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Terms & Conditions for VitalWords.org

 

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of vitalwords.org and any related forums, community areas, newsletters, content, and services (collectively, the “Site”). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.

1) Who We Are

VitalWords (“VitalWords,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) provides articles, resources, and a community forum focused on Christian faith and practice.

2) Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old (or the age of digital consent in your jurisdiction) to use the Site. By using the Site, you represent you meet this requirement.

3) Accounts & Security

  • You may need an account to post or access certain features. Keep your credentials confidential and promptly secure your account if you suspect unauthorized use.

  • You are responsible for all activity under your account. We may suspend or terminate accounts for violations of these Terms or our policies.

4) Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  • Break the law, infringe third-party rights, or violate our Community Guidelines.

  • Post or transmit content that is unlawful, harassing, defamatory, hateful, obscene, pornographic, exploitative, or that promotes violence or self-harm.

  • Impersonate others, misrepresent affiliation, or disclose private information about others.

  • Upload malware or attempt to disrupt, probe, or circumvent security.

  • Scrape, harvest, or use automated means without written permission.

  • Use the Site for unsolicited advertising, spam, schemes, or deceptive promotions.

5) User-Generated Content (UGC)

  • Your content: You retain ownership of the content you post (“User Content”).

  • License to us: By posting, you grant VitalWords a worldwide, nonexclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (e.g., formatting or translations), publish, display, and distribute your User Content to operate, improve, and promote the Site and community. This license ends when you remove your content from the Site, except to the extent it has been shared, cached, archived, or included in backups.

  • Responsibility: You represent you have rights to post your content and that it does not violate any law or rights of others.

  • Moderation: We may, but are not obligated to, monitor, edit, remove, or restrict content at our discretion.

6) Intellectual Property

  • Our content: The Site and its content (text, graphics, logos, audio, video, code, and design) are owned by VitalWords or our licensors and protected by intellectual property laws.

  • Limited license: We grant you a limited, revocable, nontransferable license to access and use the Site for personal, noncommercial purposes under these Terms.

  • Restrictions: Except as allowed by law, you may not copy, modify, distribute, perform, display, reverse engineer, or create derivative works from the Site or any portion without prior written consent.

  • Trademarks: VitalWords names, logos, and marks are our trademarks. You may not use them without permission.

7) Community Guidelines

Use the Site with charity, truth, and respect. Disagreements must remain civil. No harassment, targeted abuse, sexual content, or discriminatory slurs. Do not post others’ private information. Content violating these rules may be removed, and accounts may be limited or terminated.

8) Third-Party Content

The Site may display or embed third-party content or tools. We are not responsible for third-party content or practices. Your interactions with third parties are solely between you and those parties.

9) Purchases, Donations, and Subscriptions

If we offer paid subscriptions, donations, or purchases:

  • You agree to pay all charges, taxes, and fees disclosed at checkout.

  • Payments may be processed by third-party processors; we do not store full payment card numbers.

  • Unless stated otherwise, all sales are final. Any renewal, cancellation, or refund terms will be stated at the point of purchase.

10) Privacy

Your use of the Site is also governed by our Privacy Policy. Review it to understand how we collect and use personal data.

11) Copyright Complaints

If you believe content infringes your copyright, you may submit a notice through the designated reporting mechanism provided elsewhere on the Site. We may remove content and/or terminate repeat infringers as appropriate.

12) Disclaimers

  • The Site is provided “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE.” We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

  • We do not guarantee uninterrupted, secure, or error-free operation, or that content is accurate, complete, or current.

  • Content is for informational, educational, and devotional purposes only and is not professional advice (legal, medical, financial, counseling, etc.). Seek appropriate professional guidance when needed.

13) Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, VitalWords and our directors, officers, employees, partners, and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenues, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses, arising from or related to your use of (or inability to use) the Site, whether based on warranty, contract, tort, or any legal theory, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Our aggregate liability to you for all claims relating to the Site will not exceed $100.

14) Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless VitalWords and our affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to your User Content, your use of the Site, or your violation of these Terms or any law.

15) Termination & Suspension

We may suspend or terminate your access at any time, with or without notice, for any reason or no reason, including violations of these Terms. You may stop using the Site at any time. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (e.g., IP rights, disclaimers, limitations, indemnities) will survive.

16) Governing Law; Dispute Resolution

  • Governing law: These Terms are governed by the laws of an undisclosed jurisdiction, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

  • Venue: You agree to exclusive jurisdiction and venue in competent courts within the same undisclosed jurisdiction.

  • Informal resolution: Before filing a claim, you agree to first attempt to resolve the dispute informally through the internal reporting channels made available on the Site.

(Optional—only include if you want it) Arbitration & Class-Action Waiver: Any dispute not resolved informally will be settled by binding individual arbitration administered in an undisclosed venue, with no class or representative actions permitted. The arbitrator may award individual relief only. If any part of this clause is found unenforceable, the remainder of the clause remains in effect to the fullest extent permitted by law.

17) Changes to the Site & Terms

We may modify or discontinue any part of the Site at any time. We may update these Terms periodically; the “Last updated” date will reflect changes. Material changes may be communicated via a notice on the Site. Your continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

18) International Use

The Site may be accessible worldwide. We make no representation that the Site is appropriate or available in every location. You are responsible for compliance with local laws.

19) Severability; Waiver

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of our right to do so later.

20) Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any posted guidelines or supplemental terms, constitute the entire agreement between you and VitalWords regarding the Site.