How the Mormons Make Money | BusinessWeek.com

[_Stormy Waters]

Here is the cover for the issue. The church isn't going to like it.
http://www.businessinsider.com/businessweek-mormon-cover-2012-7

[_confuzzled]

The Church Welfare Program was in place when I was a bishop (1980-1983), and it's still going, and perhaps even stronger. It's one of the most detailed welfare programs in existence (I believe US government officials looked into it and possibly adopting it, but I'd have to find the quote).

When you were bishop, was it the policy to assist families with welfare after they had sought help from their family and the government first? When I was growing up, I had been taught that people should go to their family for help first before the church (which I think makes sense in most cases), but I had not heard up until recently* that the church now expects people to go to the government for welfare before the church will help. Has anyone else heard this?

*last week from a newly called bishop

This isn't new.

Several years ago my spouse walked out on us. I was a SAHM, and was in my 3rd stint of being a Ward auxiliary President within 10 years. We had no money to get through to the next month when our state welfare benefits kicked in, my children were high school age. My parents were dead. I went to my Bishop asking for help. He didn't have much in fast offering but gave me what he had, and said he would speak to the Stake President for more funds. The next day he apologetically said the Stake President had asked him to check with the relevant authorities that I was claiming all the welfare benefits due to me, before he would consider my request for help.I told him not to bother, we would manage somehow; I am still paying off the resulting credit card bill to this day. Several months later the SP stood up in Stake Conference and gleefully reported the amount of excess offerings sent to the area office. It was a huge eye opener for me.

Couldn't afford to send my son to camp that year so the Bishop paid for it out of funds and bought a tent for the YM of our ward to share. I am sure the Bishop wanted to help but his hands were tied.

[_brade]

Here is the cover for the issue. The church isn't going to like it.
http://www.businessinsider.com/businessweek-mormon-cover-2012-7

There's no way that's for real? Is that for real?

[_Stormy Waters]

There's no way that's for real? Is that for real?

I'm starting to think it may have been the result of a miscommication or something. Like a joke that someone put together and someone mistook it for the actual cover. It would be pretty low brow for any serious publication.

If it's not the actual cover, I imagine they'll be a retraction shortly.

[_Samantabhadra]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/201 ... 28725.html

It's real. But Politico says it's a "mock-up" that they received. Meaning, there is time for BusinessWeek to change the design, or retract the cover. But something tells me they will decide against it: nothing sells like controversy and glossy sales have been down down down the tubes. This is guaranteed to move units.

[_Kishkumen]

There's no way that's for real? Is that for real?

I'm starting to think it may have been the result of a miscommication or something. Like a joke that someone put together and someone mistook it for the actual cover. It would be pretty low brow for any serious publication.

If it's not the actual cover, I imagine they'll be a retraction shortly.

Seems like it is the real deal. Bloomberg has been contacted about how offensive the article is, and they claimed it was too late to change it.

[_Stormy Waters]

Seems like it is the real deal. Bloomberg has been contacted about how offensive the article is, and they claimed it was too late to change it.

If they do publish with this cover I think it's unfortunate. I don't think it represents the tone of the article. Most Mormons will probably cry foul on the cover and ignore the content of the article. Most likely they went with a inflammatory cover to drive page views and sell copies.

[_Cylon]

Seems like it is the real deal. Bloomberg has been contacted about how offensive the article is, and they claimed it was too late to change it.

If they do publish with this cover I think it's unfortunate. I don't think it represents the tone of the article. Most Mormons will probably cry foul on the cover and ignore the content of the article. Most likely they went with a inflammatory cover to drive page views and sell copies.

I agree. I was pretty surprised at the cover, because I thought the article itself was fairly moderate, at least in tone.

[_Equality]

That cover is ridiculous. Mormons never say "Hallelujah."

[_Tim the Enchanter]

This isn't new.

Several years ago my spouse walked out on us. I was a SAHM, and was in my 3rd stint of being a Ward auxiliary President within 10 years. We had no money to get through to the next month when our state welfare benefits kicked in, my children were high school age. My parents were dead. I went to my Bishop asking for help. He didn't have much in fast offering but gave me what he had, and said he would speak to the Stake President for more funds. The next day he apologetically said the Stake President had asked him to check with the relevant authorities that I was claiming all the welfare benefits due to me, before he would consider my request for help.I told him not to bother, we would manage somehow; I am still paying off the resulting credit card bill to this day. Several months later the SP stood up in Stake Conference and gleefully reported the amount of excess offerings sent to the area office. It was a huge eye opener for me.

Couldn't afford to send my son to camp that year so the Bishop paid for it out of funds and bought a tent for the YM of our ward to share. I am sure the Bishop wanted to help but his hands were tied.

Confuzzled, I am so sorry but thank you for sharing your experience. I didn't think this was a brand new thing, but as a teen in the 90's I recall the vibe being that government assistance was discouraged, which is why I was curious how long this had been the practice. Buy Ray confirmed this was the practice before I was a teen in the 90's so maybe I misunderstood the vibe when I was a teen. In any case, it sounds like your Bishop's heart was in the right place but your stake president needed to take Matthew 25:44-45 to heart. Eye opening indeed.