User:SpiritualistMovement/sandbox

The Universal Spiritualist is a term that has not been widely recognized in years past but is gaining momentum amongst the Church Deconstruction crowd. It was developed based on the teaching and beliefs of the Unitarian Universalist, as well as the United Church of Christ churches. More recently, it has had influences from the Christian Universalist Association as well. Most ministers that are Universal Spiritualists do not have churches they lead regular weekly services in, but rather do outside the church ministries. Some do mid-week studies of their particular holy books, while others do things like Pastoral care or education.

Religion:

Universal Spiritualists follow the teachings of their chosen faith tradition, however they do not believe that theirs is the only correct way. They are of the understanding that all faith traditions are valuable to their believers and each of them has a pathway to a higher spirit. Some may choose to be a following of the teachings of Jesus, while others may choose Mohamod or another. Most however are of a Christian background. Ministers here tend to start their own groups, as their titles are not recognized in other Christian denominations or faith groups. Most other groups have their specific rules as to what constitutes a right to be called clergy in their organization, and clergy from other denominations do not qualify. A Universal Spiritualist Minister may decide to worship at a church, synagogue or Temple as member of the faith community, but not as a pastor, and still hold “ordained” status as a Universal Spiritualist. Others may choose to be spiritual but not religious and not attend any house of worship at all.

It is common practice in a group led by a Universal Spiritualist Minister to have discussions with people of different faith traditions or even different denominational beliefs within Christianity. They try their best to learn from one another and to understand the point of view of that person. They do not condone the practice of arguing with someone or calling them wrong simply because they do not believe the same exact way you do.

Salvation:

The belief that eventually everyone will be reconciled with their God is big within a Universal Spiritualist. They do not believe in an Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT). While some may believe that hell is a literal place, they do not believe souls are kept there forever. Everyone goes to heaven at some point. Some will go directly there, while others will have to pay some form of penalty for their actions on earth before they are allowed in heaven. How long that is will depend on the issues they caused and the Judgement of their faith’s higher power. No one will know for sure on earth, but will find out when they get to heaven.

Social Issues:

A Universal Spiritualist does not discriminate. They welcome all who are good kind souls and wanting to fellowship with others. It doesn’t matter if you are atheist, agnostic, LGBT, person of color, rich or poor. All are welcome. They also do not condone any bias or hatred toward anyone for their beliefs, sexual orientation, color, or any other human trait.

Holy Books:

The books that a minister takes as holy (ie. the Bible) are guidelines for how we should live a life of faith and kindness. They are more of a storybook to get a point across and not a factual history book. They should never be taken literal or out of concept. Additionally I Universal Spiritualist does not believe they are the only guiding books. Others may be helpful at times as well.