Chaplaincy Comments from Rev. Dunkel

What I know about Chaplains

Chaplains are found in many places.  Until I read this lesson, I only knew about hospital, hospice, & military chaplains.  Now I know that they can serve almost anywhere, even in shopping centers. Chaplains can be from any religious or spiritual background & serve wherever people might need spiritual counseling or guidance, & help in praying to their higher power or G-d.

 

Reflections – Rev. Leza Dunkel

I have met several ministers in my life that had a true aura of peaceful energy that provoked a profound trust in them & what they said & stood for.  I have been told by a number of people that I would be a wonderful pastor due to my helpful & serene guidance to others.

 

I would like to be able to be available to others on a regular basis to give counsel & help in prayer to whoever a person's divine deity may be called.  I believe that everyone has a right to their own beliefs, as long as they do not push it on others as the only right way to believe.  I want to promote harmony between religions.

 

Master of Chaplaincy Studies – Lesson 3 – Reflections – Rev Leza Dunkel

A self-evaluation of my present skills, strengths, & weaknesses

 

·        Faithful – I am widowed & was faithful to my husband. I am also faithful to my friends & family.

·        Good Character – I am open minded to others beliefs & am not prone to judge others. I believe I am a good person & wish no harm to anything.

·        Good testimony – People who know me, know I am of good character & speak well of my demeanor.

·        Sound in Doctrine – This is an area in which I need to improve. I have studied many different religions, & know a little about a lot of different beliefs. I need to study several religious backgrounds in more depth, & to be able to nail down & speak of my own spiritual beliefs (which are very eclectic), both to myself & to others.

 

·        Able to teach – I am able to teach on tolerance, personal peace, & love of life in general.

I need to do further studies to improve my knowledge of different religions & faiths. I also need to go inside myself to reflect on what it is I truly believe in. This program of study, along with my BA in comparative religion, & other ULC Seminary study programs, will help me on my own spiritual path, & my path to serve others.

 

Master of Chaplaincy Studies – Lesson 4 – reflections – Rev Leza Dunkel

 

Though I have been a member of Religious Science churches for a number of years, I am now drawn towards the Unitarian Universalist faith.

 

When researching these 2 faiths within the military chaplaincy, I found no Religious Science ministers; & only 10 to 20 from the UU community. I am not surprised at these low numbers, because there are probably not many soldiers from these faiths within the military. I am glad, however, that there are a growing number of UU seminary students planning on serving as military chaplains.

 

UU ministers in military service can promote religious tolerance of the different faiths of military personnel, & the combatants that they encounter. In current conflicts in the Middle East, this could be quite helpful due to the religious nature of the conflicts.