John, release your finances

[_Rosebud]

Anybody who actually takes time to read through these long threads sees the public responses I get here.

One thing the public isn’t seeing are the good ex-Mormon men who reach out to me because they feel guilty for interactions they’ve had with women. They’re hard on themselves and compare their actions to John’s. Maybe they come to me seeking some form of absolution..... I don’t know.

If anyone reading this falls into that category, please give yourself a break. A lot of the ideas floating around about the absolute fault of men are very false. Kind, we’ll-meaning and self-aware ex-Mormon and LDS (ugh.... I refuse to type the whole name out) men who are trying to wrap their heads around all these metoo issues and are worried about having caused offense are projecting their own concerns onto this situation.

This is a much different situation. Much different.

There are plenty of people like John around, but most people would be wise to be careful about not to put themselves into the same category as John because they feel bad about something. Likewise, others who defend John because they feel men are often unjustly falsely accused might want to consider how much they’re revealing about themselves.

I agree that men can be unjustly falsely accused and am very aware that, on the flip side, many men are too hard on themselves and too willing to assume the worst about their own actions.

Not very many people really have the information they need to understand this particular situation and it’s obvious I’m not planning on offering it here. The result of these dynamics is that people’s reactions to what I say here are, by nature of the limitations of their knowledge, reflections of themselves.

Let it go. None of you are John and he doesn’t need stalwart defenders. He’s going to do what he’s going to do. He can handle some message board posts.... especially if I’m delusional ;).

[_Jersey Girl]

It took you 8 minutes to respond to me.

Historians take note. As of 12/16/19 response times will please be documented for the record. Write that down.

Let it go.

ikr

[_canpakes]

Speaking of finances ...

A former investment manager alleges in a whistleblower complaint to the Internal Revenue Service that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has amassed about $100 billion in accounts intended for charitable purposes, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Washington Post.

The confidential document, received by the IRS on Nov. 21, accuses church leaders of misleading members — and possibly breaching federal tax rules — by stockpiling their surplus donations instead of using them for charitable works. It also accuses church leaders of using the tax-exempt donations to prop up a pair of businesses.

A spokesman for the church did not respond to detailed questions from The Post about the complaint. “The Church does not provide information about specific transactions or financial decisions,” spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a statement.

The complaint provides a window into the closely held finances of one of the nation’s most visible religious organizations, based in Salt Lake City. It details a church fortune far exceeding past estimates and encompassing stocks, bonds and cash.

The complaint was filed by David A. Nielsen, a 41-year-old Mormon who worked until September as a senior portfolio manager at the church’s investment division, a company named Ensign Peak Advisors that is based near the church’s headquarters.

Nonprofit organizations, including religious groups, are exempted in the United States from paying taxes on their income. Ensign is registered with authorities as a supporting organization and integrated auxiliary of the Mormon Church. This permits it to operate as a nonprofit and to make money largely free from U.S. taxes.

The exemption requires that Ensign operate exclusively for religious, educational or other charitable purposes, a condition that Nielsen says the firm has not met.

In a declaration signed under penalty of perjury, Nielsen urges the IRS to strip the nonprofit of its tax-exempt status and alleges that Ensign could owe billions in taxes. He is seeking a reward from the IRS, which offers whistleblowers a cut of unpaid taxes that it recovers.

Nielsen did not respond to repeated phone calls and emails seeking comment.

His twin brother, Lars P. Nielsen, provided a copy of the complaint to The Post, along with dozens of supporting documents. Lars Nielsen, a health-care consultant in Minnesota, said he prepared the complaint with his brother and helped him submit it to the IRS.

Lars Nielsen said in a statement to The Post that his brother asked him to write an exposé on his former employer.

“Having seen tens of billions in contributions and scores more in investment returns come in, and having seen nothing except two unlawful distributions to for-profit concerns go out, he was dejected beyond words, and so was I,” Lars Nielsen wrote.

He said he was coming forward without his brother’s approval because he believed the information was too important to remain confidential. “I know that sometimes newspapers use anonymous sources,” he said. “But that is usually not best for a story.”

In remarks last year, a high-ranking cleric in the church, Bishop Gérald Caussé, said it “pays taxes on any income it derives from revenue-producing activities that are regularly carried on and are not substantially related to its tax-exempt purposes.”

The church typically collects about $7 billion each year in contributions from members, according to the complaint. Mormons, like members of some other faith groups, are asked to contribute 10 percent of their income to the church, a practice known as tithing.

While about $6 billion of that income is used to cover annual operating costs, the remaining $1 billion or so is transferred to Ensign, which plows some into an investment portfolio to generate returns, according to the complaint.

Based on internal accounting documents from February 2018, the complaint estimates the portfolio has grown in value from $12 billion in 1997, when Ensign was formed, to about $100 billion today.

The church also owns real estate worth billions of dollars, according to the complaint, which focuses on surplus tithing money and says that the church may have additional holdings not managed by Ensign.

While accumulating this wealth, Ensign has not directly funded any religious, educational or charitable activities in 22 years, the complaint said. No documents are provided to support this claim, which is attributed to information David Nielsen gleaned from working at the company.

Philip Hackney, a former IRS official who teaches tax law at the University of Pittsburgh, said the complaint raised a “legitimate concern” about whether the church’s investment arm deserved its tax-exempt status.

“If you have a charity that simply amasses a war chest year after year, and does not spend any money for charity purposes, that does not meet the requirements of tax law,” Hackney said in an interview. Hackney, who served in the IRS chief counsel’s office, has been retained by The Post to analyze the whistleblower documents.

[_Dr Moore]

This is big news can. You should start a new thread.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Question: What do you get when you peel a solipsistic onion's layers back?

Answer: Nothing.

- Doc

[_Tator]

I wish I were delusional. That'd be a relief. I could make it all go away by closing my eyes and waking up. Does anyone have a pill I can take ;) ?

Maybe you could try clicking the heels of your ruby slippers.

I have a purple pill but I'm saving for myself I may need it if I keep reading your posts.

[_Jersey Girl]

I have a purple pill but I'm saving for myself I may need it if I keep reading your posts.

Got a pill cutter? Willing to share?

[_cwald]

One thing the public isn’t seeing are the good ex-Mormon men who reach out to me because they feel guilty for interactions they’ve had with women. They’re hard on themselves and compare their actions to John’s. Maybe they come to me seeking some form of absolution..... I don’t know.

Would you please provide some evidence to back up this claim? Thanks in advance.

[_moksha]

Maybe they come to me seeking some form of absolution..... I don’t know.

Wonder if Glenn Close has experienced a similar phenomenon?

[_Doctor Steuss]

If any historians wish to take note of the time that it took me to respond. I have been logged into the board for about five minutes. This is the third thread I clicked on.

My motivations? I watched the first season of The Jersey Shore religiously, and still get sucked into Springer and Maury if I happen upon them on a channel surf.