_____ Dr. Bear, I am very honored you took the time to post a reply to my message "All American University" - **ALERT**. I saw that you were listed here, but never expected to "hear" from you. I am a great fan of your work, and I presently own the 15th edition of "Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning", that you and your daughter wrote together. It is a wealth of information, that I have found to be very, very useful. I first heard about you while I lived in California (Berkeley) and had later moved to Portland in 99, where I presently live. The detail you offer in your work is amazing - a very powerful resource guide indeed. I've read that you are retiring sir, and might I say that I am sad to hear such news. No doubt that your input on distance learning programs will be missed in the future. Will your daughter carry the burden by herself, or do you plan to discontinue the work all together? I hope in some fashion, the work you have begun will continue just as well as it has with your presence for the last 15 years. I have found so many disturbing academic sites out there in cyber land...trying to sell worthless degrees. It is hard to see the "wizard behind the curtain", because many of these sites hide behind generally accepted buzz words - i.e. "legal", "accepted", and so forth. It becomes a chore just to separate the wheat from the chaff. Thank you Dr. Bear, for your work through the years. Although I have only used your material over the last 4 or 5 years for my own research and knowledge, it has saved me a lot of headache. Regards, PhiloScholar (Rev. Shawn T. Berthel)
Thanks for the kind words, Rev. Berthel. My daughter and I will not be doing any more Bears' Guideses for Ten Speed Press.* We have told them this. Since our current contract is not an author-publisher contract but a manufacturer-contractor contract, there is no non-compete or first-refusal clause, and we are free to do something comparable for someone else, and just possibly might, one of these years. Our other two daughters and their families moved to Portland a couple of years ago, and we visit regularly, and go and look at the houseboats (floating homes) for sale along the Multnomah Channel and wonder if this is, someday, for us. ____________ * The very slightly revised 9th ed. of Bears' Guide to Degrees by Mail and Internet goes to the printers next week. They've redesigned it to look more like Bears' Guide 15, which seems silly to me. 1/4 as much information at half the price.
Greetings Dr. Bear! (Oh yeah, we've done that). _______ Dr. Bear, In that way their method is a lot like a fast food hamburger...they shrink the size, and normally charge the customer just as much as the original size was before they shrunk it! I guess this time, we get a break. Yeah, love the boats. Summer brings them all out in the channel and along the waterfront. I'd be looking for floor leaks way too often to live in a houseboat though. Wake up submerged with Wally, the oceanic houseboat shark...coming in from fishin'...looking for lunch. lol. Oh, I wanted to mention one more thing to you if I may. I've tried to E-mail this to you, but your account bounces my message back to me. No doubt its all fan mail. Go figure: I am ordained with the ULC, (yeah, that address in Modesto, Calif. as you have so thoughtfully put it...lol), and I have practiced a faithful ministry for the last 2+ years. I've read the information you wrote about in your books on the "accreditation" the ULC has for its degrees. I agree with why you wrote about it as you did, but its important to know (without defending the church), that their degrees are all religious degrees - not academic in any way. All of their programs are on church doctrines, and some work is required before any degree is issued. Even though they charge for the degree, they do send you to complete, and an exam you have to pass for any of their programs before a degree is awarded. If you feel it would be helpful for you, I can send you information which may help to solidify your understanding of their programs. I don't agree with how they have gone about promoting their programs, ( I too feel it is deceptive - and quite embarrassing) but at least they are not offering deceptive *academic* diplomas. *This in no way should be taken to say that I am against the church - indeed I am not. I do think they need to revise their methods a little however, as the concept of religious freedom (as pertains to academics) should not need a Hubble Telescope for viewing. Now, I have a special certification from the ULC which fully qualifies me as a recognized pastoral counselor, (although the certification itself was never required, the knowledge base has proven useful in my work). Nothing else in the way of any of their diplomas has ever been aquired by me. I think (as best as I can tell), that they are trying to appeal to people who have a common understanding of what a degree is...but just slightly off the mark in their approach. I'd rather do the whole deal right the first time. Just thought I would share that with you. Once again good sir...regards.
* Now where is that dictionary...oh here it is: Acquired: A-c-q-u-i-r-e-d...Aquired - not "aquired". (Previous post).
Rev Berthel: its important to know (without defending the church), that their degrees are all religious degrees - not academic in any way. John Bear: So they say. Tell that (for instance) to the victims of Doctor Tony Russo, who opened and ran, for several years, a heavily advertised sex therapy clinic in New York with nothing more than a high school diploma and a ULC Ph.D. Of course ULC can't require their ministers to be honest, but they sure make it easy for the phonies by offering a Ph.D., instead of just religious degree titles.
_______ That piece of history you have described...I did not know about it. And I have no control over what the church does and does not do - no ULC minister does. I'm just sorry the ULC has created these problems, (in as far as what they have done with the creation and misrepresentation of their degree titles). Religious groups all have their flaws, but I can understand the bad press attached in this case. The damage caused to those who have suffered from those kinds of actions is indeed regretable. I just hope you know, that there are many ministers in the ULC who are wise enough to try and make "good judgement" choices in what they do...knowing the pulic's eye is always on them....despite what the mother church's flaws.
Gee, let's not get too philosophical over what is, essentially, an exercise in First Amendment follies. ULC's exploitation of civil liberties regarding religious freedom is fun to watch, and it serves to keep the mainstream--and extreme--religions in proper perspective, that they hold no special place in the law that can't be replicated cynically, and without all that troublesome dogma, tradition, etc. I'm all for it. But I think the awarding of Ph.D.'s is fraudulent. It is no more a protected exercise of religious freedom than homocide would be for satanists. It is a sham, and should be prosecuted.
Re: Greetings Dr. Bear! (Oh yeah, we've done that). Philo, The problem is (at least one of the many) that religious degrees are academic! To say that a Ph.D. from ULC is "religious" and not "academic" is to admit that the ULC is fraudulent in granting these "degrees." BLD
