Dorian Gray

I have mentioned on this forum before, context is everything. What in one time and location was completely acceptable might be viewed now as completely horriffic. Based on the ULC Doctorine, and going to a point in time and location it was socially legal and acceptable, I feel the ULC would full support an individuals belief to do so and would not interfer with the practice. This really isn't any different then it's current stance now. They support your right to believe as you do, but will not allow you to use thier name as justification to commit a crime.

I can accept that it is thier belief and in a historical context can see that it is valid. Having said that, the ULC doesn't support illegal activities and cannibalism is illegal, at least in the US. If someone wanted to petition the government to change it and there were people willing to donate thier bodies after death for reasons other then specifically cannibalism, I would support thier right to push for the change. I personally do not agree with it on a moral level. Christians practice symbolic cannabilism all the time.

My comments, outside of the the direct elephant question were more generalized to everyone and not you specifically.

And what elephant is that? I would be remise if I didnt say, now to me, that kind of mindset is one that sets oneself to feel insulted when none is intended or actually done. People tend to put their own emotional inflection on others post. For better or worse, that does change the context of the post. To combat this, I read all posts with the voice of Ben Stein (Bueller, Bueller, anyone, anyone Bueller). Removing the emotion from your mental voice, tend to remove any perceived insult as well. For better or worse, people are emotional and tend to assign emotions to thing without really knowing the actual intent and that is the root of many perceived insults. If when you remove your own emotional interpretation of the words and there still is an insult only then is it likely REALLY an insult. This whole thing reminds me of the concept of “XYZ made me mad”. Other people cannot really make you mad, angry, hurt, etc. Only YOU can LET someone “make” you feel those emotions based on your own desires, bias, and icebergs.

One does not have to be "fighting" or "demeaning" to disagree. I would take respectful diversity (it REAL univeral) rather then everyone drinking the same kool aid ® and just "me too"ing everything. If everyone agrees and believes the same thing, how do you learn about other to find common ground? Suzanne, have you read any of the writings of our founder Kirby Hensley? From your posts, it seems like you haven't.

Suzanne, isn't what your suggesting by "being more spiritual and less religious" just another way of saying that everyone should "Kumbaya" and just become a mutual admiration society?

Which is why I am sadden when I see pagan and "unpopular" Christian (ie the non universal kombaya type) leave the forum. We, in my sole opinion as a fellow member of the site, as members have become a bit of a mutual admiration society where everyone has to say "I agree" or "me too" and those individuals that fall outside of that group feel they don't belong here and leave or just don't post. This isn't an admin issue or a mod issue. It is a member issue. Are you tolerant of others beliefs that are contradictory to your own? Can you discuss your beliefs and have someone point out an inconsistency without blowing up and reporting the person for "attacking" you and your beliefs? There was a time several years ago that was possible, people didnt have to walk on eggshells and could discuss AND debate beliefs without anyone throwing a hissy fit and taking all thier marbles and going home. During that time we had upwards of 50 ACTIVE users with another score of pop ins. Again, this is a member issue not an Admin/Mod issue.

Well you can order it, that doesn't mean you will get it. I tried to order pizza there once too...didn't get that either.

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123320156

Member title and member group are different

I guess that would depend on what is being said.

Good point Doggie, safe might not be the word I would use, I think accepted might be better.

Well, your ordination is not null and void. It just is not valid for specific legal actions. There is a big difference. As to getting it recognized, your first step might be contacting a lawyer and/or your elected officials and go from there.

Happy, as a retired Officer, I am sure you never liked giving Art15s, but it was sometimes required

Soo old. He must not know your a kitty with a sniper rifle.

Dan, great answer, but that is part of a personal deduction rather then a deduction as part of your ministry.

I am not a tax guy, but I would be willing to bet that it wouldnt be a tax write off or tax exemption. Rx safefy glasses if your ministry was in a industrial area as PPE, but regular Rx I cant see as a possible exemption.

i really wouldnt call it living. It reminds me of the heads in a jar on futurama.

The biggest thing, I feel anyway, is how ready you and Ty are to address "why don't you believe in god like Grandma", or "Why don’t Mommy and Daddy believe the same thing" in a safe and practical way. Ty going off (this is simply an example and no reflection on Ty himself as I do not know him) on a rant that Grandma is a nutter for believing is "big sky daddy" and his magic cannibalism.” As for getting Ty on the same page, maybe a gentle reminder that he has no scientific proof god does not exist. The most he can claim is that there may be an abundance of “proof” that he/she/it/they do not care. It is simple his belief that god does not exist. It is not a provable fact. Just as it is your belief (using the standard agnostic belief) that god may or may not exist and is essentially unknowable, just as it is your parents belief that god does exist. The fact that you do have the full spectrum of non-belief to belief can use used as a teaching point with your children that you are all essentially good people regardless of your religious beliefs or lack thereof. This illustrates that good people come from all walks of life, not just those that agree with you on key issues. *note: I used the lowercase god as I am not discussing just the biblical God, but the generalized concept of a divine being.

My wife and I have a similar (thought not nearly the same) issue. I was raised in the both Baptist and Episcopal and she was raised extremely Irish Catholic. When we married, I was exceptionally anti-Catholic (I have mellowed a bit in my old age) which caused issues after our first daughter was born over infant baptism. While I proved to her (via a Roman Catholic Priest) that her “beliefs” on infant baptism were incorrect according to her OWN faith, I broke down and let her do it with the express understanding that I would attend, but have no part of it. The Priest did not respect our wishes, and put me on the spot. As not to raise an issue with my in-laws, I grudgingly went along with it, but refused the service for our later children. As we grew as a married couple and as parents, we agreed to put aside our theological differences and let our children explore religion (or lack thereof) on their own without outside interference from “Mom” or “Dad”. While I am still Christian (non-denominational, with Episcopal leanings), my wife has begun to explore a new path in Wicca. Our parenting plan continues to let our girls figure out on their own what is right for them. They are free to ask any question they like on religion to either parent, but we normally answer them together as a unified front with me providing the technical details and Mom providing the emotional support. We only got to this point after several long, and admittedly, not always pretty conversations. From the sounds of Ty’s responses, it appears that maybe that conversation has not occurred between you two yet, or if you have, Ty maybe has not taken it to heart. Atheist can be as hard to deal with as the most dyed in the wool religious fanatic, as I am sure you remember from your time as a Moderator here. It also sounds like a small nudge to Grandma might be warranted for her to respect you and Ty’s believes as well. If you want to talk more about how Kate and I handled things in more detail, you know how to get a hold of me either my email, pm or facebook.

Just remember folks...when asked "What would Jesus Do".. Reminding them that freaking out and flipping tables is a viable option. -Matthew 21:12

ULCHQ.com is good (note the lack of the "I") and is the site for the ACTUAL headquarters.

Which one are you looking at? You can get any of the ULC HQ classes here at ULC.net or at ULCHQ.com, the ULC Seminary offers a rather rich set of different classes at ULCSeminary.org.

Photo of me taken a few months after the attack inside "Ground Zero"

It is a day I will never forget. It was my last day of R&R from my deployment. I was just getting out of the shower to finish in processing before I started back at work the next day when the first plane hit. By the time I got to my unit we had already gone to Force Protection Condition "Charlie" (the second highest) and by the time I finished there, we were entering "Delta" (the highest) with armored humvees with 50 cal guns on top. Shortly after making back to my residence, we could see the ash falling and smell the unforgettable stench, even though we were several miles away from "Ground Zero." After sending my wife back on the road to go back to where our daughter was located (she had to drive past Somerset PA), my unit was recalled and we began preparing to support the FEMA operations for NYC as we were the nearest active military base. We worked almost 2 months 12+ hour shifts with no days off. I still remember my mind being boggled for my first trip to "Ground Zero" as seeing the giant hole left by the destruction. Several years later that same feeling came to me as I walked through the rebuilt rings where the Pentagon bound plane crashed through or the solemn reflection when I made my pilgrimage to the site of the Somerset crash.