Ensign Peak Advisors

[Maximus]

imagine if the church invested a few billion a year, less than they earn per year on this thing, in utah

[Moliere]

My take. The church knew what it was doing (meaning trying to hide the details of the fund). They are using the lawyers as an excuse. The church doesn’t spend enough on charity (IMO) but they spend a lot and a lot more than they are given credit for. You can’t fix many problems by throwing money at them (sorry democrats, but it’s true) and church knows this. You need to change behavior and culture and generations of thought to fix poverty and other ills of the world. Give a man a fish…

[Northwestcoug]

Welp. I got what I wanted.

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist...AOI0cRtRJhUJsg

That was a very strange newsroom article.

Did anyone have BLOX and House of the Lord on their LDS temple bingo card?

[Uncle Ted]

You wanted a temple for a trailer park?

It's a step up from a "trailer park" temple... I am sure they take the wheels off before putting it up on blocks.

[Uncle Ted]

My take. The church knew what it was doing (meaning trying to hide the details of the fund). They are using the lawyers as an excuse. The church doesn’t spend enough on charity (IMO) but they spend a lot and a lot more than they are given credit for. You can’t fix many problems by throwing money at them (sorry democrats, but it’s true) and church knows this. You need to change behavior and culture and generations of thought to fix poverty and other ills of the world. Give a man a fish…

Amen.

Today's version of "Give a man a fish": Give a man/woman/(or one of the other 79 gender identities) an Obama/Biden phone and they can make calls to their "Bros"/"Sis's"/etc for a day or so until they drop it into the mud puddle... Teach them to be an engineer and they can make their own damn phone or at least have an enough money (before taxes) to maybe buy one of those nice iPhones. Especially if they are one of those welding engineers like JL.

[All-American]

That was a very strange newsroom article.

Did anyone have BLOX and House of the Lord on their LDS temple bingo card?

I thought it was interesting.

[Northwestcoug]

I thought it was interesting.

Yes it was. But just the way it was written and the inferences it was making were unexpected. Did anyone see modular design and building for temples coming? And those pictures were interesting. Are they 3D printing?

[Bo Diddley]

The model seems to be working too well…

Well he is a professor of law, so he should probably stay in his lane!

[Mormon Red Death]

They shall know them by their fruits. It's an easy measure to test. If there were leaders enriching themselves at the top levels of the church then I could understand that level of cynicism. Problem is that is not what is happening. There is no evidence to support innuendo or assumptions. In contrast, as you say the church does so much good—of which you are aware. But you weren't aware of LDS social services, so what else is the church doing of which you and I are not aware?

Consider for a moment that we have a couple who moved into our Ward roughly eight months ago. The husband is Russian, the wife Ukrainian. They have two children. They fled the war. They both served missions in Siberia. They met several years ago at a YSA conference in Moscow. The same things, like YSA and Youth conferences, happen all over the world just like they do in North America. That's incredible to contemplate.

My wife and I have close friends in Europe. The husband is German, the wife is Spanish. She speaks Spanish, French, German and English. She works for LDS social services and primarily works with missionaries struggling with mental health, not just in Europe but in Africa. That's also incredible to contemplate.

I have told the story many times, but my neighbor who lives directly behind me is originally from Africa. He is a truck driver which was also his vocation in Africa. When he found out we were members of the church he praised the church's incredible welfare program. He talks about how he personally delivered food and goods for the church to Bishop Storehouses in Africa. He knew the network and how the program works.

Again, that is incredible to contemplate. The shear size and reach of the church, and its ability to fund itself, and care for members in every community across the globe. But hey, supposedly no one knows what the church is doing with its funds And how can you possibly say "it could do a lot more" when you are not even fully aware of what is already being done?

Just because the leaders don't appear to be getting rich doesn't make them good stewards. Btw no one is saying they aren't doing ANY charitable work. It's evident they are doing some. It's the scale that bothers people. Additionally yes, even people who don't even give to the church should have a say and the reason is because:

1. They church doesn't pay taxes.
2. The charitable donations that are given lower the taxes of the people giving them (thus lowering the tax base)

Thus they should have to have to prove their social value.

Pursuant to all this
I've long said that one of the main problems of the church is that its filled with "yes" men. They would probably benefit from an ombudsman. Someone not affiliated that can give them good advice about how their decisions are perceived

[Bo Diddley]

Just because the leaders don't appear to be getting rich doesn't make them good stewards. Btw no one is saying they aren't doing ANY charitable work. It's evident they are doing some. It's the scale that bothers people. Additionally yes, even people who don't even give to the church should have a say and the reason is because:

1. They church doesn't pay taxes.
2. The charitable donations that are given lower the taxes of the people giving them (thus lowering the tax base)

Thus they should have to have to prove their social value.

Pursuant to all this
I've long said that one of the main problems of the church is that its filled with "yes" men. They would probably benefit from an ombudsman. Someone not affiliated that can give them good advice about how their decisions are perceived

Just curious--what proportion of tithing and donations do you suppose is itemized? What proportion comes from the US?

[Bo Diddley]

Desnews runs an editorial:

https://www.deseret.com/2023/5/15/23...on-mormons-inc

Admittedly, I struggle with wrapping my head around money. What does $50 Billion mean? I used to manage $1 Billion in Army assets. At some point money doesn't even mean anything anymore. That's likely a function of working for the federal government for so many years.

Anyway, I always assumed the Church had the means to take care of all the upkeep of real assets world-wide.

An earlier clarification by the church still applies today. Despite its many investments and strong financial position today, “the bulk of the church’s assets are money-consuming assets, rather than money-producing.” Tens of thousands of houses of worship, temples, missions, genealogical centers and universities all take money to operate.

[MartyFunkhouser]

So, your bias is saying the non religious schools they trained at are terrible? Bullsh**

What? I have no clue what you are saying here. I think you are trying to find offense and/or a complaint about religion where none is intended.

I said that they are not equipped to handle court involved therapy and they are not. They do not have the skills and training for it. For example, I'm not sure any of them are involved with the AFCC and are AFCC informed. To be fair, a lot of therapists are not equipped to handle court involved therapy and high conflict divorce dynamics.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Just because the leaders don't appear to be getting rich doesn't make them good stewards. Btw no one is saying they aren't doing ANY charitable work. It's evident they are doing some. It's the scale that bothers people. Additionally yes, even people who don't even give to the church should have a say and the reason is because:

1. They church doesn't pay taxes.
2. The charitable donations that are given lower the taxes of the people giving them (thus lowering the tax base)

Thus they should have to have to prove their social value.

Pursuant to all this
I've long said that one of the main problems of the church is that it’s filled with "yes" men. They would probably benefit from an ombudsman. Someone not affiliated that can give them good advice about how their decisions are perceived

Haha. Yes. Let’s hire the SLTrib comment section to coach the church on spending and public perception.

[All-American]

Just curious--what proportion of tithing and donations do you suppose is itemized? What proportion comes from the US?

Given how top-heavy income is these days, I think it is fair to assume that most tithing revenue comes from wealthier members.

[All-American]

Just because the leaders don't appear to be getting rich doesn't make them good stewards. Btw no one is saying they aren't doing ANY charitable work. It's evident they are doing some. It's the scale that bothers people. Additionally yes, even people who don't even give to the church should have a say and the reason is because:

1. They church doesn't pay taxes.
2. The charitable donations that are given lower the taxes of the people giving them (thus lowering the tax base)

Thus they should have to have to prove their social value.

Pursuant to all this
I've long said that one of the main problems of the church is that its filled with "yes" men. They would probably benefit from an ombudsman. Someone not affiliated that can give them good advice about how their decisions are perceived

I find the bolded part problematic.