September 2013 Newsletter
We wanted to thank you all for sharing your summer experiences with us. We have enjoyed the pictures and anecdotes of weddings, baptisms, vacations, handfasting ceremonies, and other events you’ve posted to
our profile! Check them out
here if you haven’t yet. It’s good to see our church body is alive and flourishing while carrying out its ministerial duties.
Speaking of summer experiences, we wanted to send our congratulations to Sir Ian McKellen, who has just
performed his first wedding as a Universal Life Church minister. Rev. McKellen was
recently ordained through the ULC Monastery in antipation of this event.
A young family looking to escape from sin packed their bags, gathered up their two young daughters, and set sail. Their lack of maritime navigational experience did not concern them; they would go wherever God led them.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get what they expected. Faith can be a force for good, but not in this instance. Read their story on
our sister website.
A judge was asked to determine the surname of a young baby named Messiah, but she had other ideas in mind.
Did she overstep her bounds, was she motived by concern for the child or forcing her beliefs?
Read the story and decide.
A shtreimel is a fur hat often worn by Hasidic Jews. One rabbi is combating this tradition in the name of animal rights.
He makes his case with both modern and traditional Jewish principles.
Read more on the blog.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have discovered that near-death experiences aren't necessarily false.
When a heart stops beating, brain activity surges beyond normal levels, including in parts that regulate sight - perhaps causing the person to experience a vision of light as well as other perceptions.
Do you think this physical activity is the cause of a N.D.E., or the
effect of something else?
A recent study suggests that in general, religious people are less intelligent than their non-religious counterparts.
We really want to hear from our ministers on this one. Whether or not you agree, you can read our summary of the findings, follow the citations for more information, and share your thoughts in the
comments below the article.
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September 2013
