I wonder if the public revelations about the church's accumulation of wealth have had any effect on temple building.
The Church takes great care that the land buyer is not associated with the Church. The Church legal representatives in Ireland will make donations to planning committee members in the selected town outside of Dublin.
It will probably be in Malahide since it is the highest-income community in that area.
I wonder if the public revelations about the church's accumulation of wealth have had any effect on temple building.
The Church takes great care that the land buyer is not associated with the Church. The Church legal representatives in Ireland will make donations to planning committee members in the selected town outside of Dublin.
It will probably be in Malahide since it is the highest-income community in that area.
Am I right in thinking that one of the reasons Nelson is announcing more temples than his predecessors, is because he announces them earlier in the process? Pulling forward the announcement, meaning that at some point the President that follows him will need to announce fewer to allow the building programme to catch up. Hence Nelson might be “pinching” his successors temple announcements to aggrandise his own tenure.
Take the Russia Temple as an example. That’s an announcement out of thin air. Nelson simply wanted to be remembered as the President who announced the first temple in Russia, no matter that it might not even have an agreed location for the next fifty years.
Premise 1. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.
Premise 2. The best evidence for the Book of Mormon is eyewitness testimony.
Conclusion. Therefore, the best evidence for the Book of Mormon is notoriously unreliable.
I vote for going straight to the brewery. And a distillery or six.
If there is a God, and if that God has ever been to Dublin, that God would require every visitor over 18 to sample a Guinness.
Maybe the Dublin temple cafeteria will have a Guinness tap. Or pour a double Jamo. Might make the endowment a wee less boring.
I admit that the last time I was in a Mormon temple, maybe 12 years ago, I was a bit sloshed. It was a wedding (or sealing), so some gin in the parking lot beforehand seemed an appropriate way to begin to celebrate.
Am I right in thinking that one of the reasons Nelson is announcing more temples than his predecessors, is because he announces them earlier in the process? Pulling forward the announcement, meaning that at some point the President that follows him will need to announce fewer to allow the building programme to catch up. Hence Nelson might be “pinching” his successors temple announcements to aggrandise his own tenure.
Take the Russia Temple as an example. That’s an announcement out of thin air. Nelson simply wanted to be remembered as the President who announced the first temple in Russia, no matter that it might not even have an agreed location for the next fifty years.
Announcing a temple before acquiring the land seems early to me, but I don’t know how that lines up with past practice.
he/him we all just have to live through it,
holding each other’s hands.
I realize my post about Guinness in Dublin reads as dismissive of the LDS Church. It was not what I'd intended. I'm sure that attendance at the temple will uplift and gratify a great many Mormons. The Guinness in Dublin, however, is also a truly spiritual experience. I am not a fan of Guinness that I've had stateside--nor even that that I've drunk in London. Guinness apparently does not travel well, even to the rest of Ireland. A pint of Guinness in Dublin, however, is not to be missed.
This leads me to wonder: What is the dividing line between an aesthetic experience and a spiritual one? I believe MG would claim that they're vastly different. But what I would call my most spiritual experiences were in deserts, art galleries, or fly fishing--not in consecrated houses of worship.
Perhaps idea that peak spiritual experience can only be had in Mormonism's holy places is behind the drive for more temples? [I may not believe this, but I'm trying to extend a generous thought, here.]
I had Huntsville, AL in mind . It is a really growing area and a lot of development going on.
"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy” Jude 1:24
“the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 ESV
Just so Morley knows, a pint of Guinness or mead might cause the wee people to overtake the Dublin Saints. There would be no pot of gold for those templegoers.
The Guinness in Dublin, however, is also a truly spiritual experience. I am not a fan of Guinness that I've had stateside--nor even that that I've drunk in London. Guinness apparently does not travel well, even to the rest of Ireland. A pint of Guinness in Dublin, however, is not to be missed.
It’s all down to the water used. Dublin Guinness is the pinnacle, and drinking one there is a double edged sword. It’s certainly not to be missed, but once you’ve drunk a Dublin Guinness, Guinness everywhere else will always be “less than”.
Premise 1. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.
Premise 2. The best evidence for the Book of Mormon is eyewitness testimony.
Conclusion. Therefore, the best evidence for the Book of Mormon is notoriously unreliable.
The Church takes great care that the land buyer is not associated with the Church. The Church legal representatives in Ireland will make donations to planning committee members in the selected town outside of Dublin.
It will probably be in Malahide since it is the highest-income community in that area.
That article is far too polite in accepting the LDS version of stats.
...Today, there are around 4,000 Latter-day Saints in Ireland...[in] 12 congregations...
Jana Reiss, in July 2023, wrote this:
Irish Mormons face dwindling numbers, but researcher finds their community inspirational
...If you look at the church’s official statistics, LDS membership growth in Ireland looks healthy over the last decade; there were 3,013 members in 2013 and 3,980 in 2022, a 32% increase in just under 10 years. On the other hand, no new congregations have been created in Ireland over that period, which suggests poor retention of new converts and other members.
What’s more, according to the recently released 2022 census, only 1,111 people in Ireland said they were Mormon, a figure that includes both adults and children. This means that 72% of those the church claims as members do not declare themselves as such...
So, to be generous, that's 1200 or so who consider themselves LDS, in 12 congregations, not 4,000. That's much closer to the numbers in Reiss' statement about the researcher she was reporting on:
...she spent a year doing deep-dive ethnographic research in two LDS congregations — one an established ward with about 70 attendees and the other a smaller branch with around 30...
