Spiritualism

Spiritualism By Rev. Mark England The Spiritual Journey     I remember my first spiritual experience in my life when I was a child, but it took many years and several adverse circumstances to enter the realm of spirituality I enjoy today.     I was five years old when my Grandmother Hattie died of cancer. After the funeral we all went back to our house to mend our broken hearts sharing stories, and partaking in the food and drink. After a while all the company had left for home, and it was time for us children to retire for the night.     I went to my room confused about the days events. My Dad followed me into my bedroom . He was concerned as to how I was handling all that had transpired throughout the ordeal, and tried his best to comfort me with a pat on the head. We sat silent on my bed for several minutes with his big hand rubbing my back, and looking at the night through the window in my room. The sky was dark and clear with millions of stars shining brightly.     My Dad was not a religious man, but did have a sense of a higher being…God?     I always pictured God sitting in the biggest wooden chair ever seen with all of his angels around him. My Dad stated," pick a star in the sky and say a prayer to it, then Grammy will hear you and will  know that you loved her." He also said that I should ask God to" let her into heaven," because she had been a fine mother and grandmother. With his paternal part completed, he left the room to leave me to do what was instructed.     The first thing I did was recall an exercise that the Sunday school teacher had taught us about Jesus on the cross. She had us hold our hands out to our sides for as long as we could to show how much pain that Jesus may have gone through for us. For some reason I held my arms out like she had instructed us in school, and closed my eyes. I'm not sure how much time had passed, but my arms were tired. I then picked out the star, and got on my knees and said, " God, please take care of my Grammy, because I love her. Will you please take her to heaven with you. Amen!"     A feeling of great peace fell over me, and I knew that my prayers would be answered.     I never had another experience like that for many years to come, but I sure searched for it, in all the wrong places. It was not until I was thirty six years old that I was able to re-connect with God, and use him to manage my life on a daily basis. After battling Alcohol and drug addition for many years, I got sober through a gift of desperation , Then, a kidney transplant, multiple bone surgeries, contracted Hepatitis C from multiple transfusions, and living life on free will all caught up to me at once. I was empty with no self worth, but saw a little hope through a caring friend...God!     The classes on spiritualism has enlighten my perception in the spiritual concept, explaining the patterns of spirituality played out in different times, for different people, and the evolution individuals and cultures have experienced. The spiritual life is not a theory, but has to be lived to become a valid and functional benefit of the believer. An abstract concept that creates possibilities through faith, love, and an open mind.     Some individuals become spiritual through forbidden avenues, learning lessons the hard way. Spirituality may not get you to heaven alone, but will let you out of hell. Thank you for the enlightenment.    Rev. Mark England                                                   *******************************   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.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.   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

Deluxe Minister Basic Kit $39.95

Deluxe Minister Basic Pack $39.95

This is a brand new package filled with new products. It's perfect for the new minister or the experienced one. It makes a great gift for someone else (or for yourself) This package contains: 1 Plastic Wallet ID Card with your Name and Address 1 Clergy Badge -- View the options in the New Products categories and write in your selection. For a video representation, go to www.ulcseminary.org/images/IDCardsVideo.wmv. You can see our entire selection. 1 Rear-view mirror hanging parking placard 1 Brand New 'ULC Minister' removable window decal. 1 Replacement Credential 1 Minister T-shirt (M, L,1X,2X,3X,4X) 1 Wedding Officiant Title The Pagan (Wiccan) Tshirt is only available if we have your size. We have a very limited quantity of those left. If your size is not available, you'll get a minister shirt instead. This whole package is $80.00 in value and is available only for a brief time. Order now and be the first to have the ID Wallet Card in your choice of black or white, the clip-on Clergy Badges with the new styles and the window cling. The parking placard was previously only available through one of the larger packages, but can be yours for this low price as a special welcome to you, the new minister. ***Very Important: Per Andre: If you were ordained within the last 60 days, it would be a good idea to send your ordination confirmation email to andre@ulchq.com to be sure they get you into the system quickly. If you don't get your certificate within a couple of weeks, it might still be a good idea to send that ordination confirmation email (that welcomed you to the church) to the same address to be sure. *******************************   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.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.   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

A Course in Miracles

Dr. of Metaphysics- Essay I've been struggling with this essay for the past four days- which I find to be astounding, as this course is basically a reflection of the way that I have tried to live my life and beliefs that I have held since I can remember. I realize that this course is Christian-based, yet I see it as applicable to ALL religions, which reinforces my belief that ALL ARE ONE... even if the terminology is different. When I was young, I was deeply influenced by my studies of Edgar Cayce, which I feel gave me greater insight into the lessons. This course teaches us to view our lives as a service to others in their own struggle to reunite with the Higher Power, thereby moving us along the same path. When we take the attitude of "giving instead of getting", we receive the blessings of that Higher Power and attract good things into our lives. Positive envisioning to attract what we want/need, is a powerful tool. When we grasp that concept, we see that focusing on what we DON'T want attracts the same into our lives, and we are one step further to breaking the cycle of self-defeat that entraps many. Understanding that the unconscious mind thinks in pictures/images, let's us realize that the focus of our thoughts cannot be a negative, as this does not tranlate into image. Also, knowing that things happen because they are supposed to and accepting misfortunes as a learning opportunities, gives us a different perspective. We are no longer "victims" Although I agree in essence with the lesson on personal relationships, yet I found it distrubing in part because it could be misconstrued that an abusive relationship should be endured. This brought to mind the last line of the prayer "... and the wisdom to know the difference." In all, this course is an invaluable "owner's manual" for human existaece. Play nice; don't fight! Rev. Diane Young Christian ******************************* 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.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.   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

Spirituality

Dr. of Spirituality Essay: What I have learned in this course. (Looking for the truth in the spiritual world) My father once said to me: Son, always remember that learning never ends - regardless of age. Now I am 54 and I have to admit that my father was right. We live in a cruel world, lies at every corner and most of them blend-in perfectly with what we like to hear and how we like to look at things. For 2,000 years we are being told that there is only one savior `Jesus Christ`. Wars are being fought because we need to defend our countries. Religious wars are being fought because we all have different Gods, given or assigned to us by our churches who like to domain us just like the politicians of governments for their wars. Who can you actually trust ? We are all the same humans, brothers and sisters indeed. And there is only one God in Heaven and this God`s name we do not need to know and neither do we need to kill each other in His name. We are the ones who have given this God different names, beside the other Gods who visited Earth, self-proclaimed Gods, God's made by humans, Holy messengers and Prophets. Who is the real God? There can be only one real God in Heaven and that is the almighty God and His name is God (in English) and in another language you might call him differently. How much do we know about Jesus Christ (New testament) and (Old testament) Joseph in fact? What about all the other Gods (whose names I will not mention now), are they fake Gods or fake Sons of Gods? Certainly not ! What about the great (Genesis) flood / And, what about the Epic of Gilgamesh (around 2,600 BC) ? What about Moses (Sargon), and all the other `moses-like-human prophets before; in Babylon it was Nemo (10 tablets) in India it was Manou (10 tablets) in Crete it was Minos (10 tablets) in Egypt it was Mises (10 tablets) ... and have you ever sought about the ending in our prayers: AMEN ? Where does it come from and what does it actually mean ? Are we worshipping Amen-Ra / Sun-God ? Are we really knowing the truth about Earth and Humans and their Gods, or are we just living in a great Disney Land ? Is everything just developed for political reasons so that religion can be used for slavery ? Religion is a myth indeed, it is not debatable nor questionable, it is divine authority. At young age I quit religion and I found it again through the ULC, especially the Spiritual course they offered. In the end that is all I had left, a broken-view regarding religion and belief. All there was left in me was the Spiritual belief. It is rather difficult to build-up that belief without some help of an spiritual advisor. Then the praying, we all pray for so much, but then is it right to pray that much ? And what kind of prayer is correct ? To whom should we pray ? Beside weddings I do counseling of all kinds and children support, visit hospitals and prisons were I meet all kind of different nationals and human characters. I do not use the cross, of course when I am forced to use it then inside my heart I think of Jesus Christ but still fighting with my inner-self then. I rather wear a pair of praying hands instead of a cross. Spiritual belief in the (Nameless) Almighty God is my belief and I consider myself an International Christian who welcomes all Gods and all other Religions for the purpose of uniting all humans together again. The Free-Will being given of being able to choose an religion (Universal religious belief) and practicing it as granted to me by the ULC means a lot to me and the most-high in heaven will certainly agree to that. Arguing about religion is a waste of time, since all religious books are either partially incorrect, misinterpreted and anyway are not fully proven to be correct. Better be spiritual and study about Astronomy, Astrology and Archeology and really help-out others and then you will be on the right track. Most of the people say they are spiritual, because they do not know anything about religion, neither won`t have anything to do with it for personal or other reasons. The question is just `Do They Understand Spirituality` ? Maybe 90% does not. Rev. Dr. Loretta Siani has been a helping hand to me with her lessons, Spiritual prayers and the deeper meaning of it. Of course not everything is according my spiritual belief, what she has taught me, but she awakened inside me the deeper free-spiritual thinking and in the end that is all I hoped to happen. Reading, learning, processing and sorting-out with a clear and free-thinking and feeling mind is important in order to evolve to the next spiritual step (per aspera ad astra). No human is perfect, no book is correct but we can correct our current dependent mind (s) and thinking as long as we keep ourselves open and uninfluenced to choose a new or different way of thinking according our heart and independent open mind. Whatever we read or study does not mean that we have to accept everything what is written or being said, but without studying and freely considering a learning process is not possible. Spirituality is something you can not touch, not buy, not be given to but only slowly learn through study and life experiences and an open mind and an clean heart, otherwise the spiritual picture will not be visible and the guideline is not there. I like to thank the ULC and Dr. Siani for their kind support till now and I like to encourage my other Pastor-Reverend brothers here on Earth to keep an open mind and always consider the cost of misusing the most powerful weapon `Religion` in the name of our most high GOD. Blessed are those who spiritually support their brothers and sisters. Brother Georg - Japan *******************************   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.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.   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

Comparative Religion

ULC Comparative Religion

What I gained from this course:

The twenty-lesson course in Comparative Religion  was a validation of my beliefs. I have always thought that the various religions that developed around the world were based on the same basic belief in a higher energy, Creator, Source, Divine Bring or any other term developed by humanity's limited language skills that one would care to use to describe the underlying power of the Universe.

It has been my life long belief that all the religions of the world lead to one place, it is just a matter of how one gets there. A brief visual description may assist in understanding my point. Imagine a large mountain and the goal is the summit. Each person is located at the base. There are paths that spiral around the mountain climbing ever higher. There are some paths whose course takes them directly up the side of the mountain on a vertical ascent. These paths all start at different points at the base of the mountain, but all end at the summit. Some of these paths even travel the same course at times, some never meet. While all start at a different point, all take a varied route; all arrive at the same point in the end - the summit or to phrase it another way - reunification with Divinity.

I believe that the vast differences are there to accommodate the various level of spiritual development evident in each culture at any given point in their evolution. That is to say, an early pagan would have had a hard time comprehending the higher teachings of the Buddhist religion. Another example of this is the evolution from

Hinduism into Buddhism. This difficulty in comprehension is just as true for the modern day Christian. By that I mean that a Christian has trouble accepting that each individual is responsible for their own evolution on the wheel of life, death and rebirth. Most of the Christians that I have spoken with believe that unless one believes in Jesus salvation can never be obtained.

What I liked best and least about this course, and how to improve:

While I was pleasantly surprised to see the more obscure religions given the same basically fair treatment as the more commonly practiced ones, I would also have liked to have seen a more in depth comparison of each of the religions covered. Many times I was waiting in vain for the next religion to be explained to the extent that the last one had been discussed. This was true not only of the obscure ones, but even the common ones. The discussions (lessons 16 and 17) on Divine Messengers for example as well as the discussion on Religious Titles (lesson 18) serve to illustrate this point.

I would have preferred to see a systematic breakdown showing how each religion compared and contrasted with each other one during the course of each lesson. Using the above examples, if each religion's terms for angels had been laid out in table format and each religion's titles had been detailed side by side I believe it would

have more fully explained how they relate to one another.

Over all, this was an excellent course. I would definitely be willing to take another course from Reverend Kythera Ann; and am looking forward to Part 2 of this course. I am of course assuming there is a Part 2.

Theresa A. Bedwell

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

 

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.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.

 

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

Universal Life Church

1. I wasn’t able to print my credential. Can I get another one?

I’m afraid that the program generates the credential at the time of ordination. To get another one, you’d need to ordain yourself again or order one from the site.

2. I don’t remember my ordination date. How can I get it?

To get your ordination date, send your request to generalcontact@ulchq.com Give them your full name and address at the time of ordination and they will give it to you.

3. I need a letter of Good Standing to do weddings. How can I get one?

You can order this from headquarters as well. Write to generalcontact@ulchq.com. Give them your full name and the address you’d like it mailed to. There is no cost for this.

4. How do I know if I need a letter of Good Standing?

Look at the Marriage Laws in the FAQ section and the training section. You can also confirm by calling the local county clerk where the wedding will take place and ask if you need to register.

5. I live in one state and I was asked to do a wedding in another. Can I do this?

Yes. You are legal to do weddings in all 50 states, as long as you’re at least 18 years old.

6. I’m getting ready to do my first wedding, what do I need?

Aside from possibly needing a letter of Good Standing, you would do well to order a book of ceremonies and certificates. (Basic Wedding Pack, for starters.) You should also read the training section (under ‘classes’) that has wedding training, as well as the wedding FAQ section.

7. I want to start doing weddings, how do I get started?

Start by ordering the Wedding Officiant Training Kit. It has all the materials you’ll need. Then get business cards and later a website. If you are not in time to get into the phone book, start by going to all the wedding facilities in your area (or calling them) and ask to be put on their Preferred Vendor list. You will get calls this way. To get started doing funerals, you’ll want to go to Funeral Homes and do the same thing.

8. How do I know what to charge?

Call other ministers from the phone book. Look under wedding supplies and services and look for the ministers. Ask them and then determine your price from there.

9. I live in Canada. Is my ordination legal here?

In some provinces yes and some no. Get a letter of Good Standing and present it in your province to see. It varies greatly depending who you ask.

10. I want to start a group of ULC ministers in my area. How can I do this?

Ask for people to join you on the forum and look through the directory. We don’t handle the formation of the groups, but we’ll be happy to invite it on the discussion board.

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

 

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.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.

 

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

Ordination Online

By Rachel

2005-03-30

In 2003, someone I knew was arrested before being able to marry his long-time girlfriend. They had been together for 4 years and planning a big wedding, and all of a sudden all of that was in danger. Immigration put a holder on him so he could not be released, and the jail refused to allow the couple to marry at the jail. Even though the criminal charges were dismissed, he didn't have enough money to pay the immigration bond. If they couldn't get married quickly, he was going to be deported and they would never see each other again.

My brother told me about this church and within minutes I was ordained. I went to the jail during visiting hours with his girlfriend and two witnesses and we secretly conducted the ceremony through the glass partition. We were able to get him released, the immigration case was closed, and the happy couple is still together.

That was my first wedding, but not my last. I have performed wedding ceremonies for several couples who didn't speak English and preferred a simple ceremony with someone they knew to one at the courthouse with a judge. I was also honored to be asked to perform the ceremony for our office's secretary, and wrote bilingual vows especially for it. What a blessing this ordination has been!

Rev. Rachel

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

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.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.

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