The faithful defenders of these financial practices will begin to question when there’s a calamity that affects them and tscc does not show up to help them.

I have loved your content on this subject, especially loved your witty and honest replies to the misguided and desensitized comments by church members. There is no defense for the Church's hoarding, they should be accountable and the fact that they are not is a testament to their unreliability.

I have pressed the SEC issue with my local leaders and others in my reach about as far as possible. Sadly what I find is that those empowered to push the issue don’t understand it and have no appetite to understand it. I had a stake president who happened to work for the OFP, and he addressed my concern that the Church’s PR statement included misleading omissions by referring me to the selfsame PR statement. I had the chance to dialogue with one of the prominent apologists on the subject. I asked him why his defense made no mention of the red flags ignored by the FP and PB (two internal audit findings and shell company manager resignations), and he said because we don’t know the exact wording of those audits we can’t prove bad faith, and may therefore conclude good intentions. Never mind the fact that standard practice in regulatory compliance is to run iffy positions by the SEC before enacting them to show positive intent to comply with the law. Never mind the serial, structured instances of dishonesty or the sole objective of skirting a just law. Never mind Roger Clarke’s correct filings for his own practice or his statement that the brethren feared members would stop paying tithing if they knew. None of that could possibly point to bad intentions. But because we don’t have all the facts (as the Church has not made them public), we’re supposed to give the benefit of the doubt! That’s the level of blind loyalty we’re dealing with here. Isn’t there some scriptural imperative about having eyes to see and ears to hear? About not calling good evil and evil good? About proving ideas by their fruits? The SEC issue is important, not just for its own direct impact, but because it has given a clear measurement on institutional pride-leadership that refuses to be accountable and enabling membership. It’s foolish to suppose that pattern has had no impact anywhere else in the faith.

@MormonNewsRoundup

5 күн бұрын

super solid take, I hope to release more never before heard info soon on this entire EPA debacle!

I love your honesty and your reporting! You've become one of my favorites

@MormonNewsRoundup

4 күн бұрын

Yay! Thank you!

Commenting to help.

It's hilarious that they think it's defensible. I was a Mormon for 38 years and it is nothing but a grift and a scam.

@jonipitcher7185

5 күн бұрын

Same

One amendment to your fast offering comment. My experience was that when we had excess FO they were siphoned off from our ward and sent somewhere else.

@MormonNewsRoundup

5 күн бұрын

hmmm, perhaps in the same stake

When Ian hit Florida, LDS groups showed up from all over the south. They drove their own trucks, bought the gas, food, lodging - no reimbursement from the church. Oh. They did get free yellow t shirts. I imagine the volunteers’ time and expenses were counted as humanitarian donations but I don’t know for sure.

@MormonNewsRoundup

5 күн бұрын

yes they are counted, more unverified humanitarian claims since there is no external auditing

Its all about the money!!. Ugh.😢

I think the idea that i literally was manipulated to pay them greedy jerks in the church and not provide food for my own children makes me even more pissed off. And then people think this is a defendable situation is even more aggravating.

@aBrewster29

5 күн бұрын

Section 22.4 of the Handbook states clearly that financial assistance from the Church should not create a dependency. An ongoing arrangement of paying tithing and then receiving assistance is a dependency, and is therefore in violation of the official Church policy. Of course, leaders are not trained on this. The focus is heavily on faith-first, which becomes faith-only. Bishops ought to guide members in rethinking their tithing calculation before admonishing them to take a leap of faith. This does not disregard faith, but puts it into proper context. And for anyone who thinks this take is too out there, consider what needs the Church will expect its members to sacrifice for tithing (e.g., healthcare, education) and then see if GAs live an example of that sacrifice or if they grant themselves such benefits. When given the chance to model the level of faith expected from vulnerable members, Church leaders opted for a comfortable guarantee paid for by sacred funds. It’s indefensible.

@MormonNewsRoundup

5 күн бұрын

good information

One more issue worth pursuing, having worked inside the machine I have direct experience showing that almost all humanitarian work is done to influence people and governments for purposes of visa benefits, I.e. missionary work. If there’s no benefit for the church’s objectives it does not get approved.

@MormonNewsRoundup

4 күн бұрын

Most likely the church is doing some good, but without ACTUAL auditing, the humanitarian claims are dubious

Excellent

@MormonNewsRoundup

5 күн бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

@markkrispin6944

5 күн бұрын

Hey Dives. After listening to your struggles growing up with the Mormon Church, my heart grew heavy for you. I am so sorry to hear about it all. It really angers me how the Mormon cult church fucks with its member's mind.

@MormonNewsRoundup

5 күн бұрын

thanks for watching and for your well wishes

🤣”I will dismiss you without further argument.”

Just like so many aspects of church history, church greed should be a huge shelf item for believers. But such is the nature of psychological conditioning that like the videos of Trump supporters saying they would kill for him if he asked, the sheep just sit blindly in their pen paying, praying, and obeying. This reminds me of a conversation about tithing settlement a few years ago on Mormon reddit. I was stating my utter disgust with the practice, as its very clear intention is to pull in more money, a fact which was illustrated by a Mormon bishop announcing in a Sacrament meeting I attended years ago that members should sign up early for tithing settlement to get a better chance of their checks clearing by the end of the calendar/tax year. I understand they've moved tithing settlement ahead in the calendar since then. Anyway, along came a few faithful sheep to try to save the day for the Mormon corporation by claiming that said Bishop had gone rogue and that tithing settlement is for nothing but "declaring tithing status". Naturally they had no interest in explaining in real terms what that was supposed to mean, especially since members are already asked whether they pay a full tithe in temple recommend interviews. Obviously being asked to "declare tithing status" by being put face-to-face with the Lord (in the person of his authorized servant) is intended to pressure people into "catching up". And this in light of the fact that in other churches members are asked to donate and do so anonymously (at least with regard to amount) when a plate is passed. While as for those Mormon defenders on reddit, comments like those about the rogue Bishop are perfect examples of the extreme levels of self-delusion religion not only fosters but often depends upon.

@MormonNewsRoundup

23 сағат бұрын

wow, well said

@Fatfinger4378

21 сағат бұрын

@@MormonNewsRoundup Thanks. :)

The cognitive dissonance is sending these guys to attack mode. Good work!

@MormonNewsRoundup

5 күн бұрын

always attack the messenger if your position is indefensible

Thank you, I feel decived by the LDS church corp. However, sone memmbers dont see anything wrong with the shell corp. It is the same old song and dance. The church is not helpful to most families. They also cut ward budgets passing the cost to the families. All of this in the name fundraising. Who buys the food for the spaghetti dinner ? The FAMILIES 😢

@MormonNewsRoundup

5 күн бұрын

The institution comes first, middle, and last

Why should religions get a tax break? It makes no sense. We should give them the same tax breaks as everyone else at the most. Let them deduct the income actually used for charitable causes. Unless they are using their money and buildings to actively provide donations of food and shelter, let there be no tax write offs. Let’s incentivize them to spend some of that money on causes that actually help people.

@georgemartin1383

5 күн бұрын

Because all taxes are theft? And governments are Godless. Not that I like Mormons or other heretics.

@MormonNewsRoundup

5 күн бұрын

little appetite for that in the US congress

@Fatfinger4378

Күн бұрын

That is one of the more insane aspects of how things work in this good ole USA. The fact that any organization enjoying tax exempt status should be required to be FULLY financially transparent, and externally audited, is so blatantly obvious that it should go without saying. Yet that is so the opposite of our lived reality that US policy in this area not only allows but encourages corporate religions like Mormonism to operate like organized crime syndicates while fully expecting to be allowed to do so, lest their right to freely practice their religion be trampled.

Do you have a current temple recommend

@kol2456

5 күн бұрын

Yes, it doesn't expire till October, why do you ask?

@MormonNewsRoundup

5 күн бұрын

who me?