Universal Life Church Seminary
Comparative Religion Part I
Michael Babb
I was raised in Texas, right in the middle of the “Bible Belt” where tolerance for other faiths and belief systems was virtually non-existent. If the belief system did not conform to the protestant ethic following specific denominational doctrines, then they were characterized as false and those who worshiped through different religions were eternally condemned. The sad fact is that from childhood, I was frightened into believing that if I deviated from my faith’s teachings (specific religion omitted on purpose) I would face eternal damnation and possible emotional recriminations from my family. Still, at a relatively young age, I did begin to wonder why one God would single out a specific religious orientation for salvation and shun the others. For a child, this was exceptionally confusing and as I grew, it was something that I knew was not rational but I could not shake the fear. Even today with more depth and breadth to my understanding of religions and hopefully a more highly evolved respect for other religious belief systems, a small remnant of that fear still resides within.
Throughout my adult life, I have acquainted myself with the bare basics of several other belief systems and do not presume to judge another’s connection to the divine. However, until I enrolled in The Comparative Religion Part I course, I truly had no idea the depth of similarity that exists within and among the range of cultures. Certainly there are differences, some of them significant, but there are too many customs, artifacts, symbols and other interactions exemplified by the universal use of crosses and circles, to make these cross-cultural religious commonalities more than mere coincidence. The Rev. Kythera Ann has very skillfully brought these together for comparison with a depth that has left me with more than just an elementary understanding of the origins of the world’s religious belief systems. I now posses a functional understanding of how most have had influences on other developing religions and if not influence, the amazement of being able to compare religions that evolved with virtually the same message entirely independent of each other.
As a human being and minister, understanding and tolerance of others should be central to our mission. The vast amount of information and topics presented by Rev. Kythera Ann has filled a needed void, specifically the knowledge of those who worship God through practices different from my own. I claim the Christian faith as my religious foundation. But, rather than allow religious dogma to cloud my vision, I have chosen to worship with a “Christ Consciousness” that disallows the judgmental aspects some denominations feel compelled to put forward. Now I realize that what I refer to as “Christ Consciousness” is a consciousness that exists in different forms within religions throughout the planet. This has long been a personal belief of mine based on what little I knew of the world’s religious practices. The material, both in lessons and outside references, that this course has exposed me to has provided a strong foundation not only for this belief, but hard evidence of it. This was an intricate course that should be required for seminary graduation. It excelled in each and every way. I can clearly see that by understanding how another believes and worships, I am able to understand myself that much better. Thank you for a blessing and spiritual uplifting.
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