Ulc Unity

[Key]

As there have been a few unrelated attacks upon the ULC in the internet, I have been pleased to see my brothers and sisters here bond together in spite of it.

And has been mentioned by another member in a thread, I haven't experienced nor witnessed such a coming together in any other church as there is done with the ULC, in my life.

So, my questions are: what is the special glue, you think, that unites us so strongly?

What is it here that isn't elsewhere?

I'm talking about personal interpretation.

For me, goes beyond the tenet of "do that which is right." It becomes the actual practice and perception of this. No one is ever guided with disparaging or soul threatening rebuke, but with experience and shared knowledge.

Here, tolerance is a reality on many different levels. Which, to me, is a fundamental element needed for "family".

That's as best as I can explain it from my view. How about from other's?

Edited April 12, 2015 by Keystrikr

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

We have the freedom to follow our own separate paths -- together.

[emalpaiz]

I think that we have learned to respect and appreciate difference.

[Elizabeth Cadre]

ditto

ditto

We are all here because we have open minds.

ULC is for those who have been called by "god". We are not trying to prove anything to any 'man.

Respect for each other -- love for our "higher power"

Or as Ben Franklin said, "we must all hang together or surely we will hang separately"

I had a minister once who pointed out that NOT being persecuted may have been the worst thing that happened to Christianity. He said that when people gathered in secret, in peoples homes, when their very lives were in peril just for daring to teach the ideas of Jesus -- they were strong.

The nature of the ULC tends to push against people. The ignorant tend to become frightened. Fear causes people to lash out.

Most of the people here are used to aggrivating the un innitiated. It kind of rolls off our backs. You kind of smile and just pray for them, and keep on doing what you know is the right thing to be doing....

[Atwater Vitki]

While I have attended services at the ULC brick and mortar in Modesto, I also think what keeps our forum family so strong is most definitely the tolerance mentioned above, but distance. We come and go as suits us here no one has any obligation. Some folks come and go daily, others aren't here for months. I think this is partly what keeps us strong as we each interact as suits our individual need. Like I know if I sat next to my buddy Fawzo every Sunday, we probably wouldn't be the same dudes we are now...speaking of him...where ya been pal?

Anyway, just a part of what I think makes us strong beyond practicing as we will and sharing it, not as a means of converting others, but a look at what makes "my" / "our" spiritual workings work for us. There is no threat of conversion, just sharing the ideas and insights...big difference from being downtown on Tuesday afternoon in the Mission district.

Blessings of Peace,

[WitchHazel]

What kind of attacks, were you referencing Keystrikr?

[Atwater Vitki]

I believe Keystrikr is referring to the animosity from the break off groups that separated from the original ULC and then had the gall to call themselves the "original" or "real" ULC.

What kind of attacks, were you referencing Keystrikr?

Quite often the public perceives the ULC as a bunch of "Wanna Be" ministers of the Bible. The reality is a good portion of Members simply get their officiant documentation in order so they can legally marry a family member of friend or in a few cases have the legal right to offer pastoral counseling. The two version are confused by the public because they 1.) never took the time to learn the difference between the reasons and 2.) are so stuck in their own thinking they refuse and refute anything not IN that boxed in line of thinking.

Witch Hazel, I'm certain Key will chime in as well to clarify, but I know what it's like waiting for answers and saw you were still online as of a few minutes ago.

Blessings of Peace,

[Key]

Thanks, Atwater.

Well, there is that which my esteemed colleague mentioned about the "break off" factions. But my reference was more to a few recent articles, which didn't seem to have had much true research done to back their comments correctly.

Probably the best, or worse, depending on your view, example of this can be seen in another thread, (wish I could figure how to place the link here), which brought our attention to a web site that presented a biased, ill informed, and malicious attack upon the ULC and its founder.

The author's view may have been skewed due to a bad experience with one the "other" factions. We may never know. Nor could we ask as there was no contact information on the site. I know someone here may be familiar to the site or thread I am referring.

Regardless, I found our member responses encouraging and supportive of our true ULC and each other.

We are all of different faiths, occupations, race, ethnicity, and sexual identity, yet here, we truly are all one.

This can't be said for a lot of other different churches, denominational or non, when faced with the same negativity.

So, my question was to how we were different, or more precisely, what is it about the ULC that brings each of us together in strong show of support, in each member's perspective?

[Key]

Found title of previously mentioned thread. Look at "There Is Always One". (Located in forums of "The ULC, In General.") There will be a link in it that will direct to the website I was referring, if it's still up.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Keystrikr

[WitchHazel]

Thank you Atwater, that was kind of you to respond.

Keystrikr, I see, so by attack, you mean more of a someone sharing an opinion online, that was "less than flattering". That is an interesting issue that a large number of organizations have now, with the ease of many review sites, etc. Where one person, or a few, can choose to be very vocal, on their experience, or information, or even "information".

Many corporations have had to make decisions about how to handle such things; and it doesn't seem to be a real cut and dried, black and white learning, or best practice for most. I can imagine that happens often with ULC people, or sites; for the simple fact that it happens with religions, as a rule, online these days, all too frequently.

Thank you for your clarification.

[Key]

Thank you Atwater, that was kind of you to respond.

Keystrikr, I see, so by attack, you mean more of a someone sharing an opinion online, that was "less than flattering". That is an interesting issue that a large number of organizations have now, with the ease of many review sites, etc. Where one person, or a few, can choose to be very vocal, on their experience, or information, or even "information".

Many corporations have had to make decisions about how to handle such things; and it doesn't seem to be a real cut and dried, black and white learning, or best practice for most. I can imagine that happens often with ULC people, or sites; for the simple fact that it happens with religions, as a rule, online these days, all too frequently.

Thank you for your clarification.

That was only one example. I might consider it an "opinion that was less than flattering" if the individual, or group, had actually done some research and fact checking, yet still came to the same conclusion. No, I think this was a deliberate attempt to smear the ULC in a public theater.

As there have been others, as naturally not everyone sees the ULC as a legitimate church as but one reason of many, still our members band together in unity and strength as the crosshairs draw closer.

Each attack, or what you might consider harsh criticism, is met with keen resolve, and some tongue in cheek, as well as some light hearted proof reading.

The stronger the attack, the more united our good brothers and sisters have been. At least that is the impression and experience I have witnessed.

Not one doubts the ULC in these times, unlike other churches where seeds of doubt splinter the opinions of their own members.

So, again begs the question, what makes the ULC so special to its members? What is it that draws us closer when we're the focus of uninformed bias and the like? (In your own personal perspective.)

[Dr Kevin James DD]

I think a great deal of it comes from envy. ULC has been around a while and has kind of set the standard and now there are others trying to put us down or draw our members away and start their own organization, patterned after this one! ( I've had this happen to me! This guy kept flooding my email with stuff that was similar to, but not EXACTLY the same as ULC. ) If you're not being attacked, then no one sees you as a threat and therefore, no one messes with you but if you're being effective at what you do, then some people will see that as a threat and either attack, insult or try to copy you and your work!

[emalpaiz]

.

So, again begs the question, what makes the ULC so special to its members? What is it that draws us closer when we're the focus of uninformed bias and the like? (In your own personal perspective.)

Why is the ULC special to me? Freedom of thought or religion! There are very few churches that respect the freedom of thought of their members. Freedom of thought is essential in the ULC. Most traditional churches fear that freedom. Here I can share my spiritual thoughts with everyone. As ULC members we have no need to attack anyone. That does not mean that we always have to agree with the thoughts or beliefs of others. We can disagree, but we do not have to destroy. Freedom is the bond that unites us. My personal opinion.

Hermano Luis

[Rev Douglas Trouten]

I have to agree the ULC here does have a Unity that one might not find elsewhere, we open our arms to members of any faith and we dont judge them just because their god(s) aren't the same as what each of our individual members believe in. We are a group where you can take people of differing faiths and get them together discussing religion without it becoming a pissing match about who's religion is better.