believe I have dominion but there are a lot of things that still       overcomes me in my everyday life for which I am still in search of who, how and what to do to assume full control of the spiritual and physical (natural) aspect of human existence.

I pray on daily basis believing God to one day lead me to a good mentor/spiritual father under whom  I will be trained on how to gain full dominion like that of the prophetic and healing power to avoid living the life of ordinary religious man.

Since I am not operating at the full potential of dominion as I am made to believe to be possible, I think it is the reason why I am not functioning up to expectation within my society. I also believe that any man whose function within society is below ones expectation will not be happy and satisfactory with whatever one does to earn a living just as the case with me. I need to attain a spiritual height where I can exercise control over greater number of circumstances around me.

·    Does whatever religious faith you follow share this view of nature? In what ways do you agree or disagree with the religious functionality of your faith with regard to the natural world?

Answer:  Yes, the religious faith I follow is Christianity. Christianity share this view of nature and taught me what I just mentioned about spiritual power even the prophetic and healing powers. About five (5) percent of the Christian population operates at this power mentioned here; people like: Benny Hinn, Apostle Johnson Suleman of Nigeria; Prophet Eubert Angel of Zimbabwe; Prophet T.  B. Joshua of Nigeria Etc.

I agree with the religious functionality of my faith with regard to the natural world in the aspect of Gen 1:28-“We are created to have dominion over all creatures on earth” yet I disagree with majority of Christians on the practicality of this believe and teachings among us, this is because only few and handful Christians lives the gospel which say that Christianity is not in word but in power. Therefore I am looking the men of God with power to identify with and be groomed by.

Thanks,
Yours in Him,
Ikpenwa, Chizoba Gabriel

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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.

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.

Religious Philosophy

Below you will find a copy of "Essay on Religious Philosophy".   Robert Chamberlain evidently devoted considerable time and effort in researching and compiling the piece he titles "Religious Philosophy". The text is articulate and concise. Although there may be a questionable proposition concerning the title. This writer considers, with the sociological data contained within the presentation, that more appropriately the thesis would merit an association with sociology, id EST, "Sociology of Religion" or "Religious Sociology". Chamberlain's title "Religious Philosophy" stands, however. "That be as it may", let us get on with a description of Chamberlain's work.   Wait! Just one more thing. About a month ago I had virtually all of this essay written. Well, six hundred + words were written. Among other things, I had to petition President Long for one lesson which evaporated from the computer. Speaking of evaporation: My wife, at least I attribute the evaporation to her (wink, wink), caused my Incredimail (email program) to stop taking re-installations. Having run out of solutions for recapturing the e-mail program, I did a major system restoration which took at least two days and nights. During this time the computer was not available for anything else. The System Restoration and several additional restoration attempts proved futile. Not good. All my attempts at recovery did not accomplish the goal. I wrote an e-mail to President Amy letting her know of my predicament. I even considered "saying 'phooey and forgetting the whole thing". All things being equal, I "tabled" the situation for several weeks. Now the "essay" is again being written without the careful punctuation and formatting and extending the apologies, perhaps to no avail.   By-the-way, the previous form will not be adhered.   This student liked the way "Religious Philosophy" was researched (speculation), written and presented. There may have been an element or two in the twenty-four lessons that (I opine) were questionable.   Covered were the Western religions such as Jewish, Islamic, Christian, etc. And the Eastern; Buddhism, Jaine, Hindu, Shinto, Sikhs, Taoism, Confucianism, Bushido, Ainu, Ch'ondogyo, Cao Dai, Khmer, etc   Lesson nineteen was full of some very interesting data on smaller more or less "local" religious body's throughout Asia that were found to be very much akin to this student's belief system. I've offered just a few. It is up to the readers of this essay to guess which ones or one to which this writer has an affinity. That may be easier said than done considering that this writer left no description of these aforementioned data.   Within the text there were items that were new to me. During this writers lifetime he has been and maybe still is a self-styled Buddhist. There has been considerable exploration of the "religious domain".   Brother Jack Kerouac and I share this manifestation.

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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

Master of Religious Philosophy - Final Essay

 

Out of all the courses I have taken for the Chaplaincy program, this is by far the most interesting and close to my hart subject of all. I have truly enjoyed this material, and it has spawned my interest and studying of additional subjects raised in this course. That is why it has taken me quite a bit longer to complete it; as it has sidetracked me many times.

I just re-read the complete course and I have just realized how I have grown since the first time around, through my side studies, discussions with many others, and philosophizing.

 

Over the last few years, before I started my chaplaincy program and also during, I have found myself more and more of a “universalist”, and now even more I call myself an “amalgamist”.

Lesson 8 – “the Five ‘A’s”, really hit home for me. This lesson put into words and structure for me what I had come to realize over time. This is the subject matter I most often discuss with others, of many different faiths and denominations. It has gotten me “into trouble” several times, where people leave the dinner table, argue, or just do not want to discuss any further. I now realize that they are stuck in the first “A”: awareness and cannot even get to the acknowledgement step.

However, I have had many good discussions as this starts people thinking.

I make it very clear with every discussion that I am not proselytizing or try to doubt their own faith. However, I do believe that to strengthen their own faith they need to listen to others and use their own reasoning.

 

In order to go deeper into understanding the “religious philosophy” I have contacted local clergy, including one of my neighbors who is a Mormon Bishop, in order to discuss their point of view and how they interpret their faith vs. others. 

One of the concepts I still am trying to grasp is when one faith truly beliefs that when you are not part of their faith you will not be saved, how to they interact with another faith who beliefs exactly the same.

 

On a related note: twice now I have had a great opportunity to really get into other beliefs and learn more. Earlier this year I was working on a consulting project in Montreal Canada, and was part of a team mainly made up of North African Muslims. Now, just like Jews, you can be Muslim by birth or Muslim by faith. I had many discussions with both, and was able to ask more “intense” questions to the more moderate Muslims.

I was able to understand much more about Islam and the general foundation and beliefs of it.

The second thing that happened was that I have become involved as the president of a local non-profit organization called “International Festival”. Our mission is through events and an annual festival to promote understanding of the different cultures in our town (we are not focusing on the religious aspect but of course we have the Hispanic Roman-Catholics, the Somali Muslims, and the original Lutheran white population). Through that I have become very close with the local Somali Muslim population, and built a true friendship (their initial suspicion really goes away when I recite the Shahadah or parts of the Qur’an in Arabic—I am studying that as it really helps me understand that religion). This summer I was invited to the local mosque, together with the mayor, city manager, chamber of commerce, county officials and local clergy to discuss with the imams and Somali leaders how we can improve relationships between the Muslims and the original local population—I was very honored to be included in that discussion.

This has now lead to where I am actively planning with the Somalis and some Christian friends a series of “Common Word” discussions in town. I have attended some of those in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and I believe this “movement” which is spreading worldwide helps understanding.

 

I also like to term “anthropologist of religion” as mentioned in this course. It kind of defines me who I am. Even though I have become of faith some years ago and consider myself close to God, I can use the philosophical aspect or religions to understand, and to explain to others how I feel and how others believe and feel.

Also, eventually in my role as Chaplain, I think it will help me guide people who are “seekers” to a religion or faith that they would feel comfortable in.

 

I can go on and on but that has been the story of my life lately… Several times when discussing with others, and running out of time, we mention it would be great to do for a week on a camping trip into the wilderness (with lots of coffee) and discuss and philosophize about religions and faiths.

 

I have already made the decision that once I finish the chaplaincy program I will continue my religious studies in the philosophy direction.

 

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Rev. Peter Paul

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Many people get ordained through the Universal Life Church 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

Why ask “Why?”

Because we need to know.

God created man so that man could create God. Or is it the other way round?

Religion is defined as the expression of man’s belief in and reverence for a higher power, whatever form that may take. Philosophy is the inquiry into the nature of things. Religious philosophy is therefore the inquiry into the nature of man’s belief in and reverence for a higher power. Again, in whatever form that may take. It is therefore appropriate that we ask the question here of why do we need to know the answer to the age-old question, why are we here, how did we get here and what is our purpose?

If Ludwig Feuerbach is right and man did create God in his own image, then why? What purpose does that serve?

I have always believed that we as human beings have the capacity for reason and therefore must ask the question “Why?” Pigs don’t ask why they like to role in mud. They know it helps their physical bodies work better. That is an answer of course. But to a question not asked by the pig, but by us, man. The horse does not ask, “Why does my tail swat at flies?” The horse just knows it does and it feels good. We however as human being are always asking “Why?”

As such, we are a needy species. We spend billions of dollars trying to discover if there ever was or if there still exists life on Mars. Who cares? Well, we do. This is our nature. Now the question here is why do we believe in God, or Gods, or more generically a Higher Power. Is this really the question? Or is the question really what purpose belief or non-belief serves in the human condition?

We have learned in this Religious Philosophy course over a 24-week period that religion takes many forms and serves many different purposes to the different people of our global community. The Western religions of one God and the multiple Gods and the personal enlightenment religions of the East and South exist side by side on this planet. Each answering questions of how we handle the great problems of social interaction, internal self-awareness and our battles to dominate or co-habitate, with our planet and the political boundaries, however arbitrarily drawn. We have all attempted to ask not does God exist but how does the existence or non-existence of God benefit us in our lives on this planet?

We turn to our personal belief systems to seek the answers to all the questions that our minds must ask.  For me personally this begs the question raised in lesson number four, The Savage Philosopher. Are we  just the result of centuries of common acceptance of believable answers? Faith requires no proof. Belief in God works, therefore God exists to answer the questions of our times. Each society shapes those answers as best they can and religion, a reverence for a higher power, acts as an opiate as Dr. Karl Marx suggested.

We spend billions of dollars each year as a species on scientific research to prove either the reality of God’s work or the success of nature with or without God. Regardless of the aspect of who is right and who is wrong as to the existence of God, or one or more Gods or not necessarily knowing the answers, but looking to oneself for enlightenment and therefore spiritual success. The fact of the matter is, and will continue to be that we as human beings have a need to ask questions, a need to debate the answers and ultimately a need to decide which answers best fit our own needs. Whoever we are on this planet.

The answer to our question of why we need to know is that it is our nature, God-given or not. We ask why and we expect an answer. Religion offers answers, and for the vast majority of us those answers are acceptable. Three hundred thousand Atheists are not wrong. They just accept a different answer to the same questions.

Rev. Kirk Haas

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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.

Religious Philosophy

To say that I enjoyed the Religious Philosophy course is a great understatement.

Granted that many of the materials presented were familiar but that’s not unusual for anyone that has been studying religion and religious topics for any length of time. Nevertheless, it was presented in such a manner that made it refreshing and thought provoking. This aspect alone is a monumental credit to its author, Robert Chamberlain.

Recently, I read an article on the value of studying religion and philosophy. The author of that article stated that the study of religion is not only for the religious but for all who see that religion is a key element in all cultures. For those who are so inclined to study religion in search of that truth, this course offers an excellent launching pad for that study. It has provided valuable information as well as establishing a solid base for questions that will be asked of ministers and clergy throughout their careers.

In today’s world, conservatism seems to be the norm. People are scrambling to establish or re-establish their roots while all around them, societal standards that seemed so solid and viable are crumbling. While people regroup and reassess, understanding, compassion and acceptance are placed on the backburner and all too often, other groups suffer under the weight of scrutiny. This is especially true in view of recent acts of violence in the name of religion and religious beliefs. Eastern religions known for their passivity and quiet mysticism usually do not fare any better than their western counterparts.

Most religions espouse peace and compassion as fundamental values and issue volumes of works justifying that philosophy. Ironically, it is religion that inflames passions and directs action, often expressed in horrid acts of violence that helps man progress as he attempts to understand peace and compassion as a way of life. Most of our great way- showers and examples of living have been embroiled in violence and controversy before their messages were accepted or even considered. The study of religion will always engage controversial concepts and questions. How we respond to these questions will determine whether or not personal and communal growth happens.

Throughout the course, I was impressed with the unbiased and objective presentation of various religious viewpoints worldwide. This provided insights into my own opinions and feelings on many topics and I must admit to my surprise, I came up short a few times when compared to the material presented in the course. It certainly has been a growth experience.

I was also impressed that a comprehensive study of various religious philosophies could provide the possibility of a unifying faith that borrows readily from other belief systems. Think about it! a belief system or religion that takes into account everyone’s feelings and opinions and is able to coexist. In the words of John Lennon….”Imagine all the people…living for today….A brotherhood of man….Imagine all the people ..Sharing all the world”

I was further impressed by a final essay written by a recent graduate wherein she related her story of a spiritual journey that spanned her entire adulthood. It was so similar to my own experiences that it was uncanny. Having started out studying in a traditional setting and steeped in denominationalism (Roman Catholicism), I spent some years in a religious community studying for the priesthood. If nothing else, it set the course for a very interesting live, certainly not traditional by any means and as I often state…”I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” I look forward to future courses from the seminary…thanks

By Rev. Ernest Kayorie

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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.