First TV vote? What was the score?
 

What was the first UPCI TV vote like? did EVERYONE vote for the absolute ban on all TV use? Or if not, did the losers all pack up their bags and turn in their licenses?

The first vote happened at the General Conference in Salt Lake City in 2004. The vote was not as close as this one...but it was close.

Do you mean the 2004 vote? Or do you mean back in the 1970's when the verbiage was added to the manual originally?

yes I am referring to the FIRST vote that banned TV absolutely across the board for any and all use

sorry Prax. I misread your post.

No problem :-)

I'm not sure when the first tv vote was taken.
When was the ban on tv for ministers put into effect and when were the words added about it being strongly recommended against in the homes of the members?

When I was in St. Paul, MN in 1956/1957 I remember Bro. Norris being concerned about some action on tv which was going to be taken at a conference he was going to. I don't remember what happened at the conference.

I came to Cincinnati in June 1957 and attended a UPC church here for several years. Our pastor was F.E. Curts who was also Dist. Supt. of the Ohio District. Television was not an issue in that local church. Just about everyone had one including our pastor. One day Bro. Curts was teaching and he mentioned being in a meeting in which they were talking about banning television. It was proposed that only ministers would be prohibited from having a tv. Bro. Curts asked the question about if tv is so bad why don't we ban it for all of the members, not just for ministers. He was told that to do so would cause us to lose all our members. His comment was, "Then we are after quantity instead of quality." I don't know the date of the conference when that discussion took place. He may have mentioned it but if so I have forgotten it.

Just called my Dad who was a UPCI minister for 50+ years and he said the UPC banned TV's in ministers homes in 1951 or 52. I remember some ministers that were friends of my Father who left after this.
Raven

Very interesting comments on this thread, learn somethings I never knew before.

It's just funny because TV in the 50's was so conservative, and relatively new, I would have thought it would have took much longer to want to rid it from peoples homes.

I hope others share more details this is an thought provoking history lesson.

Where is Elder Eply? He seems to know a lot of apostolic history.

I don't know the exact number, however, I do remeber the elders talking about how close it was.

It should have NEVER been an issue.

Don't remember where I read it, but I do remember reading that the difference was about 9 votes. Very close.

Aren't minutes kept of these meetings? Wouldn't they be available for inspection, at least by members of the organization?

Brother Jones has not given up records so easily to other ministers who have asked. I know of a minister who requested to see the minutes that were taken when the AS was voted in. His request was rejected.

I know there was a discussion at GC Ft. Worth Texas in 1975 at one of the business meetings. My mom told us that my Dad asked a qwustion or made a statement.

I know Mark Hanby was from Ft. Worth so I think that is why the item was brought up.

We lived in Ft Worth at the time.

I thought there was some form of verbage added in 1978.

Take a look this link regarding actual papers of the UPCI and scroll down to the link for Video. It is the statement adopted by the UPCI in 1983.

http://www.spiritualabuse.org/issues...ionpapers.html

Wow....what's the point in taking minutes anyways

Well back in the 50's a lot of churches were preaching against watching movies or going to the theater so when tv came along it brought the movies right into the home. Lots of folks who wouldn't go see a movie felt OK bringing the movie into their home.

There is probably law that allows a member in good standing to see minutes of a non-profit organization. I know a man who was a member of a local OP who wanted to see the books to find out where some of the money went. He was denied access. When he took it to court he was disfellowsipped and the church lawyers took the position that since he was not a current member of the church he could not have access. Eventually he won and I guess the church had to give him the information he wanted but by then there was bitterness on both sides. I think it was eventually healed before the pastor's death some years later but I'm not sure. Even if someone was a member in good standing and had a legal right to view the records, the UPC corporate lawyers would probably stall and block every effort until the member finally exhausted his financial resources and gave up. And by then, the member in good standing would have withdrawn in disgust or had his license/credentials pulled and would have received the left foot of disfellowship.

Whoa.