in the words of John Lennon

"Can't we just give peace a chance."

Why dont we all just start getting along instead of name calling each other all the time.

Why waste your time and energy trying to change groups that are growing let people believe what they want.

That the first step to trying to stop the violence and hate between the religion.

I a person is converted to another religion its because they either let it happen to them our they wanted it to happen to them.

Every person is in control of their own destiny.

God gave us free will us for something good.

Tearing other people down is just as "destructive" as any of these cult groups we talk about on this sight.

God Bless

Bro. Brandon Tittsworth
UPC Preacher

"Giving peace a change" does not include ignoring abuse.

And learning to "get along" includes allowing people the freedom to express their concerns and discuss abuses.

Some religious groups, such as the UPC, have a bad track record of abuses.

See [www.culteducation.com]

Does "giving peace a chance" mean ignoring those who abuse and exploit minors?
That's what brought me to this site in the first place. I was researching cultic interactions with minor children, with and without the involvement of parental and other legal guardians.

You might read up on " former cult members and affected families" on this forum.

As I said before, who are we to slander an entire group of people for one churches wrong doings. I'm UPC and Ill be the first to admit unfourtunatly their are people like that in the UPC. But that does'nt mean every person that attends one is in a "CULT", some of us are truely trying to help our world arong us but when things like this says that every one in the UPC is a "CULT" member it makes us all look bad. I can understand warning someone against going to one single church because you were abused, but to tell someone not to attend an entire organization because of one wrong church that wrong. sometimes even people in athority don't know all the facts and may make a mistake by allowing a minister to continue. But overall its still the person who gets to choose where they go. If your abused at a church change it. People want to make a big issue out of something small. Please if your going to slander someone, slander the individual and not the entire organization.

God Bless
UPC Preacher Bro. Brandon Tittsworth

The problems with the UPCI can be seen as systemic, that is they directly relate to the way the UPCI is set up.

UPCI pastors are not typically accountable to democratically elected boards within their churches and congregational bylaws that might be used by congregants to rein them in through discipline and potentially fire them for bad behavior.

Power corrupts and as they say "absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Moreover, there is no meaningful financial transparency through independently audited and annually published financial reports, so that congregants can see where their thithes go. Specifically, reporting any all compensation paid out through salaries, expenses and benefits at each individual church.

Until the UPCI has meaningful checks and balances for pastoral power through democratic reforms it may never resolve the serious problems regarding petty tyrants in its midst that often abuse members.

I just went to that site and it appears it was taken down.

the fact of the matter is that most churches in the UPC do have a check and balance system in their church. If a pastor gets out of line the church themselves are allowed to vote him out. If a church does not do this it is their own fault not the whole organization. the bylaws of all churches are different not every UPC church has the same rules and regulations. And like I have said so many times before the whole organization should not be judged by a few churches.

God Bless
Bro. brandon tittsworth
UPC preacher

As Brandon T admits there is no uniform set of standards in the UPC or meaningful bylaws.

It is impossible to "vote out" many of the pastors that rule over their flocks much like petty tyrants.

There is also no independently audited financial statements disclosiing through annually published reports in detail the expenses, salaries and compensation paid out to pastors.

Democratically elected congregational boards with the power to discipline or fire a pastor are also quite rare in the UPC.

Until the UPCI uniformly has such checks and balances like most Protestant churches it is likely that the abuses of power will continue.

Smearing Rick Ross, huh? Well, I have one thing to say about that:

RICK ROSS FOR PRESIDENT!!!!

I'd vote for him.

Bill Hicks for president - even in his current condition!