Not angyr, I just have a better perspective of things now.
I think you and I have reached similar conclusions about things that we used to defend. And there is a lot about LDS Inc. that bugs me too. I think our perspectives are similar. But I just don't see sinister motives or a drive for profits behind everything the LDS Church does.
It suggests an ulterior motive.
Yes it can and perhaps it should be better left off. Still, it does not mean good intent is totally destroyed by it.
And let's not forget that when Mormons go to places where natural disasters hit, they first find their way to help other members of the Church.
I am not sure this is always the case. The Church even helps out in disaster areas where they are few if any LDS. They were on site in China and in Pakistan few years back when earthquakes hit those areas.
Charity should be blind and without any motive of making money out of it.
How does the Church make money out of sending its spearhead disaster aid units to any are of the world?
But the Church is essentially a corporate structure run by businessmen, and they will run it the same as Coca-Cola or Delta. All corporations have one goal, and that is to ensure their prosperity via the accumulation of wealth and a healthy public image.
Most Church's today are large organizations that need to function with business acumen to survive and prosper in the world we live. Of course that does not mean they should be ruthless about it and yes there are at times elements of that in the LDS corporation. I have seen it particularly with people I know who work for the Church.
When I was on my mission the Church treated baptisms like a commodity, and we were to get as many as we could, at all costs. Keeping them active was someone's else's job. But only after 5-10 years did the corporate leaders begin to look at the charts in the boardroom and realize their efforts have been counter-productive, and that it takes much more than simply baptizing a bunch of people and expecting them to develop into faithful, prosperous tithe payers.
Yes I was told to baptize, baptize, baptize as well. And I saw us lose a lot. But do you really think when Pres. Hinckley started pushing retention hard and even outlined three things a new convert needed-a friend, a calling and nurturing with the scriptures he really did not care at all about the well being of the new member?
And you think all the disaster assistance the Church gives world wide is for PR only? Come on dude.
No, not all of it. But I think it is interesting that in times of urgency, they find time to quickly print off T-shirts to make every halping hand a walking advertisement for the Church.
T Shirts are not always worn. Just at times. And likely they have these in stock.
Most Christians at least initially or till they move on to greater faith, are motivated by the idea of reward vs. punishment. I think most LDS who do good things for other also are rather happy to do so and don't do it just for some greedy reward.
I used to think that way too. But my perspective changed after further reflection. I am sure I am wrong in some instances, but the overall doctrine is based on the idea that doing charity reaps spiritual rewards for yourself. How many times have Mormons done charity, and responded to a thank you with something like, "Oh don't thank me, I need the blessings"? The recent debates I had with Mormons over the issue of welfare, helped changed my persspective too.
Yes but that is just to say because often we do not want thanks for doing a good deed.
Mormons will gladly give to the poor when the Church is involved in some project, and then turn around and call the government assistance for the poor, an act of communism led by Satan. So for them God is only interested in providing to the poor inasmuch as faithful members exercise "free agency" in engaging in chaaritable acts. Anything else is Satanic, even if it means more poor people are provided for. So God put poor people on the earth just so the more fortunate members can be tested to see if they will obey voluntarily, and be rewarded with blessings as a result.
You must know a lot of BC and Droopy types. I don't see this all that much.
And you contradict yourself above with what you say about Russian missions. Who much revenue is generated from conversions in Nigeria?
How is it a contradiction? Neither Russia nor Nigeria provide much revenue from tithes, but congregations in Africa experience much healthier activity rates.
My point was that you stated that missions were closed because they were not productive and missionaries were sent to more productive albeit poorer areas of the world. Those missions likely reap little ROI either. So if tithing revenue rather than actually converting and saving souls were the motive this would make no sense.