Have I heard the Universal Life Church mentioned here? (Search isn't working.) They are opening a church in our neighbourhood so please tell me they aren't those guys with the long gray beards and robes that someone posted the picture of....
ULC
by ConcernedMom 9 Replies latest jw friends
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avishai
No, the ULC rocks! It depends who's running the church, though. The ULC is like a "parent" org. that let's anyone get ordained and set up shop. I'm a ULC minister and I use it to do weddings, non-denominationally. They don't require any dogma other than "be good".
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EvilForce
Why be a member when you can get instant ordination via the web!!! A very secular, spiritual group! See a web page below from their site on getting your ordination......
You are about to become an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church. For information regarding the legal aspects of this in your state or province, view the FAQ page on the site.
Before proceeding with your information, please make sure you have complied with the following instructions:
? Please only ordain others with their permission. (This includes public figures as well as cartoon and other fictional characters.")
? Please only put your true and legal name. Nicknames will invalidate your ordination.
? Please use only factual information in this serious religious rite.
? Please double check your name and email address.
? Please capitalize where appropriate, as this is how our records will show from here on out.
Your privacy is carefully guarded. We maintain this information only for our own uses
and for legal reasons.
For your ordination to be legal, your printable, online credential must have your first and last name and date of ordination. If you are looking for a blank "printable" credential because yours is missing or for whatever reason, please read this important announcement about blank credentials.
As a new minister, you will be added to our free monthly newsletter, which contains useful information about being a minister, monthly specials, and a free ceremony sample. You will also be sent special announcements, members only discounts, important news and much more.
By clicking the SUBMIT button on one of the next pages, you agree to receive a few email messages from the ULC Monastery.
Within 24 hours after your ordination, you will receive an email message. It?s a long welcome message explaining what ordination is and how to proceed from there.
AOL Members: Please make sure that your AOL Mail Controls are set to receive Internet email. If you have Internet email blocked, you will need to update your AOL Mail Controls. To make this update, enter the AOL Keyword "Mail Controls" on AOL. -
ConcernedMom
I looked at a couple of web pages. Some seemed like benign, everyone welcome sort of places but others were selling home colonoscopy equipment (Holy Enema Batman!!)
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garybuss
I was an ordained minister as a Jehovah's Witness child of 7 years old in 1952 and about all I could read was see spot run. I didn't even know what ordained meant. The women recruiters (publishers) were all ordained ministers too.
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Balsam
My Hubby said it was a organization to ordain preachers and it helps them avoid taxation. Set up bogus so called religions and claim their houses are places of worship, and keep them free of taxes.
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avishai
Balsam, some people may use it that way, but there's easier tax dodges. I like it because it offers even athiest the benefits afforded to churches in this country should they want them..
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Eyebrow2
Avi,
what's up with their monk training...I am curious...do you know anything about that program?
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POs Son
I am ULC ordained also. Their only creed is "Do that which is right." Back in the 70's, ULC was harassed greatly by the IRS adn other government agencies because you (the newly ordained minister) were able to claim blanket coverage by their church status, and take questionable tax exemptions. This was put to an end, and now, while you are still 100% ordained in the eyes of the law, if you plan to play the tax game, you have to go through the IRS hoops on your own.
In the US, a minister is allowed to avoid the social security system (old age and disablility money) by not depositing in to the system, and therefore not withdrawing at the age of maturity. Some feel this is a good plan (personally, I am no fan of social security).
To be a minister, one must simply say "I am a minister". In the US, our "freedom of religion" prevents the government from questioning our beliefs, though as proven with ULC ministers, and Jdubs, they still have the power to investigate religious activities that may be illegal or unacceptable by the public. That is to say, I have the explicit right to believe in child sacrifice or aliens or Kool-Aid, but I do not have thr right to actually sacrifice or force other to drink the Kool-Aid.
Beign ordained by ULC is mostly adventageous for several groups of persons:
- Those who feel special being called a minister (they sell ID cards for these folks)
- Those who want to perform marriages and other religious ceremonies (ULC is accepted in nearly all US areas, the slight exceptions being cited on their site... NYC, North Carolina , Las Vegas all have some restrictions)
- Those who actually want to perform the duties of a minister/priest/cleric or other religious official, including starting a congregation or church or ministry.
- Those who think it's funny to ordain buddies.
Well, none of these reasons is wrong (except the last). I appreciate that ULC allows those who feel the need to have a title, position or other advantage can secure "legal" ordination. We took this a step further, and have established a legally recognized religious society, a church of sorts, that has the ability to "ordain" and perform the ceremonies or sacrements when someone needs it. It is not a tax matter, since we have not handled a single dollar at all. But when a friend wishes to be married, and they do not want to have a religious ceremony, or they want a specialized spiritual ceremony, we are there to help... no dry Justice of the Peace involved. No elvis minister either.
POs Son
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avishai
It is not a tax matter, since we have not handled a single dollar at all. But when a friend wishes to be married, and they do not want to have a religious ceremony, or they want a specialized spiritual ceremony, we are there to help... no dry Justice of the Peace involved. No elvis minister either.
POs Son
Spot on. Except for the elvis part, speak for your self! I can do an elvis wedding if i wanna dammit!