I'm so glad the church spares no expense...

[_beastie]

He tells us. If you listen, you can hear Him.

Yeah, no doubt God speaks clearly when it comes to his lavish temple.

When it comes to explaining his nature - like, say, whether or not he's adam - not so clear.

[_asbestosman]

If the Church belongs to the Lord what would He desire the Church to do? If the Church is to glorify God then how better way to praise God than through helping his other children?

Does the LDS Church not do charitable works? My understanding was that the LDS Church was well known for helping their fellow man. That would, appear to me, something that was done to live the gospel of Christ.

The church helps the poor. The government also helps the poor. The government has many other responsibilities. The church also has many other responsibilities. It would be ideal if most of the aid to poor came from individual members so they could benefit from being givers. The church as a whole needs to be most concerned with things like proclaiming the gospel, redeeming the dead, and perfecting the saints.

[_SUAS]

You have a point but why is it okay to spend a billion dollars on a mall and not feed the poor?

I think it's inappropriate to say the church "spent" a billion on a mall. I think the proper word is "invested". I think the money can be recovered just as money spent on other buildings is often recoverable.

Why is it okay? While it may not have been the best thing to do, it should help keep the downtown area nicer where the church has a lot of other buildings if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah we want to keep downtown SLC looking nice. Probably no homeless people wondering around down there.
Buildings are more important than/then the poor? If they are going to recover the money they "invested" in the mall where are they planning on spending it?

Will they take their recovered money and feed the poor? Maybe invest in some low income housing?

[_harmony]

The flowers are plastic. That's how much taste goes into a temple these days. I don't care what the floor or the walls are... the flowers are plastic. Tacky and tasteless. Bleah.

And yes... I CAN COMPLAIN! I'm a full tithe payer, and I want to know where the money goes, by line item.

[_asbestosman]

Yeah we want to keep downtown SLC looking nice. Probably no homeless people wondering around down there.

Riiiggghhht. Except of course there will probably always be panhandlers by Temple Square--ritzy or not.

If I understand the intentions, it would be to make the area less attractive to, say, drug dealers who I gather tend to prefer run-down areas.

Buildings are more important than/then the poor?

I dunno. Do you mind the government spending money on buildings such as courtrooms, schools, military buildings, etc.? Are they more important than the poor? I mean, what does the poor care that people are getting an education when they're starving? What do the poor care that I have a roof over my head when they think it's lucky if the cops will leave them alone for sitting under a bridge? Are freeways more important than the poor?

For that matter, all churches I know of have buildings--buildings I suppose they could sell and the money be given to the poor. Most of those building may be cheaper than the temples, but here your question is whether buildings are more important than the poor. It appears that for everybody--Bill Gates included--the answer is yes, at least to some degree.

The question, then, isn't an absolute about how the poor are more important than buildings. The question is one of competing interests. Many things seem to work more efficiently when resources are directed to such non-human expenses as buildings. In the case of the temple, the expenses to some degree may be justified in that can impress upon the minds of people just how important temple work is. But then if temple work is foolishness, then the money is indeed wasted and I think even the church would agree that the money would be better spent on the poor.

If they are going to recover the money they "invested" in the mall where are they planning on spending it?

Will they take their recovered money and feed the poor? Maybe invest in some low income housing?

Only God knows--so to speak.

[_asbestosman]

The flowers are plastic. That's how much taste goes into a temple these days. I don't care what the floor or the walls are... the flowers are plastic. Tacky and tasteless. Bleah.

Aha, another expense spared. Tsk, tsk.

[_harmony]

Yeah we want to keep downtown SLC looking nice. Probably no homeless people wondering around down there.

So the tithing of hard working members in places thousands of miles from SLC is used not to bring forth the three fold mission of the church, but to beautify downtown SLC. Uh huh. That is not God-breathed. That is man-made.

[_charity]

So the tithing of hard working members in places thousands of miles from SLC is used not to bring forth the three fold mission of the church, but to beautify downtown SLC. Uh huh. That is not God-breathed. That is man-made.

Did you miss the part abouit NO tithing funds used for the mall project? Or do you just not want to believe that? It is really hard to keep up the anti-Mormon line if you have to acknowledge the facts.

[_asbestosman]

Did you miss the part abouit NO tithing funds used for the mall project? Or do you just not want to believe that? It is really hard to keep up the anti-Mormon line if you have to acknowledge the facts.

Even though no tithing funds were used, shouldn't the church still be focusing on the threefold mission?

By the way, I imagine that it did in this case albeit indirectly.

[_Scottie]

I would think the creator or whoever would want everyone to have roof over their heads and food in their belly, instead of lavish temples built for them, when they never visit anyway.

If God wanted everyone to have food, why doesn't He stop sending famines, earthquakes, tsunamis, and the like?

I guess if He wanted a house, He could always zap that into place too.

Strange God, that God is.

But isn't it interesting that whenever this is a famine in one part of the world, there is a bounty in another? Surely we have enough to share?