Universal Life Church

I AM THANKFUL:  FOR THE WIFE WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT, BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME, AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE. FOR THE HUSBAND WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO, BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS. FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS. FOR THE TAXES I PAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED . FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS. FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT. FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME. FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH. FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION . FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM. FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR. FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR. FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD. FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE. AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MANY E-MAILS BECAUSE  IT MEANS I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.

Live well, Laugh often, & Love with all of your heart!

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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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Kind Words

Appreciation for the ULC Seminary   Hi Amy, You have not heard from me personally since I became a minister in Dec '07, as I've been occupied with discovering what sort of minister I am. Having studied psychology through the Divinary arts, and later on I stumbled across Huna psychology, and the Secret Science Behind Miracles - By Max Freedom Long, and The Master Key System -By Charles Haanel, and then a few months later I viewed the Secret. Incidentally Huna means secret, and Kahuna (Priest) means Keeper of the Secret. And the journey continues to unfold. I've discovered that I am not attracted to Marrying people to each other, but to the different parts of themselves e.g. Conscious Mind with Subconscious Mind with High Self. Living I've discovered is all about allowing the joy to flow through your life. Realizing that it's all about you in your universe, and that everyone around you are only reflections of you ... and the more you clear your inner clutter and the more you let in the light the better it gets for you and everyone around you. The main reason I'm writing is to tell you that I think you have been doing a fantastic job, and I appreciate you and feel your energy coming through. I'm mighty proud of my church, and am so thankful that I was guided one month exactly after the passing of my grandmother, to be ordained into your church - definitely a defining moment in my life.  Amy, may you receive an overflowing of blessings in every moment, and know that you are loved and appreciated by me here in New Zealand.    Rev. Page  ******************************* 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. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Christian History

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

Christian Studies

Evolution of the Importance of Dress through to the Gospels of Jesus of Nazareth

by Christopher B. Adams Jr.

Abstract:  Through the Gospels of Jesus of Nazareth, God alters the sacrosanct importance of dress and clothing from that shown in the Old Testament of the Bible.

Table of Contents:

Introduction……….….……...1

Findings………….………..…2

Conclusion………….……..…4

            Works Cited…….…………...4    

Introduction:  According to Christian tradition, the Word of God, the Creator of mankind and the universe, can be found in the Holy Bible; the Bible, a series of narratives and proclamations written by a collection of authors, is viewed Christianity to be a divinely inspired text.  The first half of the Bible, known as the Old Testament, details the creation of the universe by God and the history of the Israelites, his chosen people, until the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in approximately 4 BCE (Wikipedia).  Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ, is viewed by Christians to be the Messiah and the physical manifestation of God on earth.  The birth of Jesus and his life and teachings are chronicled in the section of the Bible known as the Gospels.  By comparing the Old Testament and Gospels, the evolution of the Will of God due to the coming of Jesus Christ can therefore be seen.  In performing this comparison, it is one of the less obtrusive verses of the Gospels that I found the most interesting.  On Mount Olive the night of the Last Supper, Jesus is apprehended by Roman soldiers for charges of heresy.  During the apprehension, the Gospels subtly note the following:

"And one guy, a teenager, was following him (Jesus), wrapped in a sheet and nothing else.  And they (the Roman soldiers) seized him, but he jumped out of the sheet and ran off naked." (Mark 14:51, Mark 14:52, Gaus)

This statement is often viewed figuratively to represent the symbolic release of Christ from this life by his crucifixion at the hands of the Romans (Matthews).  However, my hypothesis is that verse is not metaphorical, but instead illiterates an important shift in the Will of God through the coming of Christ: as Jesus' crucifixion absolved mankind of sin, so too does God relinquish the requirement that man physically and symbolically separate himself from God with prescribed clothing and dress.  I will illustrate and defend this point through the following findings.

Findings:  The Old Testament of the Bible first makes reference to clothing in the Book of Genesis through the story of Adam and Eve.  These first human beings, Adams and Eve, naïvely live in the paradise of the Garden of Eden and lack any knowledge of life outside the Word of God.  However, giving into temptation and curiosity, they commit the first sin against God by eating from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge (New International Version).  By eating the fruit and receiving wisdom of the Divine, Adam and Eve immediately became aware of their lack of clothing and rushed to cover themselves:

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." (Genesis 3:7, New International Version)

By committing this sin, mankind is ejected from the Garden of Eden and never allowed to return.  These fig leaves, man's first clothing, become the first objectification of mankind's newfound separation from God.

Clothing gains greater importance further on in the Old Testament; God reveals His Word to the prophet Moses, detailing the prescribed dress of the Levites, the group of Israelites designated to serve in the Tabernacle:

"He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on." (Leviticus 16:4, New International Version)

The Tabernacle, the symbolic seat of God on earth, served as the interface between the Israelites and the Devine (New International Version).  It is here that God decreed man is to wear a series of sacred garments and be cleansed by a ritual bath before even coming into His presence.  This clothing separates man from God at their closest acquaintance; even at this juncture, this degree of separation is demanded between mankind and the Devine.

            However, through the Gospels, a change in the importance God places on the physical form is seen.  During one of his sermons, Jesus is questioned by a group of Pharisees, a sect of Jews viewed as overly legalistic, concerning why he and his companions did not cleanse themselves before eating (Gaus).  Jesus responds to his followers:

"…Don't you see that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the belly and is thrown out into the toilet?  But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and those things pollute the person.  For out of the heart comes evil designs, murders, adulteries, whoring, thefts, perjuries, blasphemies… those things pollute a person, but eating with unwashed hands doesn't pollute a person." (Mathew 15:17-20, Gaus)

The evolved Will of God, manifested through the words of Jesus, shows little regard for the body and physical form, and instead places greater importance on character and spirit.  To further illustrate this, Jesus instructs his disciples to treat all others with love and compassion, even if the emotion is not reciprocated:

"And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well." (Matthew 5:40, Gaus)

While this verse presents the more obvious message that one should obey the Golden Rule, that one should treat others as they themselves would like to be treated, it also depicts another important point: material objects, such as clothing, can be freely given away as they are no longer essential in God's view and come second to the happiness and well being of man.

            The decreased importance of the physical form and therefore clothing can also be seen in the dress of Jesus' followers.  As Jesus is viewed by his followers to be the embodiment of God on earth, it would be expected that those he traveled with would have taken the greatest care in their appearance and manners as they are in the presence of the Devine.  But instead, the opposite occurs: the more formal clothing prescribed in the Old Testament is exchanged for the plebian dress of the common person.  As stated previously, on Mount Olive the night of the Last Supper, Jesus is apprehended by Roman soldiers for charges of heresy.  During the apprehension, the Gospels subtly note the following:

"And one guy, a teenager, was following him (Jesus), wrapped in a sheet and nothing else.  And they (the Roman soldiers) seized him, but he jumped out of the sheet and ran off naked." (Mark 14:51-52, Gaus)

As described before, this statement is often viewed figuratively to represent the symbolic release of Christ from this life by his crucifixion at the hands of the Romans (represented by the young man releasing himself from his clothes at the hands of the Romans) (Matthews).  However, by performing a more straightforward examination of this verse, one can see that this follower of Jesus had very little clothing on and was not wearing any undergarments.  The argument can be made that this was an exception to the norm and that the majority of Christ's followers may not have dressed so "casually."  However, that cannot refute the fact that Jesus, the manifestation of God on earth, readily allowed a follower dressed so informally to remain in his close company.  As all of Jesus' immediate followers were common working people (Gaus), their clothing options were most likely limited due to economics.  It would therefore be expected that such casual dress was not only acceptable, but even most likely commonplace.

Conclusion:  While certain attire may be prescribed for Christian religious settings in modern times, close examination of the Gospels indicate that this was not the case during the life of Jesus of Nazareth.  Instead, the scriptures indicate that the dress of Jesus' followers was most likely simple and casual, obeying the vernacular fashion of the time instead of the more ornate and constrictive clothing edict of the Old Testament.  Through the teachings of Jesus, many Christians strive to achieve a closer and more personal relationship with God.  Perhaps, through further analyses of the Gospels and by setting aside artificial constraints, this goal can be better put into reach.

Works Cited:

Gaus, Andy.  The Unvarnished Gospels. Boston: Shambhala, 1988.

Holy Bible, New International Version. Biblica. New York: Zondervan, 1973.

"Jesus." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 15 September 2009. ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus.

Matthews, Marry W. "The Naked Young Man in Mark 14:51-52." Rheophilia. 15 September 2009. < http://www.extremelysmart.com/insight/accurate/Mark_14_51-52.php

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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