Chaplaincy Program

Final Essay for Chaplaincy Course

By Robert Nelson

               This is a wonderful course.  As a former military chaplain I wondered if I would benefit from the course and I am very happy to say that I benefited greatly.  The course covered every aspect of being a chaplain from the calling, theology, and liturgics to the nitty-gritty logistics of this type of ministry.  I think there is enough detail here about the actual functioning of a chaplain that it would benefit anyone interested in this type of ministry including chaplains in the U.S. Army’s Basic Chaplaincy Course or even chaplains with several years experience, such as myself.

               For me personally there were several areas that were especially beneficial.  I thoroughly enjoyed the sections on the logistics of ministry.  I think this is a weakness for many chaplains who confine themselves to an office and seldom venture into the world of those they serve.  For me, ministry of presence is the essence of chaplaincy.  Reverend Moore highlighted this in several ways as he wrote of learning the institution.  But to conduct this ministry effectively it takes a certain amount of preparation and I think the concept of creating “tool boxes” is probably the best idea I have heard in a while for organizing and preparing for this type of ministry.  I have used this concept to a certain extent myself in the past but think I can do it much better with the intention and detail that Rev. Moore suggests.  In the past my tool box might have been whatever I threw in my pocket but now I think I can do much better by intentionally creating a tool box for the situations in which I will be serving.  My tool box for working with homeless people will be different from that I will use at a nursing home or the one I will use when working with veterans.  I am really excited about this concept and have great hopes for its application.

               I also found the lesson concerning sacred space, objects, and symbols to be particularly beneficial.  As a counselor I have long conceived of the creation of a safe space as an important step in counseling and now this concept has grown to involve the creation of a sacred space (and even a sacred time) as part of ministry.  Certainly this involves a certain logistical reality but to a greater extent it is a function of the attitude and spirituality of the chaplain.  Years ago I discovered that as a chaplain I was much more useful in the motor pool or on a road march than I was sitting in an office in the chapel.  I was able to provide more ministry to more people.  Now I see that when I was most effective I was creating a sacred space or perhaps more accurately, carrying a sacred space with me as I traveled around in my ministry of presence.  This involves logistical factors such as in some cases some sort of privacy and a certain amount of comfort but it also involves creating at least an illusion of having plenty of time and through symbols, actions, and interactions the creation of a sacred space.

               Sometimes this sacred space is created with little more than a smile and a prayer.  At other times it might involve more elaborate interactions and symbols.  But whether it involves a full-fledged altar and vestments or simply the reading of a scriptural passage and a prayer, it is essential to the ministry of a chaplain.

               The sections on counseling, especially grief counseling, were interesting to me since I have spent most of my professional life doing some sort of counseling.   Even at that I found that the section on grief counseling was both interesting and informative.  This highlights another aspect of the course which was valuable to me – the rehearsal of basic principles.  There is often little to be said that is completely new.  We are after all speaking of religion, spirituality, and ministry – ancient activities which are based in ancient traditions of wisdom and which at a certain level are fundamental to being human beings.  But newness is not a requirement for wisdom.  It may be important to fashion and marketing but for ministry it is less important than ancient, profound fundamentals such as compassion and spirituality.  I believe that the pursuit of excellence requires a frequent rehearsal of fundamentals.  This is certainly true in such things as sports where the athletes who are best at fundamentals such as running, jumping, blocking, tackling, and throwing are the ones who are usually victorious.  The same is true for other areas of achievement and such basics as reading, writing, performing arithmetic, and so forth.  So it is with ministry and especially chaplaincy.  Certainly there is a value to gaining as much knowledge as possible and exploring advanced aspects of hermeneutics, liturgics, and homiletics.  But in the end it is the basics of caring, connecting with others, and being present that will bring the most comfort to those we serve.  It is the remembrance of our calling and our personal spiritual foundation that provides depth and meaning to our ministry.  Rev. Moore has reminded me of that principle and has provided a useful handbook for the frequent rehearsal of some of those fundamentals.

               The section on avoiding traps is one of those important fundamentals.  Rev. Moore has spelled it out clearly and reminded me to beware of the temptations and even the appearance of evil.  I have seen far too many ministers who have ruined their calling and their lives through various traps involving sex and money.  I have seen many more flounder because of the trap of pride.  These traps are with us always and frequent, even daily reminders, are important to help us stay the course.

               I am not sure what I could improve in this course.  There are things I would do differently  but that is more a matter of personality and preference than of a critique of substance.  As I was going through the course there were times when I thought something should be added or expanded but on later reflection I felt that some of this was more cosmetic.  In other words, I liked this course.

               My personal goal is to shift gears in my career.  I have been mostly a counselor since I got out of the Army.  I have done some limited volunteer chaplain work with the Veterans Administration and among the homeless but hope to expand that aspect of my life.  I’m looking forward to completing the entire chaplaincy program and the D.Min. program and expanding this ministry with my wife into a holistic ministry and health education among several populations.   I hope to continue working with the homeless and to expand my ministry among the elderly and veterans.  Together with my wife I hope to also do ministry among people who are interested in improving their health.  I would like to get an endorsement from the ULC as a chaplain.

               Thanks for the inspiration and direction.

Rev. Bob Nelson, Ph.D.

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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. 

Paganism Course

Universal Life Church FINAL ESSAY – MASTER OF PAGANISM

I have just completed the Master of Paganism course. I have been Wiccan for 14 years and am a high priestess of a coven. I have completed many 101 and advanced classes and spent 3 years in a seminary type training program for Wicca. This course is the best one I have taken to date. It covers far more material and in more detail. I call myself a Witch an Wiccan, but after this course, I realize Paganism is more like Witchcraft and is the path I follow more than Wiccan. I enjoyed the lesson on the Great Rite, it described it better than anything else I have read. I liked the way the author did not tell you “this is the only way to believe” etc. He gave the information and let you determine how to make it work for you. So many pagans and Wiccans only use/worship the Goddess, it was refreshing to have someone teach about the polarity and give the God as much credit as the Goddess. The information was easy to read and easy to understand. It was not delivered in a way to make the author superior. The lessons flowed very well and went in a progressive organized order.

The lessons I enjoyed the best were the first lesson’s creation story, it was one of the best I have seen, the great rite and the rituals. So many do not truly explain the parts of a ritual and I thought this one did a good job. The mediation section was very delivered. And I loved the last lesson. No one ever tells about how to incorporate what they teach into your daily life. Some touch on it but fall short.

I would have loved to have seen more on the different traditions, maybe even a comparison. Maybe that could be a different course someday.. a comparisons of Pagan religions or Wiccan tradition.

Overall I did not expect to learn much from this course and was pleasantly surprised to find out I did learn things ans enjoyed each lesson and found myself looking forward to the next.

Bright Blessings,

Rev. Debbie Hawkins

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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. 

Spirituality

Universal Life Church Seminary

Master of Spiritualism

“Defining Spiritualism”
Rev. Justin Oles

            The basis of this course was first and foremost a philosophical look at religion, ideas, and spirituality throughout about the past 3000 years and then explaining how these same ideas are woven into your daily world.  Small sections of the course also went beyond just explaining the philosophical ideas to showing practical uses and placements of those same ideas in modern spirituality and society.

            I liked that the author covered various philosophies some of which may not have explicitly been directly related to religion, such as socialism.  The author does bring up good arguments for all of the theories he covers including socialism, which once looked at through the right lens does relate very well to spirituality and religion.

            It was also nice of the author to bring their personal experience in views into the lessons.  It’s unfortunate that the author has had to go through some of the trial and tribulations that they have but they seems to have grown from it.  Hopefully all of the students taking the course are also able to learn something vicariously through their experiences.

I can personally say that while I have not lived anything to the extremes that the author has, I did see certain parts of the story that related to me.  For example, I’ve been lost in the woods alone in the winter in New York State before, true I was not lost for days I was only lost for hours but it gives me an inkling of the feeling the author must have felt.  I’ve never dealt with an abusive lover but I was a child that had to listen to his parents fight all the time.

These things cause us to grow over time and lead us to be the people that we are today.  We have a choice, we can either learn from our life, from our successes and failures; or we can choose to keep doing what we’ve always done, the only problem with that is, as the saying goes, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten.

Universal Life Church - Online Seminary Program 

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

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site 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

Universal Life Church - Rev. Jesse L. Hoog bio:

When I was a little boy I always said I wanted to be a minister. It was always my dream, it seemed to nag at my inner soul and would never completely leave. On Aug. 23, 2007 it hit me that this was my calling and possibly my life's destiny, after all I was 21, no school, or any job I ever had seemed right, so I contacted Amy at the Universal Life Church Seminary and God and I made it happen! My family has a very long line of Ministers and all are/was God fearing people on both side's and all of a very diverse background and a variety of religions. 

Starting on my dad's side, his father Amos Hoog was a ordained Church of God Holiness Minister, I never had the pleasure in hearing him preach or his views, for I was barely 2 when he died, but I do know, he did many good things, the way God would have wanted it. His wife (my grandma) Alice Ledbetter Hoog was an ordained and active Four Square Minister, she even founded the first Four Square Church in the Joplin, Missouri area near Stapleton Village. In her life she had attended L.I.F.E Bible College in Los Angeles, Ca. and Oral Roberts In Tulsa, Ok. 

She never lost her faith in God and she even smiled while dying of cancer and said that God had his reasons for everything, she never blamed God or lost faith! Also on my dad's side of the family, his mom's (Alice) father George W. Ledbetter was an ordained and active Southern Baptist and a police Chaplain for the Wichita, Ks. Police Dept. My dad himself, Robert D. Hoog Sr. is an ordained Non-Denominational, he does not practice as a minister but he has always ministered to people through music for the Lord gave him a powerful voice that even helped him to overcome a speech impairment and to graduate high school. Alot of people have even said that I was gave his musical talents. Let's switch sides now to my mom's family. Her father Jack L. Vinyard was an ordained Non-Denominational Minister, he never lead a congregation of his own, but his love for God was none the less! 

He maintained his faith through the Korean War and even had his shoulder shot off and re-attached and never blamed God!  Instead he told all back home how he and his platoon had saw Jesus save them! He taught all of his grandkids that no matter the sins of your past, that he and God shared the same belief; forgiveness and that he and God loves all his children. When time came for him to live in eternity with his son he missed so badly and God he never shed one tear of pain and talked about the man who was coming to see him in his room. 

The night he left we all saw from across the street a man in his room, we believe that man was Jesus or his son Jackie. Now that's about all the ministers in my family but to be very honest, all my family has a strong devotion for God. My mom is a Pentecostal from the P to the L so to speak and her mom was just a down right bred in the blood Christian. My brother is a Universal Life Church Minister the same as I, he is even the one who made me aware of the church's existence.

I guess to break down what actually I am, is a Pentecostal, Four Square and Nazarene Jesus freak! As of now I am just starting out, so my studies come first, for it says; "Study to show yourself approved unto God." 2 Timothy 2:15. So I haven't really performed any services as of now. When I was younger though before the ministry, my grandma Jennie S. Vinyard had a heart attack on her farm south of Joplin, Mo, she went for some time with no oxygen, while my dad gave her mouth to mouth to keep her alive. When she arrived at the hospital they told us she had brain damage and would probably never wake up, so with my family's urging and my grandma's believing in my power of prayer, I took her hand in the hospital and told her, "Grandma it's Jesse I'm going to pray with you now and when I'm done you wake up, OK?" So all in the room bowed their heads and I prayed to God with all my heart and when I was done I said, "Grandma wake up now, I did my part." Sure enough there was her eyes wide open and that day even the doctor cried. Though she was a bit incoherent we all enjoyed four more wonderful years with her. So I suppose that's my only performance as of now. 

I truly believe that becoming a part of the Universal Life Church has strengthened me and my faith in God. It has also made me better at forgiving and walking away from a conflict rather than using anger! Just as soon as my classes are through the seminary are finished, I plan to become a full time minister, as well as be a police chaplain. Well I guess to close up this page in my life in this book of fine minister's, I will tell you all a story that happened when I was homeless. I was around twelve and homeless in my hometown of Joplin, Missouri. We were hungry and broke so we went to the local Salvation Army when we had no money for food. Outside the building on a super hot July or August day a homeless man had no shirt or shoes on his skinny body, had went there for some help. 

Rather than helping him with clothes as he obviously needed they wouldn't let him in there for food or clothes but they took him a plate and made him stay in the hot alley. The plate of food looked like they was feeding a dog and it really upset me. My family and I was eating in the car. He went to go in the place to ask for more and they pushed him back out and told him NO! I got so upset at them I could of bit a bullet in two for there was only about five others there for supper and they were about to close so quantity shouldn't have been an issue. I said to the man, "Wait a minute" and I ran in there and asked them for food to take home to my brother. They gave me three buckets of food and I went outside. I gave that guy seconds on food and took off my shirt I was wearing and gave it to him. I told him, "God Loves You!" 

And before leaving he asked my mom for a cigarette and my Mom gave him one and he lit it but he never took one drag of it not once! He rode off and we pulled off to ask him if he needed a ride cause after all he was on a bike and it was very hot. When we turned the corner he wasn't there, he wasn't even a half block away when we took off. He was just totally gone when we got up there where he had turned just seconds before. I think it was a test of God that he was an Angel!  Thank you all for reading my page. I pray it has been pleasing to you all and some how inspired you!

Thanks and God Bless you,
Rev. Jesse L. Hoog

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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.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

The Four Gospels

Dr. of Christian Studies - The Four Gospels - final essay
By Rev George Parsons

The Four Gospels course has been a great delight to study.  At first, it throw me for a loop with the terminology used.  I have been so accustomed to the King James Version that the verbiage in “The Unvarnished Gospels” cause me to set it aside.  I thought that it was wrong.  I finally picked the book back up and, using the weekly discourses, I started seeing how the book was speaking in layman’s terms and a manner in which to communicate the gospels to everyone.

I am required to write a short paper of 300 or more words about one area of the four gospels that gave me the most comfort or the most trouble to receive credit for this course.  I hope and pray that the following will suffice:

As with most people/students, the Sermon on the Mount definitely touches my heart and soul.  Statements made by Jesus in this location formed a basis for Christianity.  You can feel the love in His words as you read them.  They make my heart soar.  But this is not the area I wish to write about. 

I am rather perplexed and disturbed with the Gospel of John.  This gospel was written approx. 85 AD.  This is 85 years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  Eighty-five years of trying to remember the life of Jesus Christ.  Eighty-five years of trying to remember His ministry (some say it was on two years while others say three years).  Eighty-five years of “filling in the blanks” with John’s own words.  Eighty-five years of bias. 

Too many contradictions for what we learn about Jesus from the other gospels.

Examples:

Jesus is depicted as a weakling and coward, running away from the Jews in the temple instead of confronting the issues at hand.  (John 8:59)

John uses the word “signs” instead of miracles throughout his gospel.  In fact, 17 times it is used instead of stating that Jesus performed miracles, stated in the other gospels.

John glamorizes every “sign” or miracle that Jesus performs whereas in the other gospels, Jesus states that He does not want His presence known when He performs a miracle.  


I am not trying to dishonor John, because he was a disciple of Jesus, but I read overtones of John trying to “out-do” Peter.  John perceived the betrayal of Judas (John 13), John is the first to recognize Jesus in the boat while Peter jumps in the water (John 21), Peter asks Jesus “What would John do?” (John 21). 

I realize that John was preaching the teachings of Jesus in his own manner and this was how he related to anyone who would listen.  He made Jesus out to be “larger than life” or a superhero.   But yet, if Jesus was so much of a “superhero” in John’s gospel, why would Jesus run away from the Jews?  Why is there so much anger in this gospel and less love?  God is unconditional love, or at least I thought so.

As I said, I am not trying to judge John and his gospel because it does contain some profound scripture (“BELIEVE ME THAT I AM IN THE FATHER, AND THE FATHER IN ME: OR ELSE BELIEVE ME FOR THE VERY WORKS’ SAKE” John 14:11).  My concern is over the validity of John’s scripture.  As a Christian, I have to believe that what was written in the bible, specifically John’s gospel, are words straight from God.  The problem is that the majority of John’s gospel has the theme of story-telling.  Each time told the story gets more and more immense, the main characters becoming larger and larger until it becomes folklore.  John uses too much story-telling to tell his gospel, leaving out parts much needed for the story.  He leaves God out of much and instead relates that through Jesus things will happen.  Jesus's words not God’s Word.  Argument has it that Jesus and God are one in the same so the words spoken by Jesus are the same Words of God.  But, should you believe that Jesus was a prophet, then what John is saying is contradicting the other gospels in the bible.  Yes, John is not a synoptic gospel.  It is more literal and uses symbolism to get its point across.

The Gospel of Thomas should have been the gospel in the bible instead of John.  Most of the sayings written in the Gospel of Thomas, also appear in Matthew and Luke.  None appear in John.  Why is that?    

The gospel of Thomas cannot be entered into the bible so in order to study it more clearly one must go to other sources, like the internet, and research for answers. 

The fact that the Gospel of John is so different than the rest of the gospels is what causes it to remain controversial but is included in the bible.  As I stated in the beginning, I was taken back by the relaxed version of the gospels in “The Unvarnished Gospels”.  With the manner in which the Gospel of John is written, I am again taken back yet believe it is correct since I am a Christian.  With free will, I can at least question it.

I wholly recommend this course to any and all students who wish to try to understand the gospels.  It will definitely get your mind thinking as it did mine.

Thank you,

Rev. George Parsons

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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.

Online Ordination

Two Universal Life Church ministers walked into a bar....

Many of my Bunny with a Toolbelt fans know that I'm also an ordained minister who has helped eight of my closest friends legally tie the knot over the past decade and a half. I met local minister Steve Sharp when he and his wife bought one of my pieces at Crafty Wonderland. He has performed ceremonies for many couples in the Portland area for the past few years, and I thought he'd be an excellent subject for an interview......or if you've simply are curious about what Reverends talk about when they're off duty:

BWAT: Hey Steve--thanks for agreeing to do an interview on my blog. My first question for you is: "What led you to become a wedding officiant?"

SS:I've always liked the idea of being part of such a positive celebration, and so I became ordained through the Universal Life Church in 1996. I started to put the word out that I was able to legally marry people, and I got the chance to perform my first ceremony when my daughter recommended me to her best friend. We held the ceremony in a park on the banks of the Columbia River on a beautiful June day, and I found the experience to be immensely rewarding. I was hooked!

My next ceremony was the backyard wedding of one of my wife's co-workers. They initially viewed marriage as "just a piece of paper" that they needed to "make it legal". After the ceremony, however, the groom made a tearful speech describing how his eyes had been opened to the spiritual bond he now felt between him and his wife. Reverend Steve was on his way!

BWAT: Tell me about the Universal Life Church and what you like about
their philosophy.

SS: Although I am a very spiritual person, I do not feel a particularly deep connection with any single organized religion. Rather, there are elements of many different religions which resonate with me. This is what I like about the Universal Life Church philosophy. They want you to pursue your spiritual beliefs - whatever they may be - without interference from any outside agency, including government or church authority. Their mantra (if you will) is "Do only that which is right", and they believe that every person has the natural right - and the responsibility - to peacefully determine what is right.


BWAT: What's your process for working on a ceremony with a couple?

SS: After the initial contact through my website - aBeautifulCeremonyNW.com - or WeddingWire.com, I schedule a time and place for our first meeting. I also email the couple a questionnaire so that I'll have all the basic details (venue, date and time of the wedding, etc.) in front of me. At our meeting, I will go over the details with the couple to make sure we're on the same page and then we'll talk about what kind of ceremony they have in mind. We talk about the tone of the ceremony (religious, spiritual, secular,) and what kind of "inner ceremonies" (roses, sand, candles, etc.) they may desire as well as elements such as parental honoring that they might want me to include.

I then compose a first draft of the ceremony based on our conversation and email that to them for approval. If they have any changes, additions or deletions, I will rewrite the ceremony and submit the revised version to them. This usually becomes the final version of the ceremony.


BWAT: What's the most unusual wedding ceremony you ever officiated?

SS: There have been some strange requests over the years, but I think the most unusual setting would have to be the wedding I performed aboard a moving steam train in the winter of 2009. It was about 14 degrees that day, but the bride still bravely wore a low cut wedding dress. The passenger car we were in lurched from side to side as we made our way down the track, but everybody took it in stride and the ceremony was one of the most upbeat and happy ones I've experienced.


BWAT: How do you choose what to wear when you're "at work?"

SS: I always ask the couple what they prefer, and they almost always opt for a dark suit.


BWAT: My biggest occupational hazard is being sentimental. Do you get
wrapped up in the magnitude of what you're doing and choke up while
officiating?

I've been known to get a little misty, but I never allow myself to really get choked up. After all, I am there to perform the ceremony on their special day and I would never forgive myself if I let my emotions diminish their experience in any way!

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Thanks Steve for letting me into your world! You can find more about Steve's techniques in the FAQ section of his website A Beautiful Ceremony NW.

Posted by Hilary Pfeifer 

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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. 

 

Metaphysical Healing

As a Reiki Master and long time Reiki practitioner who has studied other alternative healing modalities I thoroughly enjoyed this course although most of the information was familiar to me. It is, however, the most comprehensive of any metaphysical healing course I have read and would be beneficial to all spiritual healers, experienced or new to the practice. It certainly was a great refresher for some of the material I had forgotten. Valerie Archer's “The Healer's Oath” is exactly what I have needed to add to my Reiki classes as a guideline for attitude and action.

The most important aspect of what I learned from this course was the lesson on determining our own reality. The New Age Movement in general, of which I consider myself a member, often promotes the idea that we are totally responsible for what occurs in our lives; we brought all situations and conditions on ourselves by our either rightful or wrongful thoughts. This ideology has never made sense to me and I have seen the damage it has done to already wounded people. I have worked with young women who were victims of rape as little children and had been told they didn't have enough Jesus in their hearts or they wished the rape on themselves or their actions somehow caused it. I have seen how much despair, unhappiness and further loss of sense of self-worth this type of preaching has had on these women. I always counseled them that, as children, they did nothing to cause a criminal act to be committed on them. I explained that they, most unfortunately but absolutely through no fault of their own, just got caught up in the misguided life of someone else. Instances of rape and other abuse were easy to discuss in this way but there have been times in my own life when something really dreadful has occurred and I was vulnerable to the thought that I wished for myself a particular disaster, like a serious, permanent health problem. Logically, I couldn't believe I would have done that willingly but several people would tell me that I had and, as I said, some books I read agreed. It was extremely gratifying to have Rev. Kruger validate what I have told abused women for years. I also tremendously appreciated the opportunity to read Ted Andrews' calculation of approximately what percent of our lives we can control and Leo Rutherford's comments explaining why that is so.

I also found the information regarding the “Shadow” concept most interesting, especially, the suggestion that one can use his/her “Shadow” to assist in personal enlightenment. Perhaps teaching others to realize that their “Shadows” are archives of negativity could help them to avoid visiting that place or dwelling on what is inside it extensively and, instead, focus on more pleasant experiences.

As stated above, the entire course is relevant to my work as a Healer, was interesting, comprehensive, extremely informative and well presented. There was nothing I disliked regarding the course.

Rev. Mary McGar

This course was made available through the Universal Life Church and its online seminary.

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

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site 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

Final Essay for Comparative Religion

               I have a bachelor’s degree from a traditional university in Asian Studies with an emphasis on comparative religion and history.  I have been fortunate enough to have done field research on Buddhism and Shamanism in Korea, Japan and Okinawa.  I have also been a chaplain in the U.S. Army and so been exposed to a number of religions through classroom instruction and through direct contact as their advocate and minister.  I am happy to say that even with this background I have been very impressed with the Comparative Religion course from the ULC Seminary.

               I particularly enjoyed the way each lesson took a different component of religion as the basis for comparison.  This was much more meaningful and instructive than the usual approach of devoting a lesson to one religion and then another.  I think in many ways this course was much more truly comparative than many other courses and texts I have experienced.  The lesson on ceremonies for example allowed me to actually compare and ponder the nature of sacred ceremonies among various worshipers.  The idea that religious ceremonies among different religions can share the “sacrament” I think is insightful and allows a much deeper understanding of religious activity and experience.

               Each lesson included an impressive array of suggested readings and activities.  This supplemental information was invaluable.  It allowed me to hear and in a way participate in the experience of other traditions.  I have yet to exhaust the potential of these resources and am very grateful for this part of the lessons.  I have discovered a whole new world that is much more complete than I had previously known.  This includes in particular my appreciation and understanding of Zoroastrianism and the connections or parallels between Zoroastrianism and Taoism.

               There was so much information in this course that I will be pondering it for some time to come trying to internalize it and incorporate it into my own ministry.  I think to a certain extent this course has already helped me move beyond the “exotic other” aspect of other religions and into an awareness of the true commonalities.  

There remains the issue of how to incorporate these insights into my own personal spiritual practice and ministry.  I am not interested in picking and choosing to create a hodgepodge or “cafeteria style” religion.  But I am interested in understanding how fundamental truths can be approached through different venues and tools.  For example, it is clear that certain Western religions can benefit from the inward-looking approaches of certain Eastern religions.  

At the same time, I see that certain Eastern religions can benefit from the outward-looking service orientation of certain Western religions.  To a certain extent I can see that these various approaches – like the various types of yogas – may depend upon the individual’s personality, strengths, and preferences.  It may be that as a minister I might want to focus on contemplative approaches with one person while emphasizing activity and service with another.  Still another might benefit from an intellectual approach.  Some might benefit best from certain types of ceremonies and liturgy while others might be served best with quiet and meditation.  Clearly the more I understand, the more I will be able to assist others along their spiritual path.

Thanks for a great course.

By Rev. Robert Nelson

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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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Chaplaincy Studies

Master of Chaplaincy Studies

Final Essay by Mary McGar

Universal Life Church

The Master of Chaplaincy Course is deserving of being the core course of the Chaplaincy Program. It is very comprehensive and covers all aspects how Chaplaincy came into being, the calling that is necessary to minister to others, both material and personal “tools” to be able to serve all people regardless of their beliefs, a wide variety of career opportunities, detailed job descriptions and qualification requirements of a chaplain in specific organizations, mistakes to avoid, critical personal responsibility issues and much more. The course offers enough direction for one to be able to decide if this is truly the path that is best for her/him.

Becoming aware of the history of one's chosen field is always an advantage for both the Chaplain and anyone receiving her/his services because relating historical information is an excellent method of initial communication. For some one who desires comforting words but may be hesitant or shy regarding praying with another initially, a little background of how the field of Chaplaincy began can break the ice and be non-threatening. By speaking of something intellectual and pragmatic one can often reduce the emotional tension in the room. I think this would also help people who are searching for answers be more at ease and may pique their interest enough to be more receptive to comforting. This course provided excellent background information regarding the origin of Chaplaincy and how it has grown over the many years of its existence.

I found the lessons regarding necessary personal skills and abilities an excellent reminder of the gifts and virtues needed by a chaplain. Chief among the skills needed is that of a good listener. When a chaplain in present a person needing his/her ministering must feel that the chaplain is truly listening so he/she will accurately understand the situation, thoughts and feelings involved. The next most important skill is being perceptive and observant of the person or persons who are in need of the chaplain's ministering A chaplain would benefit by developing strong skills regarding reading body language.

The lesson regarding both the basic and the finer points of counseling from the first encounter to the last was very helpful. As an example, knowing what information to gather during the first visit,asking how I can help, how to discover the nature of the problem, how to develop a plan to help and recognizing when I can't help were all very instructional. I also appreciated learning detailed steps involved in helping someone change a bad habit to a good habit and exactly what is required of both the chaplain and the other person.

Although I have done volunteer work from the time I was a teenager to the present time and enjoyed fulfillment from each different volunteer activity I felt compelled to become a chaplain late in life. As I am also a Reiki teacher and practitioner each year my spirituality has grown. For years and years I searched for a church group in which I truly felt at home. I have been unable to believe in many beliefs necessary to be considered one of the flock of most churches. For the last two decades the Unity church and the Unitarian Universalist church have been my church homes. Having enjoyed volunteer positions that covered a broad range I learned that I most loved working with individuals one on one or in small groups where I could actually see that people benefited from my actions. 

Along with that I learned how to use different methods to help different people. I am not intending to belittle administrative or retail or any others type of volunteer work. I just learned what suits my personality better. Everyone has something to offer and volunteer organizations, especially, could not survive without the different talents of all concerned. Lately I felt called to broaden my efforts to include the counseling and comforting that a Chaplain gives. From another course I took from ULC I learned one reason I did not feel comfortable with certain belief systems for myself was because, in addition to a few Christian beliefs, I share some of the beliefs of Humanists, Pagans, Druids, Buddhists and quite a number of other religious groups. 

When I realized that I could pick and choose what I believed without feeling that I had to believe everything, or even, the majority of the doctrine of one group, I decided I wanted to be a chaplain. Because my belief system is very inclusive I feel I can minister to people regardless of their beliefs. I also feel that many people are also unable to settle on one religious group with all their heart and perhaps would benefit from a chaplain with similar beliefs. Most chaplains believe, primarily, in one religion and are very adept at ministering to those of other faiths but I think a “mixed breed' chaplain could fill a need. 

Having volunteered in a county jail as a tutor, lay counselor and life skill teacher I decided that was one place I would like to be a volunteer chaplain. Having also had experience in nursing homes I feel that I can be of service there, too. I am already making connections to serve in the capacity of a volunteer chaplain in both institutions as soon as I graduate from the Chaplaincy program. This course educated me as to exactly what would be expected of me as a chaplain in these institutions. Hospitals are other institutions familiar to me through previous volunteer work; they, too, are a possibility. It, however, was most illuminating to me to learn of the great number of institutions that now have chaplains. I would never have thought of some of the options mentioned in the lessons.

The lesson regarding the “chaplains toolbox” was my personal favorite. What a fantastic idea! The items to carry are so practical and, again, I would never have thought of all of them. I will adopt the list of material items and add to it some personal favorite prayers, verses or sayings of as many religions as I can so I can use what is most familiar to the person I am trying to comfort or advise. The reminders regarding appropriate demeanor and ways to demonstrate compassion were also appreciated.

In conclusion, this course will serve as my guide for many aspects of my future position as a volunteer chaplain. It was well-written, extremely informative, useful and highly interesting. I am not aware of anything that would improve this course. It will serve as my “work bible”. On a personal level, it would have been interesting to me to read, at the beginning of the course, a brief autobiography of the author, Rev. Daniel Moore.

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

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site 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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Ordained Minister

ULC Nigerian Minister: Danjummai

Universal Life Church

 

My real name is Ahmad. My father’s name is Umar. My grandfather’s name is Abdullahi. I was born Friday, 16^Th, 1965 at Unguwar Shanu a Northern Kaduna suburb in the country Nigeria . I am a Muslim. My father died when I was young. Corporal Umaru Madagali died while receiving medical attention at the 44-Army Reference Hospital Kaduna after the Nigeria ’s Civil War which is known to be the war of the Unity of Nigeria. My mother’s name is Aisha. She hails fro Gora, Kano State . She raised me up, jointly with our guardian, Late Hajiya Ladin Basharu Argungu who was the financier of my early education.

There is nothing special about me. May be that I have a good memory of things spanning from when I was supposed to be a kid – things from when I was three years of age. When my father died late 1972, my family, customary of our tradition, tried to hide the news to me. When I asked why people were crying through out the day and that my mum said nothing about visiting my father at the hospital, my mother said “We’ll go to the hospital together next day.” I knew she was lying. I also knew that my father was no more. The period of the death of my father sharpened my curiosity on the matter of Afterlife. I remember when within that period we were taught letter writing in school and it occurred to me to write my father a letter where he was in what I later understood to be the limbo. Of course I had my frustration with the mailing address I was to use. I also understood how impossible it was to physically communicate with the dead. But I still went ahead to write and post my letter. I remember how silly I felt when I went to post the unaddressed letter which I knew would get stuck at the post office. I remember the body of my letter which reads: “Dear Father, how are you?  I hope you are fine.  I write to ask how you are doing.” That was my first shot on the controversial question of Afterlife, and interestingly, I dreamed of my father the night I posted my letter that he visited and took me out to a nice place and back.

There is nothing much in my adult life either.  I grew knowing that I did all sorts of low-level youthful experimentation. That was during and after my secondary education in 1983. The only credit that could probably be given to my minor-life could be the awareness of the implications of my actions. What I had was a very probing mind and perhaps the reason why I keep craving for new acquaintances or experiences, and probably why I find it easy to adapt to new or challenging situations. I used to be fond of drinking and all sorts of smoking. I remember the New Year eve of 1985. I was in a bar drinking to the approaching year with a close-friend when it occurred to me to stop drinking and engaging in things that hamper spiritual growth. We prayed to God in our drunken state and luckily my prayer was answered and I became straightened. This quite unusual touch of God on sinners made me increased my curiosity about God. I was brought up to think of sinners as the enemies of God who do not deserve His mercy. But as I later became conversant with the Qur'an I came to know that "the mercy of God encompasses all."

 

By the year 1988, I was a complete devotee with great sympathy to the cause of the late Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran, plunging myself into the arena of religious or world politics, and was soon to realize afterward, after the demise of the Imam that “God is more than the Heavens and Earth can contain.” I therefore set my search beam inwards again. I devoted time searching God in the Spirit. Islam is a spiritual religion but erroneous interpretations, like in the rest of the Paths, had turned it otherwise. A Muslim must believe in God, All Revealed Books, Prophets, Angels, Jinns (Spirits), Destiny and Afterlife. I had a great fancy for stories about the spirits. Interactions between Spirits and Mankind had begun from time immemorial. A whole Chapter dealing with the idiosyncrasies of the Spirits is featured in the Holy Qur’an. Sufi or Spiritual Scholars had also rendered works on this subject. Such works became my daily companions and before time my eyes began opening to the unusual occurrence around me. I used to come back home from work and find burning incense in my room or the odor of pleasant perfumes. There was a night I came back and felt the presence of a female entity in the room. There was a time I traveled out and when back late at night realized I had forgotten my keys where I visited. I was about breaking the door but something in my mind forbade me and made me stroll outside for a little while. When back I found the keys put at the step of my door. I gradually became used to my hidden friends and worked earnestly towards formalizing our relationship. The harder I worked the faster my eyes and dream sensors were opened, and when I was able to clearly see I was fully enrolled in the Batini (Hidden) School where I did my Masters and PhD - believe it or not.

 I do remember the early days of my studies when I wanted to see the spirits with my physical eyes. I did my supplication and went to sleep. I was awoken by a tap on my shoulder and when I opened my eyes it was unbelievable. I found myself lying in a crowded beach. I sat up and watched the amazing scenario for minutes before going back to sleep. I also remember when I was eager to memorize all the faces I saw and voices I heard and my dream aid told me to just "pay attention". That was how I was taught healing and matters of the Kingdom. If I have work to do I just pop into the small world and come back with solutions – simple.

 

I began my healing career late 2001. Healing is cool, if not for the lonely times. When you are gifted (or ESP) you find you are lonely in the midst of a crowd. I find the Internet accommodating when I am resting. This, interestingly, was how I found online forums such as the University Of Metaphysical Sciences of which I am member and subsequently the Universal Life Church Forums which are invaluable fountains of enlightenment, where we of like minds meet to rub minds.

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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.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.  
 

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Gnosticism

Essay for the Master of Gnosticism Course
Joseph H Kovacic


Having dabbled in the study of Gnosticism for several years, a formal examination of the subject seemed in order. The course, "Master of Gnosticism," offered at Universal Life Seminary appeared to be a  means of satisfying that goal. Early on the World Wide Web provided a plethora of information on Gnosticism. Ecclesia Gnostica offered an abundance of data on their web site (ww.gnosis.org/gnintro.htm). Bishop Dr. Steven Hoeller, is a prolific writer, scholar and Bishop of the "Ecclesia Gnostica" Diocese in Los Angeles, California and the expanded Diocese consisting of parishes in several western states. There were reams of data on Ecclesia's Web Site, including a  Gnostic Catechism (http://www.gnosis.org/ecclesia/catechism.htm). Various texts on Gnosticism were used to supplement a wealth of information from other sources such as: The Gnostic Bible (Meyer, Barnstone); The Nag Hammadi Scriptures (Meyer) and works by Erhman; Freke and Gandy; Tabor; Krosney; Pagles: Starbird; Nahmad and Bailey; Jacobovici and Pellegrino; Leloup; Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln, et. al. The Gnostic Bible and The Nag Hammadi Scriptures were used primarily as references and The Catholic Encyclopedia was also consulted. It is a good source of information about Gnosticism. One, however, must read the material cautiously and filter out all of the negative propaganda and focus on the history.

In addition, the ULC Seminary's course provided, not only reinforcement for previously learned material, it offered new Concepts. Myth is presented throughout the "Master of Gnosticism" course. Evidently, certain movies reflect the Gnostic Experience. "Matrix" was alleged to contain "many" elements of Gnosticism. Science fiction? Well, . . . don't know about that. This writer saw the movie  after reading its reference in an early lesson (lesson two) of the "Master of Gnosticism" course. The movie was alleged to offer many examples of Gnosticism; that, however was not recognized by this student. Only "bits and Pieces" were observed; the movie was found to be boring. It was probably someone's loss having not focused during the preponderance of the "flick."

There were many terms presented, id est: demiurge, aeons, archons, Basilides, Valentinus, Marcion, Docetae, monad, pleroma, Sophia, Jaldabaoth, Jao, Sabaoth, Adonaios, Astaphaios, Ailoaios, Oraios and many others. Basilides, Valentinus, and Marcion were bishops who were excommunicated by the orthodox Roman Church. Having became disillusioned by the narrow views ordered by the orthodox, they drifted to Gnosticism and founded important Gnostic schools. Actually, they drifted prior to excommunication.

This observer finds the KISS principal (keep it simple, stupid) more than adequate for consideration of the Gnostic phenomenon. The many myths seem to be an encumbrance.

Basilides, Valentinus, and Marcion were involved with establishing various schools of Gnosticism. Egypt, Alexandria, and Syria were some of the areas these men congregated and disseminated Gnosticism. Gnostic is from Greek and means knowledge. This is not knowledge one embraces via a book. Here one does not need to search for knowledge outside of oneself. Seeking knowledge from others, priests, bishops, etc. is not necessary. All one need do is look inwardly and commune with God directly. This did tend to pose a threat to the orthodox establishment. Therefore the establishment sot to eliminate the Gnostics. Solitary worship is what is practiced by most Gnostics according to Bishop Hoeller.

Gnosticism is dualistic; good, bad, evil, etc. The Demiurge would be equivalent to the creator god of the universe, earth and all material things encompassed therein. That would be concomitant to the Jewish people's god; angry, punitive and a "witz-vogel", so to speak. Space alien maybe; that was Yahweh. The Absolute God is far above the Demiurge and projects love rather than the hatred and meanness as do the lessor gods.

The Supreme Being was unknowable, a pure Spirit. Jesus was, perhaps, associated with this "loving" God. Love is what Jesus represented, and thus the all powerful God made its appearance through and in Jesus. That would be the basis for the concept of duality, two gods, the materialistic evil god and the Supreme Spiritual Good God of Love; the Trinity, Father, Son and the Holy Ghost with Sophia representing the Holy Ghost; Wisdom.

Bishop Hoeller in one of his homilies mentioned that many people consider themselves Gnostic, but there are few who actually are. Clarification would be helpful. This writer considers himself a Gnostic Christian. Where did he go wrong?

One of the possible authors (there were obviously several writers involved in the course construction) of the "Master of Gnosticism" course drew some outstanding contrasts between Gnostic Christianity and Orthodox Christianity in lessons fourteen and fifteen. Perhaps the author overdid the comparisons in lesson fifteen. This writer took offense at the very extreme presentations and called it "tommyrot." Although, there were obvious errors in spelling, grammar and syntax, etc., the information was thorough. Yet, there may have been a bit of redundancy, but that is expected. Driving the issue home may be crucial. Repetition is of value to the student. So, that was, perhaps, a favorable technique. 

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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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Shamanism

I began this journey to intellectually know what and who I was. I found that the academic world does not have a fundamental grasp on the foundations of what it is that makes up a Shaman. The best I can say I found is I have a label for myself, I am a Shaman. I have a great deal of indigenous North American ancestors, for which I have access to their guidance for they speak through the blood, on a subconscious level, thus I come from a long line of “shamans”. The concept that we are all interconnected still with all the research eludes the scholars, they do not full grasp this concept with gnosis, (that is the experiential knowledge)they approach shamanism with the same analytical skepticism that they do for all their science as if the human condition is some lab experiment. The world of the shaman is very real, the spirit world the different dimension that one can travel they all exist if the individual would open their perception to receive some thing other than the ordinary mundane drudgery of their materialistic overly automated socially inept existence.

The society that has been built is there to make the individual feel alone and separated form one another, God, the animals, the plants and the very earth that gives them life, this is all separate for a person who lives in our society without even getting to the universe and the vast cosmos out side our atmosphere.

By the very nature of design this social structure is designed to keep you alone, sick and diseased. If you are not in need of out side influence to heal your mental and more importantly spiritual ills this society could not function at the economic and power hungry level it does. Shamans gave the people the connectivity they needed to feel strong, important and very much so as if they belong in the bigger picture of the cosmos thus ending the separation of the spirit form the creator.

This has been lost in time through our over eagerness to progress with technology, mechanism and materialism all in the name of making our lives easier but we have lost our connection to the earth and the creatures and the heart beat of all the universe that makes us who we are for the sake of all these convinces. Some of these things are nice but they keep families form spending the time together they would have otherwise been together collecting forage or make necessities for every day living these thing let them know they were important and needed by their other family members and even their tribe.

We go to our jobs in our cars by our selves to get on our computers by ourselves to leave to go to lunch by our selves to leave to go home in our car by our selves to check out at the grocery store in the self serve line by our selves, you get the picture, there is very little human contact with one another and rarely if ever does another person have physical contact with you that is not a family member. It is amazing to me that we have got this far with this kind of behavior without the majority of the population totally insane, oh ya that is right most of the people in America are heavily medicated on some kind of mood altering serotonin inhibitor substance like Prozac. We are in need of understanding exactly who we are and exactly how connected to each other we really are and that we matter to everything that exists on this earth and the cosmos at large before we self destruct.

The essential connection that brings all this together is the shaman for they have a real sense of all this and are able to lead others to this connection through various techniques and even entheogens if necessary to bring about the connective gnosis that is necessary to end the separation from all that is our creator. I know who I am, I am a shaman and I know that we are all related . I know I can not be studied like some lab rat, for you will not see the energy of the universe , the earth ,the people nor the creatures through a micro scope. I know that an atom has a nucleus and electron and in side each one of those is the same thing that they will see under that microscope, a whole lot of nothing. Man has not yet been able to measure the quantitativeness of the spirit that exists in all of creation. That can only be experienced.

Cheryjn Carson

Man has yet to create chains that can fetter the mind!

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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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