Hello. My name is Carl Kem and I was ordained on Dec. 28th, 2002 (might be 2003).
My reasons are simple- for so long I have searched in vain for a church that is a true church of God. haven't we all searched for that? I was raised LDS and was a member for 23 years. I bounced from church to church- Methodist, baptist, southern baptist, independent baptist, independent southern baptist, conservative southern baptist (I honestly feel there are more different sects of southern baptist than there are recipes for southern fired chicken), catholic, Jehovah's witness's, church of Christ, Lutheran, presbyterian, I ain't kidding when i say the list could go on. So many churches, but for what reason? All a matter of this man feels this way and that man feels that way, and if this man sees you're a member of that man's church you're now going to hell, and when that man sees you as a member of this man's church, he will knock on your door until you answer and account to him WHY you made such a choice. Is that what God wanted? I don't think so.
When I came to ULC, I did so out of desperation. I wanted an answer and I was going to get it!!! And get it I did. The answer, to me, is not what is in a church, because there are so many of them if there was one true church, the rest would quickly fall away. Instead it is within your heart. Who is God to you, and how do you believe in him? Maybe to you He is a Goddess. Or perhaps to you He is your Spiritual Brother. Ultimately who He is is up to you, and no man, or woman for that matter, has any right to say otherwise.
I have been attacked for my beliefs. The Clerk of Court in several counties in several states refused to accept my faith. The state says that to be a church you must have articles of incorporation and a 501c3 status from the IRS. I have been told that unless I adhere to the state laws, I cannot have a church. Well, here I am several years later, and while I have no congregation (I have 2 others that listen to my sermons), the state has yet to interfere.
So who is God to me? What is my faith?
My faith is COSMOS. Friends have made jokes of the name. One even called it the "Church Of Sleeping More On Sunday". Though my favorite joke is "Constantly Offending Socialists Mormons Ogres & Numbskulls". But is that it? No, it's not. It's far from that.
God is the Maker of all. He made the Earth we live on. He made the skies that are above us. He made the waters as deep as they are and the fish and creatures within. He made the mountains, as tall and grand as they may be, with all the glorious fine works of His art all across this blessed planet. He made the stars and the planets, the nebuli and the galaxies as large and beautiful as they are, and He made the ominous black holes that swallow galaxies by the dozens. He made the fine works such as Mt. McKinley, and those are terrible and fearsome as Mt. Pinatubo or Mt. St. Helen. All with important lessons within them all, all showing the might that He has.
Even with that said, I believe that while He does have these magnificent powers, there is much that He does not do. He does not interfere in stopping the multitude of crimes that happen. Why should He? They are lessons, they are opportunities, for us and for those that commit them. We can be disturbed by the actions of a murderer, and rightfully so. But that murderer also has the choice given to him by God to change. He has the choice of murdering again or coming before Jesus seeking forgiveness and asking for help.
These are the many chances that God gives us all. We will always have these opportunities. Maybe we choose wrong and we pay for it. Maybe slightly and perhaps dearly. But in the end He always has His door open to us, so we may choose, shall we stay or shall we go. shall we stay in His company and seek repentance and forgiveness for our many sins, or shall we go and walk the lonely road of life into the pits of hell?
So in closing, the Universal Church of COSMOS is just that- in celebration of the universal creations God has made. For us and for others. We have no special books of scripture, because the Holy Bible, new and old testaments, is sufficient. There is one God. One Jesus. One Holy Ghost. They are all one but they are all still the same. The Father, the Son and the Spirit.
You may lose your religion. I have. But I never lost God, and He has never lost me.
Maybe another day I will write more on this. I certainly look forward to it.
My reasons are simple- for so long I have searched in vain for a church that is a true church of God. haven't we all searched for that? I was raised LDS and was a member for 23 years. I bounced from church to church- Methodist, baptist, southern baptist, independent baptist, independent southern baptist, conservative southern baptist (I honestly feel there are more different sects of southern baptist than there are recipes for southern fired chicken), catholic, Jehovah's witness's, church of Christ, Lutheran, presbyterian, I ain't kidding when i say the list could go on. So many churches, but for what reason? All a matter of this man feels this way and that man feels that way, and if this man sees you're a member of that man's church you're now going to hell, and when that man sees you as a member of this man's church, he will knock on your door until you answer and account to him WHY you made such a choice. Is that what God wanted? I don't think so.
When I came to ULC, I did so out of desperation. I wanted an answer and I was going to get it!!! And get it I did. The answer, to me, is not what is in a church, because there are so many of them if there was one true church, the rest would quickly fall away. Instead it is within your heart. Who is God to you, and how do you believe in him? Maybe to you He is a Goddess. Or perhaps to you He is your Spiritual Brother. Ultimately who He is is up to you, and no man, or woman for that matter, has any right to say otherwise.
I have been attacked for my beliefs. The Clerk of Court in several counties in several states refused to accept my faith. The state says that to be a church you must have articles of incorporation and a 501c3 status from the IRS. I have been told that unless I adhere to the state laws, I cannot have a church. Well, here I am several years later, and while I have no congregation (I have 2 others that listen to my sermons), the state has yet to interfere.
So who is God to me? What is my faith?
My faith is COSMOS. Friends have made jokes of the name. One even called it the "Church Of Sleeping More On Sunday". Though my favorite joke is "Constantly Offending Socialists Mormons Ogres & Numbskulls". But is that it? No, it's not. It's far from that.
God is the Maker of all. He made the Earth we live on. He made the skies that are above us. He made the waters as deep as they are and the fish and creatures within. He made the mountains, as tall and grand as they may be, with all the glorious fine works of His art all across this blessed planet. He made the stars and the planets, the nebuli and the galaxies as large and beautiful as they are, and He made the ominous black holes that swallow galaxies by the dozens. He made the fine works such as Mt. McKinley, and those are terrible and fearsome as Mt. Pinatubo or Mt. St. Helen. All with important lessons within them all, all showing the might that He has.
Even with that said, I believe that while He does have these magnificent powers, there is much that He does not do. He does not interfere in stopping the multitude of crimes that happen. Why should He? They are lessons, they are opportunities, for us and for those that commit them. We can be disturbed by the actions of a murderer, and rightfully so. But that murderer also has the choice given to him by God to change. He has the choice of murdering again or coming before Jesus seeking forgiveness and asking for help.
These are the many chances that God gives us all. We will always have these opportunities. Maybe we choose wrong and we pay for it. Maybe slightly and perhaps dearly. But in the end He always has His door open to us, so we may choose, shall we stay or shall we go. shall we stay in His company and seek repentance and forgiveness for our many sins, or shall we go and walk the lonely road of life into the pits of hell?
So in closing, the Universal Church of COSMOS is just that- in celebration of the universal creations God has made. For us and for others. We have no special books of scripture, because the Holy Bible, new and old testaments, is sufficient. There is one God. One Jesus. One Holy Ghost. They are all one but they are all still the same. The Father, the Son and the Spirit.
You may lose your religion. I have. But I never lost God, and He has never lost me.
Maybe another day I will write more on this. I certainly look forward to it.
Respectfully,
Rev. C. Kem
ulc.net
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