$$$$

[_Negative]

FYI...i have contacts in the hospitality business...cough...[name of hotel chain]...cough

My guess would be ...cough... Marriott ...cough...

[_Mephitus]

heh, i work in one of those. I've already been yelled at by a guest because they asked me a Mormon question and i declined for the reason i gave of "im not Mormon" they even sent in an e-mail to corperate office as to the shame in this. i laugh every time i re-read that email.

[_Jason Bourne]

Does anyone have any idea how much GAs are paid in the LDS church? I know their housing is paid by the church and they probably have a nice medical plan. Would it be fair to say that some of them live much better than the average U.S. tithe payer at the Church's expense and not due to any previous personal financial gain?

The GAs receive a yearly stipend that is somewhere in the neighborhood of $70,000, on top of all the other expenses that are paid for by the Church. It would most definitely be "fair" to say that they live a good deal better, financially speaking, than the average US tithe payer. Prior to the 1980s and 90s, most of them had cushy, CEO-type positions that provided them with huge salaries. Obviously, this made it seem as if they were using their high station in the Church in order to get rich. SWK set the example by giving up his position, and urged the rest of the Brethren to do the same, something that didn't happen for another fifteen years or so, mostly due to the fact that the Brethren enjoyed being rich. Of course, they still make extra money from their speaking engagements, and from booksales, so by and large, most of them do extremely well.

The TBM counterargument to this usually had something to do with the fact that all of the GAs could be making a whole lot more money in the secular world, or that the GAs have such a tough job that the 70 thou seems like small potatoes---basically anything that will play down the fact that these men have a good deal of wealth, and an enormous amount of power, and that this is a "reward," so to speak, of their ecclesiastical callings.

$70,000 is not much. Where do you get this figure?

[_Jason Bourne]

I think this is one of the main reasons the books aren't open. Our leaders don't want us to know how much money they're actually taking from the church coffers. They don't want the members to know how much Pres Hinckley's apartment costs or who got the contract to build the conference center (and how that company is related to the GA's).

And as long as the members keep paying, our leaders fear no accountability. And why should they? They get rich on the backs of the poor, and we let them. We LET them. They sell God, and we LET them. They pervert the word, and we LET them.

The contract for construction is public. I believe Oken (sp?) was the contractor for the Conf Center.

[_Roger Morrison]

I think this is one of the main reasons the books aren't open. Our leaders don't want us to know how much money they're actually taking from the church coffers. They don't want the members to know how much Pres Hinckley's apartment costs or who got the contract to build the conference center (and how that company is related to the GA's).

And as long as the members keep paying, our leaders fear no accountability. And why should they? They get rich on the backs of the poor, and we let them. We LET them. They sell God, and we LET them. They pervert the word, and we LET them.

The contract for construction is public. I believe Oken (sp?) was the contractor for the Conf Center.

BIG difference between "I think..." and 'i know'. Don't contractors put up signs, or have names and phone #s on trucks in SLC?

My comments and questions are not an endorsement of this project. Simply a matter of credibility. How can you/we not "LET them"??? Roger

[_Runtu]

$70,000 is not much. Where do you get this figure?

Yeah, that's way too low. Back when I was working for the church (some 15 years ago), I heard several figures thrown about, and even back then it was quite a bit more than $70,000. I have a friend who is in IS at the church office building, and he makes considerably more than your figure, and I very much doubt they'd pay a GA less than they pay someone who fixes computers.

[_Pahoran]

After George P. Lee was excommunicated, a story was done about it in one of Salt Lake City's newspapers. It mentioned, in passing, Lee's comment about how tough it was to have to give up his church-issued credit card with its unlimited spending account.

So it came out that GAs receive, at the church's dime, an unlimited spending account. How sweet would that be?

And more importantly, how believeable is it?

Answer: it isn't.

Call for references, please. Bluntly, I don't believe it.

Incidentally, "they" don't receive Church-provided housing, either. Only the President of the Church does. And it doesn't matter if the market value of the apartment is $3.5 million or any other number; he doesn't own it, so it's an irrelevant amount.

Regards,
Pahoran

[_Dr. Shades]

After George P. Lee was excommunicated, a story was done about it in one of Salt Lake City's newspapers. It mentioned, in passing, Lee's comment about how tough it was to have to give up his church-issued credit card with its unlimited spending account.

So it came out that GAs receive, at the church's dime, an unlimited spending account. How sweet would that be?

And more importantly, how believeable is it?

Answer: it isn't.

Call for references, please. Bluntly, I don't believe it.

It's been a long time, and the Salt Lake Tribune archives only go back to 1998. The best I could come up with was a partial quote preserved at this site.

[_harmony]

I think this is one of the main reasons the books aren't open. Our leaders don't want us to know how much money they're actually taking from the church coffers. They don't want the members to know how much Pres Hinckley's apartment costs or who got the contract to build the conference center (and how that company is related to the GA's).

And as long as the members keep paying, our leaders fear no accountability. And why should they? They get rich on the backs of the poor, and we let them. We LET them. They sell God, and we LET them. They pervert the word, and we LET them.

The contract for construction is public. I believe Oken (sp?) was the contractor for the Conf Center.

And who is Oken (sp) related to? Neighbors to? Friends with?

[_harmony]

After George P. Lee was excommunicated, a story was done about it in one of Salt Lake City's newspapers. It mentioned, in passing, Lee's comment about how tough it was to have to give up his church-issued credit card with its unlimited spending account.

So it came out that GAs receive, at the church's dime, an unlimited spending account. How sweet would that be?

And more importantly, how believeable is it?

Answer: it isn't.

Call for references, please. Bluntly, I don't believe it.

Incidentally, "they" don't receive Church-provided housing, either. Only the President of the Church does. And it doesn't matter if the market value of the apartment is $3.5 million or any other number; he doesn't own it, so it's an irrelevant amount.

Regards,
Pahoran

I don't have a problem with them getting paid, getting a stipend, living in church-owned housing, etc etc etc. Just admit it! Quit with the "unpaid clergy" nonsense, and publish a decent financial report!