Economic turmoil and Mormonism - Predictions?

[_Mercury]

Here are my predictions:

* A circling of the handcarts will occur, emphasizing how evil the world is and how wonderful Mormon community and culture are.

* Tithing will become even more of a requirement and temple attendance guilt will be used to enforce tithing.

* Mormon converts will become fewer and fewer and missionaries will dance around tithing requirements for membership.

* The Mormon corporation will keep investing in stupid investments like downtown SLC and other unknown developments outside the US in growth economies under the guise of charity work (ala the microloan program talked about 8-9 years ago.

Got any more predictions?

[_harmony]

The books will not be opened.

[_Mercury]

The books will not be opened.

Wow harm, you got a peepstone or something? I never would guess that the books would stay closed.

/sarcasm

[_Gazelam]

There was mention on sunday of America needing to be humbled because it is becoming ripe with iniquity.

Was that on your list?

[_Mister Scratch]

Hmm. This is an interesting thought experiment. We know that some parts of the Lord's Empire do things such as engaging in risky investment strategies. This was revealed to us via FARMS's 990 tax forms. Now, is it logical to assume that, since FARMS does this, the Church itself follows suit? Were the Brethren engaged in aggressive and risky financial ventures---hence why the books are closed? I guess the next question to ask is: if the Church took a big hit financially, where could we expect to see evidence of such?

[_Trevor]

Nations rise and fall. Wickedness and righteousness have very little to do with it. Is China on the rise because it is righteous? Remember, we are talking about the nation that has little respect for individual human rights. We are talking about the nation that has very few Christians. Is the increased wealth and power of Russia in recent years due to righteousness or the slyness of Putin and the value of oil? How these nations observe the Christian gospel seems to have very little to do with their success or failure. The Roman Empire was quite Christian when it fell, so was the Byzantine Empire when the Turks took Constantinople.

[_Jason Bourne]

Hmm. This is an interesting thought experiment.

You mean in spin doctoring.

We know that some parts of the Lord's Empire do things such as engaging in risky investment strategies.

No we do not.

This was revealed to us via FARMS's 990 tax forms.

It was? How so? Because some investments lost some value in the late 90's like just about everyone's investments did at that time due to an overall down turn in the market.

Now, is it logical to assume that, since FARMS does this, the Church itself follows suit?

Well it has yet to be proven that FARMS invests in risky investments but even if it did the answer to your silly question would be maybe, no, who the hell knows.

Were the Brethren engaged in aggressive and risky financial ventures---hence why the books are closed?

Could be. Might not be. There may be other reasons as well. One may be because of the way nefarious intending individuals like you will spin the data.

[_Jason Bourne]

Here are my predictions:



* Mormon converts will become fewer and fewer and missionaries will dance around tithing requirements for membership.


Got any more predictions?

This one could prove incorrect. People get religious more when times are tough. I was a missionary in the late 70s and early 80s in a place where the whole economy was in shambles. Out mission baptized more than every before and since of for that mission. I attribute some of that do to the difficult times we were in economically.

[_The Dude]

My predictions:

1. Families will band together for Monday night FHE treks to Costco, to collect essentials to build a 1-year food supply. Families will give and recieve canned goods as part of Christmas 2008, and children will learn that times are tough but not at their worst. A bottle of canned peaches in your stocking is better than nothing.

2. There will be increasing admonishments to faithfully and willfully pay tithing to the LDS church. Promises will be made about the Lord "opening the windows of heaven" to return blessings that won't make you as rich as the LDS church, but will be enough to help you get by.

The economic turmoil will pass. The Mormons will say they survived by following the commandments, paying tithing, and receiving blessings from God. "We thank the oh God for prophets like Elder Monson and the ones before him! We wouldn't have known what to do without such wise and steady counsel: buy cases of food at Costco and give 10% of our earnings to the LDS church."

Nobody needs to ask how non-LDS survived the hard economic times. It is enough to imagine how it would have been different, and therefore less faith building, without the exercises of Mormonism to occupy them.

[_harmony]

My predictions:

1. Families will band together for Monday night FHE treks to Costco, to collect essentials to build a 1-year food supply. Families will give and recieve canned goods as part of Christmas 2008, and children will learn that times are tough but not at their worst. A bottle of canned peaches in your stocking is better than nothing.

2. There will be increasing admonishments to faithfully and willfully pay tithing to the LDS church. Promises will be made about the Lord "opening the windows of heaven" to return blessings that won't make you as rich as the LDS church, but will be enough to help you get by.

Actually, we've given the married children 25 pound bags of dry beans for several years now, in addition to their other presents. Sweet Pickle can get them cheap and the kids appreciate the thought.

And if you buy food at Costco, you're usually paying more than if you buy store brand on sale at any number of grocery stores. Any money-conscious shopper knows this. The problem is their packaging and that they only stock national brands. Costco's good for drugs, books, and CDs. Their prices can be beat if a person shops wisely elsewhere, and then you don't have to buy their packages; you can buy what you want.

I doubt anyone here will think to give their kids food storage for Christmas. They didn't during the last crisis in the early 80's, and I don't see that changing. Maybe farmers here just have their heads up their armpits, or maybe we're just used to the kind of financial crisis everyone else is suffering now.