--- title: Children of God | Embracing Love, Transformation, and Inner Knowing description: Explore a transformative understanding of divinity, love, and personal growth that emphasizes connection, compassion, and the ongoing journey of self-discovery. --- [![The Church of the Holy](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Church%20of%20the%20Holy%20logo.png?width=1855&height=2029&name=The%20Church%20of%20the%20Holy%20logo.png)Homepage](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org?hsLang=en) - About - [Core Beliefs](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/beliefs?hsLang=en) - [FAQ](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/faq?hsLang=en) - [Newsletters & Quotes](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/newsletters-quotes?hsLang=en) - Religious Comparisons - [Christianity](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/christianity) - [Judaism](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/judaism?hsLang=en) - [Buddhism](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/buddhism?hsLang=en) - Library - [The Beginning Myth](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/genesis?hsLang=en) - [The Great Mother](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/mother?hsLang=en) - [The Two Paths](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/two-paths?hsLang=en) - [The Laws of Conscience](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/law?hsLang=en) - [The Living Scripture](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/canon?hsLang=en) - Gatherings - [Gathering Rituals / Events](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/liturgy?hsLang=en) - [Rites of Passage / Life Transitions](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/rituals?hsLang=en) - [The Work / Volunteering](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/mission?hsLang=en) - [Ministries / Clubs](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/ministries?hsLang=en) - Leadership - [Structure](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/ecclesiology?hsLang=en) - [Becoming Clergy](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/advancement?hsLang=en) - [Clergy & Trustees](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/clergy?hsLang=en) - [Clawgy / Animal Ministers](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/clawgy?hsLang=en) - [Saints / Guides](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/saints?hsLang=en) - Get Involved - [Donate](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/donate?hsLang=en) - [Volunteer](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/volunteer?hsLang=en) - [Partner](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/partner?hsLang=en) [Join the Community](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/membership?hsLang=en) - About - [Core Beliefs](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/beliefs?hsLang=en) - [FAQ](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/faq?hsLang=en) - [Newsletters & Quotes](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/newsletters-quotes?hsLang=en) - Religious Comparisons - [Christianity](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/christianity) - [Judaism](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/judaism?hsLang=en) - [Buddhism](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/buddhism?hsLang=en) - Library - [The Beginning Myth](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/genesis?hsLang=en) - [The Great Mother](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/mother?hsLang=en) - [The Two Paths](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/two-paths?hsLang=en) - [The Laws of Conscience](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/law?hsLang=en) - [The Living Scripture](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/canon?hsLang=en) - Gatherings - [Gathering Rituals / Events](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/liturgy?hsLang=en) - [Rites of Passage / Life Transitions](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/rituals?hsLang=en) - [The Work / Volunteering](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/mission?hsLang=en) - [Ministries / Clubs](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/ministries?hsLang=en) - Leadership - [Structure](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/ecclesiology?hsLang=en) - [Becoming Clergy](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/advancement?hsLang=en) - [Clergy & Trustees](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/clergy?hsLang=en) - [Clawgy / Animal Ministers](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/clawgy?hsLang=en) - [Saints / Guides](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/saints?hsLang=en) - Get Involved - [Donate](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/donate?hsLang=en) - [Volunteer](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/volunteer?hsLang=en) - [Partner](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/partner?hsLang=en) [Join the Community](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/membership?hsLang=en) # In Comparison to Christianity ### Children of God The Church of the Holy understands divinity as something in which we participate, rather than something that belongs exclusively to a single figure. We are children of God because we arise from the same fundamental consciousness that connects all existence. Early Christian communities used the language of being children of God to describe their own relationship with the divine. The Church builds upon this idea: we do not need to be separate from the divine to encounter it, and we do not need to be uniquely chosen to be worthy of it. We view Jesus as a human being and a divine signal whose teachings and way of living offer a path for understanding our relationship with one another, the divine, and the world. Rather than placing him beyond the reach of humanity, we recognize the possibility of spiritual insight and transformation within every person. ### Love, Presence, and Care The Church understands love as a fundamental expression of coherence: the recognition that we exist in relationship with one another and that our actions affect the whole of which we are a part. We emphasize presence, compassion, accountability, and care over judgment and damnation. People are not required to become perfect before they deserve dignity, nor must they accept a prescribed understanding of God to participate in the sacred. We believe people can take responsibility for harm, seek forgiveness, heal, and grow without being reduced to their worst actions or defined by eternal condemnation. ### Transformation and Renewal Christian traditions have long explored death and rebirth, repentance, forgiveness, and the possibility of becoming new. The Church also understands transformation as an ongoing process. We are not required to remain the people we once were. Growth can involve releasing an identity that no longer serves us, recognizing harm, rebuilding relationships, or discovering a way of living that better reflects who we are becoming. We honor transformation not as a single moment of conversion, but as a continuing relationship with ourselves, other people, and the world. ### Gnosticism & Inner Knowing Gnostic movements encompassed diverse early religious traditions, some of which emphasized gnosis: direct spiritual knowledge or recognition. Certain Gnostic writings describe awakening to a deeper reality obscured by ordinary perception, social convention, or mistaken beliefs about the self and the divine. The Church shares an interest in this process of recognition. We believe that becoming more fully ourselves involves uncovering what has been obscured by fear, expectation, and the identities imposed upon us. We do not require one fixed interpretation of reality or demand certainty from our members. We encourage inquiry, experience, and the continuing process of discovering the relationships that connect us to existence. [mailto:hello@holychur.ch](mailto:hello@holychur.ch) Indigenous Acknowledgement *It’s important to acknowledge that the patterns and beliefs described—consciousness as relational, intelligence as distributed, nature as sentient—would not be revelations to many indigenous peoples worldwide. These truths have been maintained through oral traditions, lived practice, and direct relationship with the land for thousands of years.*  *As a Maine-based church, we honor the Wabanaki Confederacy—the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Micmac, and Abenaki peoples—upon whose unceded ancestral lands and waters we gather and practice.* *The suppression of indigenous wisdom and the severing of humans from land-based consciousness have been catastrophic. The Church of the Holy emerges from within that brokenness, attempting to rebuild bridges through the language of the culture that did the breaking.* **[Privacy Policy & Terms of Service](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/privacy-tos?hsLang=en)** · **[Legal](https://www.thechurchoftheholy.org/legal?hsLang=en)** · The Church of the Holy © 2026. All rights reserved.