Amulet

Hello Reverend, You are assuming that members are offended when really it is very possible and likely that your style of writing a response comes across as provoking and/or defensive. Whether that is actually the case, please keep in mind that in a forum setting, and especially when communicating by text, that it is often wise to add vocabulary that will properly convey the feeling you are trying to impart. And to all members; please do not feel obligated to respond to everything that is posted.

I hope life is pacing much more smoothly these days. Welcome back.

These are all great perspectives and I love the replies that have come in so far. It is so interesting to see how everyone's approach to "minister" applies primarily (as a noun/adjective/verb) and the thoughts about the church doctrine. I consider myself a full time minister. The interesting thing for me, is that I am doing ministering type of work all the time but if it is not specifically for ULC, I don't think of it as minister work. I am a minister doing minister work but without thinking of it that way. I never thought about why. Is it like that for anyone else who is actively engaging with members of the community?

The original post to this topic is the following: After review of the topic it is now locked. My interpretation of the original post quoted above, is that the questions were presented to gain insight and perspective about the writings of a specific sacred text and other related publications. The resulting discussion has been a whole lot of assertions coming from logic and ego. - To the degree that the tone is becoming increasingly unfriendly and escalating through different degrees of hostility and provocation. Unfortunately all of that has superseded a real opportunity to be expanding knowledge and perspective about the belief system and the texts which are so misunderstood and misrepresented right now. There is such a wealth of knowledge available to share on the topic. I hope this can be remedied by having a genuine exchange that aims to enlighten...

Welcome to the forum! Thank you for sharing about the positive going on. This crossed my path at just the perfect time.

The Tee-Up: Your ordination is life long and doesn't expire. Acknowledgement of your ordination by the church is 24/7. You are also a participating member of the forum and possibly belong to other ULC groups on FB. I have a few curious questions referencing the above: 1. Does the acknowledgment of you being an ordained minister 24/7 mean that you are a full time minister because your ordination counts is acknowledged "always"? Or does the term "full time minister" have a different definition if applied to you, your beliefs and your lifestyle? Is there such a thing in your life as being a minister seasonally? Such as for peak wedding season, and then the rest of the year you make no claims about being a minister and perform no other ministerial duties to speak of? 2. Do you consider yourself to be an active minister? What does being an active minister mean for you? Would it mean you actively do "minister things" for a minimum number of hours out of your day or through the week? Does actively participating on the forum or in the ULC groups on FB mean you are an active minister? How regular would doing "minister things" have to be for you to consider yourself active? Is there something specific you think an active minister should be doing? 3. Does the church doctrine specifically come up for you as a reference when you have to weigh decisions now and then? For example, if you saw someone drop a $20 bill and they didn't notice and kept going. Or if you are counting calories/fat and had a choice between eating fries or steamed broccoli? I am not talking about conscience or obligation. I mean, do the actual words of the church doctrine "do that which is right" run through your mind in certain cases for making decisions? No? Yes? Sometimes? - Does it come up for you to use the church doctrine as a piece of advice when it applies to a situation? Like, you literally tell or remind someone "do that which is right?" (or even "do the right thing." but you thought of the doctrine.) ...No right or wrong answers. I am curious how members define some aspects for themselves as ordained ministers.

My deepest condolences to you all. You will remain in my thoughts and wishes for peace and well-being. Warm hugs.

Congrats to you and your family. What a wonderful occasion and a blessing that you were able to officiate for them! It is wonderful that you have come back to the forum to share the story. Wishing you continued good health and happiness and more blessings that makes each new day special.

I am also a pacifist. But I want to clarify that my pacifism is an ethical stance that extends to all living beings and creatures, not just human beings, which also means that my food choices are also aligned to be as detached from violence as best as possible. (Ahimsa.) At this point, I am unsure what defines an enemy. I have not given the definition for my own self about 'enemy' in its true definition much thought really. I hopefully distinguish well enough between perceived threat, direct threat and indirect threat before making any kinds of decisions. The one that gives me the most trouble is indirect threat. Because of prior experiences, it causes me to be act more preemptively than defensively and has been on my mind a lot recently, as to what is the best way to handle something that comes sideways. As for it being right way to do handle enemies (threats?), hmm.. it's right for me until I'm wrong? If I'm wrong I'll be pushing daisies!

A major forum software update was installed and it leaves some things looking different. One of the more obvious changes is that for anyone who does not have a user avatar uploaded, the forum will default to use the first letter of the username of the account. We do not control what color your letter is going to be. The like button on the right of the posts also has new styling. The panel in the back does not offer options to change the styling for that either. (I liked the previous one better.) Down the road i will be able to have some graphics to upload for different styles of 'like buttons'. In the meantime, I am hoping the software developers will update to accommodate a few things. Or if you actually like this version of it, share your feedback. If you experience any bugs with navigating or interacting with the forum software please report them here or PM me or report them in the Bug Report forum which I see is located in Help Desk in the Legal Questions forum for some reason... Thank you and enjoy your week!

...I had someone ask me recently about the degrees. There are a lot of different ways to try to explain what is "legitimate", "real" or "recognized." The bottom line to the general population is; if it isn't government regulated, it isn't recognized as legitimate. Isn't that the strangest thing? When I phrase it that way, it is amazing just how much control government has over what information is sanctioned as true, valid or academically "worthy" of recognition. For some fields it is necessary. Others not so much. I also find it something to be cautious about. And in the case of ULC degrees, some people are so accustomed to believing they need government regulation to feel validated, that any opportunities to learn outside of the government system becomes invalidated or are left behind. I think that is unfortunate when it comes to spiritual or religious matters especially.

Oh wow that is fantastic! Is your artwork mostly in the fantasy genre? How long did this one take you to complete?

This is lovely RevTom. Thank you so much for sharing. There is so much left to the imagination. I suppose that is part of the point!

Greetings and welcome Jeff! Thanks for saying hello! Pleasure to meet you. I look forward to crossing paths in the discussions and conversations here! Let us know if you have any questions. Congratulations on your recent ordination!

I see Ministry in humanitarian work. I also see it particularly in places where it comes to improving a sense of well-being. Such as internet mags and health centers that offer information about personal development and tools for managing things of holistic nature (Mind-Body wellness) such as managing stress, or reflecting on gratitude and abundance etc. You raise an interesting matter by asking if one views the clergy as an authority as our ancestors once did or if it is more a religious scholar type of thing. If I go back far enough within my ancestry, it was both.