Update On Counterfeit Ulcs

[RevJohnG]

when I was a ULC ambassador in the 80's I ran my church from a closet.

it was a walkin thou.

House Church in the closet! Nice.

Still not fishy. UPS Store is fishy.

[Rev Dr Burnt Swamp]

ULC Seminary is a strange site with overpriced items/courses, etc.

[Rev Dr Burnt Swamp]

-quote- "ULC Seminary is a strange site with overpriced items/courses, etc." - unquote

WHOA! I started to "quote" the above and then politely disagree, when a distraction came up. When I returned to the computer, my edit time expired!

Here is what I meant, Rev John G,

I respectfully disagree about the seminary. I have no connection to them except I think I have their wedding guidebook. To me, things like Scientology and The Midwest Center are hard-sell, high profit, high consumer-complaint organizations. The seminary is making a living, but it's an honest one. If all organizations had the ethics of the seminary, we'd be at a much higher level. They are a textbook example of the ULC's do-it-yourself inspiration, and maybe the best one.

ignore that 4:49 post!

Edited February 21, 2013 by Rev Dr Burnt Swamp

[RevJohnG]

Don't get me wrong. It's not even compare to other not so scrupulous sites. I should not have said what I said.

[Rev Dr Burnt Swamp]

Not to worry, brother JohnG. No big deal but I wish we could edit our OWN comments without the brief time limitation. I really appreciated that you let me know you enjoyed my youthful encounter with our founder. I'm a Northeast US member. It seems to me someone in the Cali' area near ulchq should bless us with a good archive of all periodicals [old ULC newspapers] of the 1st ~30 years, and archive all known audio/video footage of Kirby J. and ULC events. It's family run, probably on limited resources, and they won't document their history like, for example, Disney Productions. There are surely statements and articles that the church would not be able to endorse today for good legal, technical, political, philosophical and obsolescence reasons, but a disclaimer could be added. I think it's a fascinating history and the few ;=( newspapers I have left really bring out the love & enthusiasm of the membership and the charisma and ingenious charm of Kirby. They even had Woodstock-type events back in the height of popularity. Always attached was the feeling of fun and joy; never a cult, but a celebration, and understanding, of our first amendment FREEDOM. And there may be few surviving clips of Rev Bishop Hensley; one is known to exist on 60 minutes- and there should be a concerted effort to aggregate all these. Only an insider could do it. Now that I'm retiring from heavy industry, I'd do it; I'd digitize everything into a marketable package, but first they'd have to loan me everything for preservation, and this would be most practical with a local longtime inside church associate from right there in central California.

I know that the bookstore and the seminary are the only outlets hq really needs and though they offer a wide diverse selection of items, some unusual, some too expensive for certain customers, these 2 authorized representatives and the best possible public face of the church in the web era. Personally, the ministry package deals are your best value, and you often find samples within, of the items you might want to order more of.

-universal peace & love, burnt

Edited March 3, 2013 by Rev Dr Burnt Swamp

[RevJohnG]

This site is counterfeit I assume?

http://www.ulcihq.org/aboutus.htm

[BrDevon]

Counterfeit, no. Modesto (the Hensley's ULC)? Also no.

As the saying goes, "we is us, they is them, them isn't us, we isn't them."

[RevJohnG]

How is it not counterfeit?

Edited March 6, 2013 by RevJohnG

[Dorian Gray]

They are just a completely different organization.

[Bro. Hex]

It may be just my opinion,

but the deliberate co-opting of Kirby J Hensley strikes ME as counterfeit .

If they aren't PART of us, how is it honest for them to lay claim to the Hensleys?

[Dorian Gray]

Misleading, sure....outright counterfeiting is a legal charge.

[Bro. Hex]

"Counterfeit" CAN BE a legal charge, but lawyers and judges are not the only practitioners who

are free to use this term. Poets and essayists, and common folk have a right to the word as well.

Even theologians speak of the counterfeit spirit, and do so without countenancing a law suit.

Edited March 7, 2013 by Bro. Hex

[Songster]

Hex, I believe that as a representative of this site, Dorian MUST refrain from making the assertion.

In 1993, I was interviewed by a reporter from my local paper writing an article about a certain public figure's sudden departure from the union's leadership. During the interview, I asserted that that individual was being investigated for embezzlement and misappropriation of funds from the local union of which I was an officer. I was on the auditing committee. I was investigating the loss. I KNEW there was money "missing". I KNEW he was responsible for the account that was missing money. I KNEW he had taken the funds. To make a long story short.... Knowing the truth, but not being able to prove the truth, is what makes libel suits.

Edited March 7, 2013 by Songster

[RevJohnG]

Bottom line is that this site is saying outright that when you are opting to get ordained thru this site it states this:

Ordination

Welcome!
You are about to become an ordained minister of the
Universal Life Church, Modesto, California.

And for their school they link to New Union Seminary.

http://www.nuseminary.org/

Anywho.

[BrDevon]

As long as they are sending the ordination requests to Modesto, that is not inaccurate, so no issue, and they are free to call anything their school, provided the school has no issue with the "affililation."

[RevJohnG]

I am confirming right now (well they open in a couple hours.) w/ Dyan at HQ so I'll let you know.

Edited March 7, 2013 by RevJohnG

[RevJohnG]

Just heard from HQ and they do not claim this site at all and are honestly disturbed by the claims that it makes.

[gizaap]

Just heard from HQ and they do not claim this site at all and are honestly disturbed by the claims that it makes.

That doesn't surprise me a bit. I had that website bookmarked in a folder to go back and check on later. It seemed odd but usually it is easier to discern. Thanks for the follow-up folks.

[Bro. Hex]

It gets a bit "murkier"

They also say this:

Note: If you have applied for ordination through these following websites,ulchq.com, ulc.net or ulcseminary.orgplease do not apply for ordination through this website. Ordination requests from these websites are forwarded to the Church Headquarters in Modesto and applying again through multiple sites causes extra work for our already busy friends at headquarters. Thank you.

[RevJohnG]

It gets a bit "murkier"

They also say this:

Note: If you have applied for ordination through these following websites,ulchq.com, ulc.net or ulcseminary.orgplease do not apply for ordination through this website. Ordination requests from these websites are forwarded to the Church Headquarters in Modesto and applying again through multiple sites causes extra work for our already busy friends at headquarters. Thank you.

The entire internet is murky lol.

It's a bad website regardless. If HQ says they don't know what the heck it is then it's not to be trusted IMHO.

Edited March 8, 2013 by RevJohnG