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

[_Moniker]

Rats. I went back and edited it.

But since you quoted me, now C$*@)ty nows pretty much what I think of her and her lunacy.

Thanks a pant load.

If you ask pretty please I'll take it out. But rest assured I'm still giggling. :)

[Guest]

Rats. I went back and edited it.

But since you quoted me, now C$*@)ty nows pretty much what I think of her and her lunacy.

Thanks a pant load.

If you ask pretty please I'll take it out. But rest assured I'm still giggling. :)

nah. It's probably fine. I'm not running for president anytime soon. let it ride.

Although I know it's not always nice to call stupid people names.

so I won't.

er.. oops again.

[_guy sajer]

And what do members expect about their tithing? We expect temples. Beautiful buildings built to the Lord.

Do members have the right to expect them to be utilized at a reasonable cost-efficiency rate?

[_Blixa]

You live in a gated community, don't you C$*#ty? It's always the all or nothing qualifier, isn't it?

No, I don't. You know what they say about people who use profanity? It is the attempt of a small mind to express itself forcefullyi.

Inconceivable wasn't using profanity. He was merely pointing out that your use of that word as your board name is profane.

by the way, when are the beautiful temples going to be built? Since "no expense is spared" I would hope that some would be spent on design and not just expensive, but tacky, materials.

When I recently visited the great and spacious conference center in SLC I was treated to a memorized spiel about the provenance and cost of every bit of the building and decorating materials---the whole routine was just about big numbers: how much this cost, how big that was, etc. That's not impressive in and of itself, and when the result is a building expressive of Contemporary Middlebrow Hotel, it sounds all the more like hollow bragging. This kind of tour spiel (D. Boon forgive me!) seems uniquely Mormon, too. I've never experienced it when visiting contemporary or ancient, famous or spectacular buildings or architectural wonders, galleries or exhibits anywhere else in the world. How something was constructed or the unique use made of innovative materials, for example, might be stressed, but not the cost of every imported material whose only apparent justification is extravagance. In other words, the building is presented as a list of costly, but entirely unrelated, expensive bits and pieces.

[_Infymus]

The LDS Cult doesn't release its tithing numbers here in the US, however, in Canada and in the UK as well as other places, they are required by law to provide financial records and accounting therein. By examining these records, we have calculated just how much cash the LDS Cult is actually giving away.

In the UK in 2005, of the £29.132 million received only £0.948 million was spent in grants, humanitarian aid and welfare, representing only 2.982% of total income. Of that 2.982%, 2.768% represented monies that had to be used for such purposes because the members designated that it be used as such. Only 0.214% (£0.068 million) of tithing money was spent on humanitarian aid.

The Cult of Mormonism spends more money on its temples than it does in helping the poor, the needy and afflicted. Imported fine wood from Africa and tile from Israel is more important than feeding the hungry. Don't forget that the Mormon God also loves fine shopping malls, Hawaiian hotels and reserves, vast tracts of land and more.

As Charity put it, the Mormon God is now a wealthy God and will not tolerate living in a "Motel Six". Gone are the days when he would walk among the lepers, the sick, the afflicted and the sinners. Now the Mormon God walks among the ivory towers, the inlaid golden floors, the fine African wood and Israeli tiles. He rubs shoulders with multi-millionaire General Authorities whose businesses have prospered his great and spacious company.

Isn't it marvelous? Isn't it wonderful? Can we have a hanky hosanna shout now?

Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna to the great and wealthy Mormon God!

[_karl61]

Jesus did get the best oil and best wine - he hinted : Hey, I only going to be here a short time so you need to spend the best on me. The poor will always be here. Was this a sin - it would likely be a sin for any of us. But maybe he already did some hard work and wanted to rest with the best.

[_SUAS]

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.

What are you talking about? The memberships pays tithing, which most of them expect that a good portion of that will go to help those less fortunate. Not import wood and stone for an already beautiful temple.

Most paying a full tithe are barely making ends meet as it is. Now you expect that they should go and help the poor on top of tithing?

Sure, and we do. We take in meals to families who needs them. We go and serve in shelter kitchens, we work on humanitarian aid projects, we make quilts for families who needs them, we contribute money in special circumstances. I think the Church said that members, over and above tithing, contributed over a million dollars to Katrina aid. We work on church farms, and in church canneries, and in volunteer positions in church employment. We support Salvation Army and REd Cross and . . . the list goes on and on.

And what do members expect about their tithing? We expect temples. Beautiful buildings built to the Lord.

Charity
All of the above things you just mentioned that you do for the less fortunate costs the church nothing, but the cost comes directly out of your pockets. Most of the things mentioned don't really help anyone except members.

Oh wow a million dollars in Katrina aid, that's nothing when the church makes billions of dollars each year.

[_harmony]

When you are at your ward conference, and they ask for a sustaining vote on the sustaining the prophet and the other general authorities, you raise you arm to sustain? Do you vote that you are opposed? Or do you suddenly findyourself having to pretend that you are looking through your purse for something and didn't "notice" the vote? I keep being asked how I can believe such and such, so this is a fair question. If you believe they are liars, how can you vote to sustain them? And how can you not raise your hand in opposition.

I don't go to ward conference. Total waste of time.

I sustain the leaders to do their job. Even when they don't. That they lie is on their head, not mine.

[_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.

Harmony,

If women were running the church, basketball would be played only on half courts, ward kitchen would be 3 times the size AND the FLOWERS would, no doubt, BE REAL. (this would be an amusing thread by the way).

Mormon God is a man (maybe even a redneck). He is practical. Pretty flowers die and they smell sissy. That's why he inspired his finest talent to develop fake ones.

Don't kid yourself.

It will be a cold day in hell when the women will actually have a say in the Mormon church. Even if they get their own jobs and pay their own tithing (maybe that's why women working are frowned upon so they don't feel entitled to be heard).

Don't kid yourself If women ran the church, especially if they're women like our current general Relief Society president, the temples would be exactly the same as they are now. Only if women like my ward Relief Society 1st counselor ran the church would things be different. She's one of the real Saints.

I'm not talking about the relative rightness of spending megabucks on temples. My point is, our church leaders have no idea how crass and tacky they appear, and make the members appear by association, when they do things like import expensive tile and then use plastic flowers for decoration. It's so Wasatch-front. I was commenting on the aesthetics, not the funding.

[_harmony]

If there is a God, he will hold these cold blooded old farts accountable for every child that has starved to death in the world on their watch - by each tile, brick and the overstuffed chairs they sit in above everyone else but twice a year.

Remember, saving a starving child only costs .17/day. Thousands die each day. Shame on them.

This is very true, and is one of the few things that comforts me at night. They will be judged by what happened all over the world while they were busy counting their gold and buying more malls. I think we will be surprised who makes it to the CK... and who doesn't.

What our leaders choose to do with tithing funds lately is completely mystifying to me. It's like they've found the key to the bank vault and in the process they've lost their way or something. They've certainly forgotten the sacrifices the members make in order to pay a full tithe.

Years ago, funds were handled differently. There weren't the lavish excesses of the leaders. There weren't $5000 suits sitting on the stand in general conference. There weren't limos and private jets and million dollar condos. There wasn't a divide between the rank and file and the leaders. Leaders didn't have body guards to keep the members away. Temples were nice, not lavish. We didn't buy shopping malls. Church farms were to feed the poor, not make a profit.

I imagine He will also ask you why you were so heartless and stupid to continue to support men spending His money on such worldly wants. Most Mormons have no idea what you have been made aware of here.

This also is true. Most Mormons have no idea about much of anything. They try hard to live a life of service and sacrifice, only to have their efforts negated by their leaders. Sad, but true.