thestyleguy wrote:I wonder if tithing money went to purchase the Salamander Letter. The ghost of Martin Harris likely would smile when finding out how much a letter, thought to be written by himself, would go for a century and a half later.
Typically, some wealthy member would purchase the item in question and then "donate" it to the Church. It's worth bearing in mind that the Church has, at least in recent years, tried very, very hard to avoid being connected to this kind of "dirty money." In other words, the Brethren need an "out" or a form of "plausible deniability" when it comes to fiscal (mis)management.