Ministry7 min read

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

I am a sect by myself, as far as I know.

Thomas Jefferson

Available for Services

I am a LGBT+P friendly minister available for the performance of services: marriage, baptism, hand fasting, and so on. For more general information about me check my About Me section.

Background

I am an ordained minister through the Universal Life Church (ULC), and are of the Unitarian Universalist (UU) and an Agnostic Humanist persuasions. I attend the Free Congregation of Sauk County (FCSC), which is a UU congregation as well as being the longest running (and in America it is perhaps only remaining) Freethought Congregation (German) in America.

Lay Worship: An important tradition in the UU/Freethought movements is lay led “worship” or discussion within congregations led by the lay person, and this is powerful and empowering tradition that invites congregational wide discourse and participation via our individual (a)spiritual journeys.

Some Beliefs: I subscribe to evolutionary psychology/biology, evolutionary creationism, humanism, sex positivism, as well as, and most importantly, individuals taking responsibility for ones own (a)sprituality. Without a personal inquisition into ones (a)spirituality the responsibility is left to others and their interpretation.

Separation of Church and State: is very pertinent to the American socio-political/religious landscape, as well as globalization, and you will see evidence of that in my writing. I am also distinctly critical of the use of religion as a tool for oppression, violence, divisiveness, and maintenance of the status quo. I try to limit this in my writings, but unfortunately these issues are usually pertinent to the topics I am writing about. These feelings do leak through into the attitude of my writings, so please take them with a grain of salt.

Collective Pertinent Writings: Here I will aggregate my collective ministerial musings and writings. Everything found under the Social Activism and Examiner Articles pages, as well as under the Ministry categories should be considered my ministerial writings.

Personal Creed v1.0

This is a work in progress.

  1. I hold that the world’s religions have organically developed and evolved based on the political values and socio-cultural conditions of their times. Religion is a method of perpetuating cultural history, mythology, and morality as has been determined by their relative and distinct histories.
  2. I hold that there are many parallels between the world’s religions’ morality that when distilled down to its essence they reflect humanism at its core. Religion and Humanism is about humans and the relations between us as individuals, and humanity as a collective and interdependent society.
  3. I hold that the potential wisdom from the world’s religions can inspire us in our ethical and spiritual life, and provide an impetus for the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. I also hold and accept that each individual’s journey towards spiritual growth is personal and unique, and worthy of respect, inquiry; as well as being a potential place where I may learn and grow in my own journey.
  4. I hold that I should neither accept nor reject ideas proposed as truth without recourse to knowledge, reason, ethics, and justice. I shall build my opinions and knowledge of the world on the basis of facts, scientific inquiry, and logical principles, independent of the intellectually limiting effects of authority, conventional wisdom, popular culture, sectarianism, tradition, urban legends, and all other dogmatic principles.
  5. I hold the interdependent web of humanity of which we are ALL a part of imbues all humans with inherent worth and are all deserving of life, dignity, right of conscience, justice, equality, compassion, and a pursuit of happiness. This interdependence of humanity with itself necessitates a noble goal of the world community to work towards peace, unity, liberty, equality and justice for all.
  6. I hold that the interdependent web of ALL existence implores finding a balance and innate understanding for nature’s laws and how we impact it is vitally important so we can maintain an ecological balance and preservation to prevent damage and promote flourishing plants and animals on earth and where ever we migrate to as a species.
  7. Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Related Links and References