Progressive Spirituality - Page 6 of 9

Rethinking Our Attitudes about Sin

February 17th, 2014

As we move closer to the Carnival and Lent seasons, many Christians are beginning to reflect on the juxtaposition of Carnival’s sinful pleasures, and the self-restraint and reflection of Lent. With this in mind, it behooves us to re-consider what we think ab Continue Reading »

Posted in: Progressive Spirituality | Leave a Comment »

Scientologists Gain Equal Marriage Rights in Britain

December 17th, 2013

As ULC ministers, we sometimes take our religious freedoms for granted. We usually think of LGBT people when we think of couples fighting to have their marriages legally recognized, but religious minorities also struggle to have their marriages legally recogni Continue Reading »

Posted in: Progressive Spirituality | Leave a Comment »

“To Heaven and Back”: Three Powerful Near-Death Experiences

December 5th, 2013

What does it feel like to die? This was the question explored in Anderson Cooper Special Report: To Heaven and Back, which aired recently on CNN and featured the personal testimony of three individuals who died and came back to life. The stories are at times h Continue Reading »

Posted in: Progressive Spirituality | 3 Comments »

Uniting Traditions with the “Menorah Tree”

November 18th, 2013

You have probably heard people say that the benefit of having divorced parents is that you get twice as many Christmas presents. It might also be said that the benefit of having both Jewish and Christian parents is that you get presents on Christmas as well as Continue Reading »

Posted in: Progressive Spirituality | Leave a Comment »

A ULC Minister Asserts Environmentalism as Religion

October 16th, 2013

Can environmentalism be a religion? Of course it can, according to a Universal Life Church minister, Ken Layne. On his blog on Gawker, Layne explains that environmentalism shares many of the characteristics of conventional religion, but it is relevant to more Continue Reading »

Posted in: Progressive Spirituality | 1 Comment »

Evangelist Billy Graham Blasts “Trendy Religion”

October 10th, 2013

Do religious trends pander to self-centered desires? Evangelist Billy Graham suggests they do in his new book, The Reason for My Hope: Salvation, which is due for release on 15 October. In it, he criticizes churches for compromising the integrity of Biblical d Continue Reading »

Posted in: Progressive Spirituality | Leave a Comment »

Does Belief in God Give Life Greater Purpose?

September 23rd, 2013

A new study from the University of Pennsylvania suggests that people who strongly believe in God are more likely to reject the notion that life has no purpose than people who believe less strongly in God. Even so, most people who believe less strongly in God s Continue Reading »

Posted in: Progressive Spirituality | Leave a Comment »

Does the Pope Really Care if You Believe in God?

September 16th, 2013

Recently on the ULC Monastery blog we discussed Pope Francis I’s unprecedented statement that atheists can enter heaven, too. Now the leader of the world’s largest Christian denomination has qualified this statement by suggesting that following one’s con Continue Reading »

Posted in: Progressive Spirituality | Leave a Comment »

Religious People Are Less Intelligent than Atheists, Study Suggests

September 5th, 2013

Religious people are less intelligent than atheists, if you can believe the findings of a recent study on the relationship between religion and intelligence. The findings will undoubtedly ruffle the feathers of many devoutly religious people. We should be care Continue Reading »

Posted in: Progressive Spirituality | 1 Comment »

Traditional Fur Hats Violate Animal Rights, Rabbi Says

August 30th, 2013

Chasidim, or Hasidic Jews, should stop wearing traditional fur hats because it constitutes animal cruelty, a rabbi recently declared at an animal rights conference. Contrary to the widespread assumption that religious conservatives view animals purely as resou Continue Reading »

Posted in: Progressive Spirituality | Leave a Comment »