Clarke and former Ensign employees said the firm created a system of more than a dozen shell companies to make its stock investments harder to track. That strategy, Clarke said, was designed to prevent members from parroting what Ensign was doing and to, as the paper stated, “protect them from mismanaging their own funds with insufficient information.”
Shell Companies?
The Church invests carefully, in secure and long term interest bearing stocks etc but puts in place a series of Shell Companies to hide what it is doing from the members in case they (the members) also invested in those same secure, long term interest bearing stocks...because if members did that they (the members) would be mismanaging their funds?
This smells to high heaven and needs an independent and fully transparent forensic investigation on behalf of the members. It's sounding more and more like a Madoff with every interview and explanation the Church gives.
“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')
Church officials said the global faith, as a whole, gives about $1 billion a year to “humanitarian causes and charities.”
Which Church officials said that? Because Dallin H. Oaks has already said it's $40 million.
In a lecture given last month at the University of Oxford, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that each year The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spends about $40 million on welfare, humanitarian and other LDS Church-sponsored projects around the world and has done so for more than 30 years.
Either the Church official is lying, or he's an idiot and meant to say the Church has given a $billion to humanitarian causes and charities in total over the last 30 years.
That Church official needs to provide further explanation and context for his comments.
“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')
When I gave donations to the Church, I was under the impression and understanding that it was for the building up of the kingdom and was used for the purpose of furthering the construction and needs of the Church in my day. I had no idea the church was simply packing my money away in secret investments.
I want the IRS and federal government to step in and SEIZE this money -- Every. Single. Dollar!!!
The money belongs to furthering the cause of religion in general in building up church needs and rendering religious assistance like any other church would do.
The Mormons have created a scam. I call upon the US GOVERNMENT to seize the account, press appropriate charges against church leaders, and distribute the funds to worthy causes that are of a humanitarian nature. Let that be a warning to others religions and cults that seek to fleece their members with scams and lies!
SEIZE THE MONEY, NOW! SEIZE THE MONEY, NOW! SEIZE THE MONEY, NOW!
Neither Clarke nor other officials would provide The Journal with details on the size of the church’s annual budget or how much money goes to Ensign Peak.
Why not? What's the big secret?
“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')
“We preach tithing to the poor people of the world because the poor people of the world have had cycles of poverty, generation after generation,” he said. “That same poverty continues from one generation to another, until people pay their tithing.”
That comment looked bad at there time he made it. It looks even worse now we know he was sat on a fund of >$100 billion which just sits there earning $7 billion in compound interest each year which isn't used for anything other than growing the fund.
“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')
What say ye DCP? Time for part whatever of your "but they live in modest houses, don't look at the other issues, especially where it looks like the church's misleading machine was working overtime" series?
"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
“The responsibility for each person’s social, emotional, spiritual, physical, or economic well-being rests first upon himself, second upon his family, and third upon the Church if he is a faithful member thereof.”
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball (2006), 116.
In other words, no matter much you've donated into the hidden-behind-lots-of-shell-companies-fund, you cannot draw anything back out unless you've first sold your house, your gold fillings, stopped paying for food and heating and rinsed your family and extended family for any savings they might have. Then, and only then, can you ask the Church for some of your money back which the Church will make you work for in some way, assuming you're up to date with your tithing despite your financial distress.
If this was the goings-on of any other Church, Mormon members would be scathing of it.
“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')
Mormon Jesus loves taking money from the poor and retirement savings from the better off. He relishes secretly putting that money in monopolistic companies because of the outsized gains these monopolies earn at the expense of everyone. Competition and an honest day's pay for an honest day's work are for suckers like those who work at COB.
Good job Mormon Jesus, good job!
Back at ya Dr. Exiled, Esq., back at ya, and congrats on your new status.
"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
Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Hinckley, Monson and Nelson are doing something akin to the reverse.
“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')
