The Most Difficult Question in Mopologetics

[Doctor Scratch]

Traditionally, Mopologetics has concerned itself with attacking critics, but it occurs to me that there is one question that the Mopologists are not equipped to answer. That question is, quite simply, “How much money have you given to the LDS Church?”

It’s remarkable when you think about it: if this is God’s One True Church, then why should anyone be shy about the money they’ve spent trying to get to the CK? And yet it’s a *very* touchy issue. I wonder: is it unreasonable to assume that the typical working-class Latter-day Saint pays $100,000+ to the Church over the course of a lifetime?

Well, if the Restoration story is true, then no big deal, right? Money is simply a “mortal,” worldly issue, and no one will need any of it beyond the veil. And yet, the Church itself is hoarding billions of dollars. And Dr. Peterson is *exceptionally* touchy on the matter of getting paid for his apologetic work, and why? Perhaps the reason is that he knows he’s “different” from the rank and file. Most LDS are slaving away and paying their tithes off of their hard labor. DCP, though? He was always paid by the Church itself—so it’s like he pays his tithing, but it goes into the Church’s maw and gets spit back out in the form of his salary: a kind of religious “recycling”, if you will.

The bottom line is that, despite assertions about the unassailable “truth” of the Church, the Mopologists are embarrassed about how much money people fork over—including a decent amount of which goes into their own pockets or projects.

[drumdude]

For me, it’s the teaching that the starving mom should pay her tithing before buying food for her family that is truly evil.

If the church has more money than it can keep track of, so much that it just heaps it into a big useless pile, that means the church is asking that starving mom to sacrifice everything so that the church gains nothing.

It’s such an ugly fact that DCP can’t help but wiggle and squirm when money and the church is brought up.

“Eternal blessings for being obedient” rings hollow in the ears of those who are actually struggling. Those who don’t have the luxury playing director and blogging about their latest steak dinner.

[Gadianton]

Traditionally, Mopologetics has concerned itself with attacking critics, but it occurs to me that there is one question that the Mopologists are not equipped to answer. That question is, quite simply, “How much money have you given to the LDS Church?”

It’s remarkable when you think about it: if this is God’s One True Church, then why should anyone be shy about the money they’ve spent trying to get to the CK? And yet it’s a *very* touchy issue. I wonder: is it unreasonable to assume that the typical working-class Latter-day Saint pays $100,000+ to the Church over the course of a lifetime?

Well, if the Restoration story is true, then no big deal, right? Money is simply a “mortal,” worldly issue, and no one will need any of it beyond the veil. And yet, the Church itself is hoarding billions of dollars. And Dr. Peterson is *exceptionally* touchy on the matter of getting paid for his apologetic work, and why? Perhaps the reason is that he knows he’s “different” from the rank and file. Most LDS are slaving away and paying their tithes off of their hard labor. DCP, though? He was always paid by the Church itself—so it’s like he pays his tithing, but it goes into the Church’s maw and gets spit back out in the form of his salary: a kind of religious “recycling”, if you will.

The bottom line is that, despite assertions about the unassailable “truth” of the Church, the Mopologists are embarrassed about how much money people fork over—including a decent amount of which goes into their own pockets or projects.

Let's also not forget per his own accounts he's blogged about, his father had a construction business and did pretty well. When he died, presumably the children inherited all that. He also said his father didn't pay tithing. So on this awesome technicality, he got all kinds of extra inheritance. Sort of like putting money into a traditional IRA that is allowed to accumulate and the interest isn't taxed. So even if tithing was paid after the inheritance, which has never been disclosed one way or the other, it's a much greater sum that it would have been if it had been tithed during the accumulation years. I''d say that minumum 10 years of diners at restaurant and any plane trips not covered by other means.

[Doctor Scratch]

Great points, Dr. Robbers. Dr. Peterson earned pretty much his entire livelihood from the Church. How many non-Church dollars has he kicked back into the till? Sure, the Church basically “excised” 10% of his pay during his working years, but this can also be seen as simply “the price of doing business.” He didn’t actually pay any tithing; the Church took its “cut” up front. Sure: he may have had to jump through the hoops, meet with his bishop, etc., but that’s just going through the motions.

Still, how much did he or Midgley pay over the years, total? Half a million? Do they think that this was money well-spent? DCP is once again asking for people to donate their hard-earned money to his movie project. But I think he and the other Mopologists need to address something much more basic: namely, is the average Latter-day Saint getting good value for their money? If this truly is Jesus Christ’s One True Church on Earth, then you kind of have to assume that transparency on this matter wouldn’t be an issue.

[Gadianton]

Still, how much did he or Midgley pay over the years, total?

either way Midgley was born into a wealthy family and had it pretty easy.

It's really easy to tell other people how to spend their money, especially poor people. People like this feel entitled to their easy lives, and feel like it's tough luck of poor people have to suffer.

[Doctor Scratch]

Still, how much did he or Midgley pay over the years, total?

either way Midgley was born into a wealthy family and had it pretty easy.

It's really easy to tell other people how to spend their money, especially poor people. People like this feel entitled to their easy lives, and feel like it's tough luck of poor people have to suffer.

Exactly. And from that perspective, all the jokes about “platinum bathroom fixtures” wind up seeming remarkably condescending and cruel, even. Again I ask: how much in totals dollars has The Last Danite, or Ideeho, or Mike Parker given to the Church? And if pressed, how would Dr. Peterson justify what they spent?

[Everybody Wang Chung]

The question I would like answered is how much have DCP and the Mopologists cost the Church. With friends like DCP, the Church doesn't need enemies.

DCP has done so much damage to the Church I think you would be hard-pressed to put a figure on it. For just a few examples (out of thousands) that have harmed the Church:

- DCP's very public and multi-year long attack on BYU and the Maxwell Institute

- DCP's public posting of lynching photos with "cute" captions, for which DCP had to publicly apologize

- DCP's anti-Semitic actions being reported on and harshly condemned in the Jerusalem Post newspaper

- DCP's numerous (too numerous to count) public plagiarisms for which he had to issue a public apology

- DCP's hundreds of academically dishonest, embarrassing and unethical articles published by the Interpreter Foundation

- DCP public attacking religious beliefs (Evangelicalism, Calvinism, Community of Christ, Protestantism, Scientology, Judaism and Catholicism)

- DCP's public feud with several different Mormon apologists

- DCP's box office bomb, Witnesses (need I say more?)

- DCP's homophobic and racists articles, posts and comments

- DCP's decade long crusade to publicly encourage donations to OUR

- DCP's public feud with FIRM and many other LDS with whom he disagrees

- DCP's numerous public lies

- And on, and on . . .

[drumdude]

The question I would like answered is how much have DCP and the Mopologists cost the Church. With friends like DCP, the Church doesn't need enemies.

DCP has done so much damage to the Church I think you would be hard-pressed to put a figure on it. For just a few examples (out of thousands) that have harmed the Church:

- DCP's very public and multi-year long attack on BYU and the Maxwell Institute

- DCP's public posting of lynching photos with "cute" captions, for which DCP had to publicly apologize

- DCP's anti-Semitic actions being reported on and harshly condemned in the Jerusalem Post newspaper

- DCP's numerous (too numerous to count) public plagiarisms for which he had to issue a public apology

- DCP's hundreds of academically dishonest, embarrassing and unethical articles published by the Interpreter Foundation

- DCP public attacking religious beliefs (Evangelicalism, Calvinism, Community of Christ, Protestantism, Scientology, Judaism and Catholicism)

- DCP's public feud with several different Mormon apologists

- DCP's box office bomb, Witnesses (need I say more?)

- DCP's homophobic and racists articles, posts and comments

- DCP's decade long crusade to publicly encourage donations to OUR

- DCP's public feud with FIRM and many other LDS with whom he disagrees

- DCP's numerous public lies

- And on, and on . . .

He gets very upset when you claim he has led more people out than kept in. Because he knows it’s very likely true.

[Philo Sofee]

If he had been baptizing and influential in thousands of baptisms, we most certainly would have heard him crowing about that at least as much as he crows when he wins a debate point about some Protestant doctrine he imagines he refutes, or an Evangelical Baptists weird theological contradictions he believes he has shown to be false.

[Res Ipsa]

Damn. I thought the hardest question was: If a tapir craps in the woods, does a Nephite hear a horse?

I’ll show myself out…