The Church should spend less on temples! It should give more to humanitarian aid! Too much for missionary work! Too much for family history! Too little to this country! Too much to that country! This temple cost too much! This temple is too small! Is it small because Church leaders consider the people who will attend it second-class Saints? Are different ethnic groups being treated exactly alike? Should they be treated exactly alike? Should the Church be equitable, or should it practice affirmative action? Does x really deserve a temple? Why doesn’t y get one? Are tithepayers like shareholders? Should they be allowed a vote?
All very good questions Dan, and you are right to point out that they are probably questions they don’t want members asking, hence the lack of transparency. It takes a big man to open up and challenge the Church publicly like this.
“When we are confronted with evidence that challenges our deeply held beliefs we are more likely to reframe the evidence than we are to alter our beliefs. We simply invent new reasons, new justifications, new explanations. Sometimes we ignore the evidence altogether.” (Mathew Syed 'Black Box Thinking')
The church brags, with numbers, when it suits its PR purposes. It hides most of its finances so the Lord's anointed can't be questioned. The general assemblies at general conference in the 19th Century actually had meaningful votes. Writings only became scripture through canonizing votes (until 1921 when Lectures on Faith were de-canonized without a vote). Churches often started out as collections of like minded believers, to give organization and structure to their helping one another. That is, they started out grass roots. Like other organizations however, power was seductive and very soon the church was used as a leverage by some over the others until today, that is all the church now is. Can't let the peons know. "It's too sacred."
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." Isaac Asimov
The Church should spend less on temples! Especially when Biblical Jesus did away with the requirements of Temple Worship. If Horny Holy Joe didn't need Masonic type Secrecy and Threats to keep his nasty way out of the mainstream Mormon society, there might not be any Mormon Houses of Holy Handshake (and Death Dances if you are of that age)
It should give more to humanitarian aid! NO IT SHOULD GIVE ALL TO HUMANITARIAN AID. Matthew 19:21 "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."
Too much for missionary work! Or Stupid craps that Can't Take NO for an Answer.
Too much for family history! - Well not really since you sell the data to Ancestry.com (Nice to have Stupid as crap worker bees, huh.)
Too little to this country! - Except this Country and all First World Nations are forsaking the BS for better things like Video games, eating out, etc.
Too much to that country! - Nah, what Third World crap Hole doesn't want used garbage from Deseret Industries and the Mormon "Humanitarian" Services.
This temple cost too much! This temple is too small! Is it small because Church leaders consider the people who will attend it second-class Saints? - CORRECT and CORRECT. Legacy Temples can cost up to 100 Million dollars. Local Members supported Temples can cost between 20 and 40 Million dollars. McTemples normally cost between 10 and 20 Million dollars. Legacy Temples range up to 100 000 square feet. Local Member Temples between 50 000 and 75 000 square feet. McTemples are about the same size as a Mormon Corridor Stake Center, between 20 000 and 45 000 square feet. Duh! Poor people don't pay so they get the crap Temples.
Are different ethnic groups being treated exactly alike? Should they be treated exactly alike? Should the Church be equitable, or should it practice affirmative action? - No, No and No. Just like Trump the damned 15 hate them Coloreds, be it brown, yellow, black, or whatever. It wasn't White and Delightsome for nothing. Like any Trump Golf course, it is pay to play. White and Delightsome and the eluded to but not directly stated Wealth, that's what make for a Good Mormon. Affirmative Action, what the “F” is that?
Does x really deserve a temple? Why doesn’t y get one? Yep and because. You really, really, really need 23 (10% of the 217 Worldwide) Houses of Holy Handshakes in Utah. Can't expect them Pioneer Mormons to sacrifice, see driving distance between the Draper temple and the American Fork temple. y doesn't need one and besides they really can't afford one.
Are tithe payers like shareholders? Should they be allowed a vote? - “F” NO, AND “F” NO.
All very good questions Dan, and you are right to point out that they are probably questions they don’t want members asking, hence the lack of transparency. It takes a big man to open up and challenge the Church publicly like this.
Revelation 2:17 . . give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Thank Google GOD for her son eBay, you can now have life eternal with laser engraving. . oh, and a seer stone and save 10% of your life's earning as a bonus. See you in Mormon man god Heaven Bitches!!. Bring on the Virgins
It's been a great series. It starts out with trying to blunt those pesky critics (whomever they are) who are obviously bitter, want to sin like Senor Dehlin, and don't like LDS, Inc. Then, Dr. P goes on and on and on and on about prudent financial practices in an attempt to apply them to the black hole that is the church finances. Who really knows if prudence and the church are bedfellows? That would be sin to peek through the door to see. However, he does sprinkle in a few nuggets like the subject of this OP. Heaven forbid that those who contribute would question the most holy keepers of the books. We don't want the poor sisters in Parowan raising a stink about the new chapel being built in Cedar City when they have to suffer through the winters in their old buildings.
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen
Exiled David B • 4 hours ago If the church is sitting on at least $30 Billion in investments, why not set aside $3 billion to search for a cure to cancer? President Nelson just lost his daughter to the disease and it would be a great legacy for him and great for missionary work if the church found a cure.
•Reply• Avatar Moksha Exiled • 2 hours ago On the other hand, that money could be used to either help the poor or else be used to fund a series of blockbuster movies such as Witnesses II, III, and IV, The FARMS Story, and Interpreters in Tennis Shoes.
It is obvious why the church hides its finances, because it is shameful for the rich to beg the widow's mite. If they can hide the exact magnitude of their wealth, they feel slightly less shame begging from the hungry child's mother.
moksha wrote:Exiled David B • 4 hours ago If the church is sitting on at least $30 Billion in investments, why not set aside $3 billion to search for a cure to cancer? President Nelson just lost his daughter to the disease and it would be a great legacy for him and great for missionary work if the church found a cure.
•Reply• Avatar Moksha Exiled • 2 hours ago On the other hand, that money could be used to either help the poor or else be used to fund a series of blockbuster movies such as Witnesses II, III, and IV, The FARMS Story, and Interpreters in Tennis Shoes.
I laughed pretty hard after reading this. You were referring to "the computer who wore tennis shoes," right? Also, the Farms Story and the Witnesses series ... awesome.
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen
fetchface wrote:It is obvious why the church hides its finances, because it is shameful for the rich to beg the widow's mite. If they can hide the exact magnitude of their wealth, they feel slightly less shame begging from the hungry child's mother.
This is the fact our apologist brethren can't seem to face and the basis for fraud allegations if we lived on a perfect world. Churches based on fantasy shouldn't get to levy fake threats at the vulnerable, in order to gain monetary contributons, and then hide their wealth from the vulnerable, hinting at poverty, in order to continue with the fraudulent enterprise.
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen
There is a biblical precedent for the Church emphasis on business: Consider the shrewd business acumen of biblical Jacob who saw the chance to buy the inheritance of his starving brother for a bowl of lentils. When such opportunities arise you can build a religious dynasty upon the profits!