Why is Tesco letting a cult fundraise in its shops

[WhyIsTescoSupportingACult]

obviously NC for this

went to the big Tesco in Beckton, east London, earlier today. 2 young men were enthusiastically dancing and singing whilst holding those fundraising buckets. They were collecting donations for the UKCG ‘helpline’.

UKCG is a Christian cult, started in Brazil, but now present in a number of countries. Their leader/founder has spent a significant amount of time in jail. They are a dangerous organisation.

why is Tesco allowing a cult to fundraise in its shops??

Looking at their website, a lot of what they believe in sounds unhinged.

An excerpt from their Intelliman Challenge which purports to prepare young men for today’s challenges and show them how to ‘deal with’ women. Urggh.

“Being a man in the old days was quite simple. You learned two things from early on: fight to defend yourself and hunt for food. Those who could do it well, would turn out very well in life — and still take the girl home.
That was the basic condition a father would demand from a young man when considering him to marry his daughter. And she didn’t expect much more either. In many cases, love was secondary. You wouldn’t see women putting together a long list of attributes they wanted in their future husband such as: ‘He must be caring, have a good sense of humor, love going for long walks on the beach, be romantic, sensitive to my needs, smell good, love animals, accept me as I am, carry me in his arms when I’m tired, notice when I change my hair and compliment me, be a good listener, enjoy a conversation, be a friend, have a sense of fashion...’

That just wouldn’t happen.

‘Can you and are you ready to protect me with your life? Can you support me as well as or better than my father? So put a ring here.’ Simple as that”

I haven't used Starbucks since they put up Mermaids posters in their premises which included a bare-breasted female-to-male transexual with mastectomy scars from so-called "top surgery", and refused to remove them on grounds of "inclusion". I won't patronise any company which condones and encourages the mutilation of children.

Obviously, the point went over your head. Number one, there is a BIG difference between a religion and a cult, whether you wish to believe it or not. The Catholic Church has never gone after members with threats if they drop out of church. Number two, the Catholic Church is not out on the streets trying to get you to give them money, harassing you and trying to recruit you.
I am not Catholic nor have I ever been, BUT, I have gone to mass there and guess what? NO ONE tried to keep me, brainwash me, deprive me of food and water until I submitted or threatened me when I left after the service.

This constant bashing of organized religion is so lame and really stupid. If you don't like it, don't belong. Go join a cult and then try and leave. Good luck.

They must be a powerful branch locally as the same charity was packing customer bags in Beckenham Waitrose on Friday…

They are all over London. Last year I saw them in Covent Garden and Bromley. They have a vast centre in Catford. I’m always very suspicious of them.

OP what cause do they say they are raising money FOR, exactly? Surely major supermarkets shouldn't be allowing religions to raise money for their church to just keep.

It's really not all that long ago that these things were happening in the catholic church. Or should i say instances of these types of things. The institution doesn't practise as it preaches. So it's very hard to respect it really.

Most organised religion could wear the cult hat.

What’s the difference between a religion and a cult? A couple of hundred years.

They regularly fundraise at the Morrison's near their church in Finsbury Park too. Not just collecting but last year they were that branches local charity - the bit where you take a 'bauble' from the pretend tree and scan it to donate.

Loads of people have complained but I don't think it's made any difference. They also don't state who they give their food bank donations too either so lots of people boycott that in case it's them

The food writer Jay Rayner complained about it a few years ago, although I think that was related to another north London Morrison's

Your point is valid, OP. But I think you are wrong to post the face of the fundraiser on the internet without their consent.

If you see no issue, go ahead and post your own face alongside his.

The Catholic Church has never gone after members with threats if they drop out of church.

Never?! In its entire thousand plus year history?! 🤣🤣

Why don’t you look up the Spanish Armada as a starter. An entire fleet of Spanish ships was sent to England supported by the Pope with the intention of restoring Catholicism. Just a touch threatening…

I’ve always wondered what makes some people so susceptible to cults, and others like us, not.

When I think of cults, I think of Charles Manson, Jonestown and Donald Trump’s maga, sadly all from the US.
I’ve never heard of UCKG or Mermaids.

I think I saw fundraisers for this organisation in Manchester on Friday. I couldn't figure out what the charity was tbh. Same vests and symbol. The young people with the buckets probably aren't connected with them, just doing a promo job. I will look them up as I've never heard of them.

And yet they ignore the command of Jesus that husbands love their wife as Christ loved the church.

And also the principal teaching of Jesus that three things remain, faith, hope and love but the greatest of these is love.

But apparently love is secondary to them…

They've been pissing off passers by in London for years - they get right in your face shaking the buckets and singing at you.

Bunch of hypocritical fraudsters and abusers, the lot of them.

I've just woken from odd dreams after being weirded out by this.

I will be careful what I say as they have, ahem, being cleared by an investigator, but a poster referenced Victoria Climbié. If you're old enough, that's the situation where this org might ring bells with you.

how this organisation has grown into this, I just can't fathom.

i never encountered them in London, thank goodness.

Same in Waitrose in Beckenham......very odd

They sound like the fictional organisation in JK Rowling’s latest Strike novel.

I think you should blur the faces of the workers in the picture

@DreamTheMoors the podcast "Was I in a cult?" is good. People giving their account of being in, and getting out of, cults.

Mostly people don't realise what they are getting into. Some of the cults were not religious ones but things that looked like self help movements or even business training.

Of course there are religious cults but some people seem to be vulnerable because they don't expect something that is non religious to be a cult.

Or maybe because they don't consider themselves to be vulnerable to it.

I can't stand fucking chuggers in supermarkets. Nothing is more likely to make me boycot somewhere.

From a legal standpoint, publishing the faces of the collectors is potentially defamatory. By doing so you are specifically linking these people to the accusations you claim this charity is guilty of. Those are serious claims you have no personal proof of and they could be volunteer chuggers recruited via a company for all you know. I’d pixelate their faces if I were you.

@LateAF wrote: "And yet they ignore the command of Jesus that husbands love their wife as Christ loved the church."
That's not a command from Jesus. He might have approved of the idea, but this instruction is from St Paul's letter to the Ephesians, written after Jesus's death. When Jesus was on Earth there was no church, so this commandment wouldn't have made sense to anyone listening.

Agreed.

I take your point OP but posting people's faces online is not acceptable.