No. They don’t. And they know they don’t.Complete honesty is necessary for our salvation. President Brigham Young said, “If we accept salvation on the terms it is offered to us, we have got to be honest in every thought, in our reflections, in our meditations, in our private circles, in our deals, in our declarations, and in every act of our lives” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 293).
The Brethren signed off on multiple tax evading, report evading, shell company schemes in order to hide the truth and to mislead the SEC, the IRS, and the membership.Lying is intentionally deceiving others. Bearing false witness is one form of lying. The Lord gave this commandment to the children of Israel: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16). Jesus also taught this when He was on earth (see Matthew 19:18). There are many other forms of lying. When we speak untruths, we are guilty of lying. We can also intentionally deceive others by a gesture or a look, by silence, or by telling only part of the truth. Whenever we lead people in any way to believe something that is not true, we are not being honest.
The scheme was so large, and operated for so long, every single Apostle involved should be removed from their Church position and excommunicated. They should lose all their Church perks and benefits, including any pension arrangements for them and their families. They’ve brought the Church’s good name into disrepute. Tarnished it forever. The Apostles that weren’t involved need to protect their own reputations by ousting those involved.