Light the World

[malkie]

It looks like there might be a bit of flak being put out there on why not to give.

For those that don’t want to give for any reason, then don’t. On the other hand, if you think it is a good/worthy cause to participate in during this Christmas season, then do.

Kind of simple really.

Regards,
MG

Did you actually read anyone else's comments?

Unless, of course, you meant:

It looks like there might be a bit of flak being put out there on why not to give to Light the World.

For those that don’t want to give to Light the World for any reason, then don’t. On the other hand, if you think Light the World is a good/worthy cause to participate in during this Christmas season, then do.

Kind of simple really.

Regards,
MG

Kind of simple, but close to 100% trivial, telling people that they should do what they want to, and don't do what they don't want to.

[MG 2.0]

It looks like there might be a bit of flak being put out there on why not to give.

For those that don’t want to give for any reason, then don’t. On the other hand, if you think it is a good/worthy cause to participate in during this Christmas season, then do.

Kind of simple really.

Regards,
MG

Did you actually read anyone else's comments?

Unless, of course, you meant:

It looks like there might be a bit of flak being put out there on why not to give to Light the World.

For those that don’t want to give to Light the World for any reason, then don’t. On the other hand, if you think Light the World is a good/worthy cause to participate in during this Christmas season, then do.

Kind of simple really.

Regards,
MG

Kind of simple, but close to 100% trivial, telling people that they should do what they want to, and don't do what they don't want to.

I suppose you could look at it that way. That doesn't take away from the factual basis of everything that I've said in this thread. I'd encourage you to give! Unless, of course, you don't want to.

Regards,
MG

[malkie]

Kind of simple, but close to 100% trivial, telling people that they should do what they want to, and don't do what they don't want to.

I suppose you could look at it that way. That doesn't take away from the factual basis of everything that I've said in this thread. I'd encourage you to give! Unless, of course, you don't want to.

Regards,
MG

Nor does it alter the factual basis of what other posters have said.

[Gadianton]

s directly to the participating nonprofits. In practice this means Light the World is not “raking off the top”

You may not have read what I wrote. The participating nonprofits are raking off the top.

The church may be passing everything through to them, but they also may be taking a tax deduction for themselves, that part I don't know.

Even if not, they are just an umbrella for other umbrellas. You can give directly to any of those non-profits yourself or find others that are possibly better.

[Marcus]

I've always had some questions about this initiative, as it seems more like a publicity grab than anything else. Given the LDS church's poor reputation when it comes to honesty regarding its accounting and financial records, it's difficult to simply accept the surface picture. This article covered many of these issues, here's an excerpt of one issue--where the money comes from:

The Giving Machines by the Mormon Church have generally been well-received for their charitable intent, and not wanting to detract from the real good they have done, there are valid criticisms and concerns. Those familiar with the shady financial practices of the church, hesitate accepting this charitable facade. While the initiative appears commendable on the surface, a closer examination raises critical questions.

Wealthy Church Creates Avenue for Relatively Poor to Donate Money to Help Other Poor

First off, these giving machines are provided by a church that has hundreds of billions of dollars in a rainy day fund, but they invest more in these PR stunts than in actually helping those in need. These machines are essentially set up to allow (relatively) poor people to donate to help other poor people, while the obscenely wealthy church takes the credit.

The Giving Machines are presented as a charitable endeavor, but remember that the funds generated are not directly from the church itself, rather, the church acts as a coordinator for these donations. The church does pay the transaction fees, but the donations are not coming from the church. People are donating at the machines provided by the church. Then the church makes a big announcement about how much money it raised and presents the charity with a large check. These are not funds from the church, but they essentially take the credit for it. They are able to be in the spotlight for presenting this large donation, and many do not realize that it is not the church’s money. To what extent is the church genuinely contributing to these causes championed by the Giving Machines?

Who are making these donations? Is it the general public or is it more local church members who are already paying their tithing and tasked with participating to ensure the giving machines are a success in their area?

...The scale of these donations pales in comparison to the financial might of the church. Critics argue that the meager sums raised by the Giving Machines are a drop in the bucket when compared to the vast reserves of the church, which is estimated to be in the billions. This leads to a more profound ethical dilemma: why are multi-billion-dollar entities relying on charitable contributions from the economically disadvantaged when they have the capacity to make substantial direct contributions?

https://wasmormon.org/LDS-giving-machin ... the-world/

[I Have Questions]

It is worth noting that the Church coerces members into “staffing” these machines (primarily to do missionary ‘street contacting’ type stuff). These volunteer hours are added up, valued, and included in the total amount of charitable giving the Church announces in its annual LDS Charities report. With the Church there’s always a self serving agenda hidden in there somewhere.

The Church pays a company to manufacture, install and deinstall these machines. It would be interesting to know who is profiting from this initiative.

[drumdude]

I would imagine that if the Mormon church really wanted to follow Christ, they would have installed these giving machines through a secret shell company. Giving no credit as to who installed the machines. There’s something instructing that in the New Testament, if I remember correctly.

I guess the moron church only uses shell companies to hide its finances, though. Just like Mormon Jesus would want.

[huckelberry]

I would imagine that if the Mormon church really wanted to follow Christ, they would have installed these giving machines through a secret shell company. Giving no credit as to who installed the machines. There’s something instructing that in the New Testament, if I remember correctly.

I guess the moron church only uses shell companies to hide its finances, though. Just like Mormon Jesus would want.

I am only able to make an estimate but imagine Jesus focusing on Mormon youth encouraging them to be decent and care for about each other. Adults may still be a le to hear that. I felt correctly or not that the bishop was still able to hear that for the ward. It may be that institutional responsibilities make it harder to hear as individuals go higher up the authority ladder.

[MG 2.0]

Success in 2024:

Key metrics-
Donations: More than 490,000 items were donated.
Visitors: Over 850,000 people visited the Giving Machines.
Money raised: More than $16 million was raised for various charities.
Charities: Over 450 charities participated, and more than 500 local and international charities were involved.
Locations: The initiative was held in 107 cities across 13 countries on five continents.
New locations: This year marked the first time Giving Machines were placed in Africa (Nairobi, Kenya) and the North Pole.

Impact of donations-
Food: 2 million meals to feed the hungry and groceries for 10,200 people.
Health: Vaccinations for over 500,000 children against polio and measles.
Refugees: 125,000 refugees received emergency food boxes and 14,000 received hygiene kits.
Livestock: 106,000 chickens, goats, and beehives were provided for food and jobs.
Clothing: Clothing for 48,000 individuals.
Education: Support for 43,000 individuals through books, supplies, and scholarships.

https://www.google.com/search?q=light+t ... e&ie=UTF-8

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned is the fact that contributing also helps the giver feel the Spirit of Christ...the Spirit of Giving.

We talk so much about the number, and the monetary donations, but it is impossible to calculate the people. Because it’s about people,” Amy A. Wright of the Primary General Presidency said in a video.
https://www.heraldextra.com/news/2025/m ... 0%20people.

Regards,
MG

[drumdude]

I wonder how much it would have cost the church to match each donation.

Apparently too much. Donors to public radio can do it but a trillion dollar religion can’t.