Did you ever hear TBM's talk about how wonderful it was that the temple was "free" for members to get married in, and would then contrast it with how wedding venues charge couples to marry there but that in the Church we don't require a fee to wed in "the Holy Temple"?
Uhhhh..... hello? Going to the temple has never been "free". It costs you 10% of your annual income for a seasonal pass!
Did anyone ever have similar thoughts? I still think it's funny that TBM's will ooh and awe over how the temple is free to all who are spiritually worthy without realizing you could be Mother Theresa herself and still considered unworthy if you didn't hand over 10% of your income to the Church to go build more things like City Creek Mall. *facepalm*

I have also always heard from TBM husband that using the gym [AKA Cultural Hall]for receptions, etc is "FREE". HA!! We pay them thousands every year---it is most certainly NOT FREE! I also heard him critisize other churches many times because they pass around a basket for donations...I WISH the cult did that, we could get off cheap and just throw in a 20 every week!

Brainwashing goes deep we also got "free" manuals in Sunday school.

I remember when you had to pay for priesthood manuals. $5 was the cost if I recall correctly.

Actually, this was always one of my pet peeves.

My TBM wife once scoffed when a non-member friend reported paying $500-600 for a wedding venue, and an additional $300 for the officiant. She hung up the phone with her friend and said, "It's amazing what people outside the church have to pay when WE get sealed in the temple for free. It's sad how so many churches are only in the business of making money." What was worse, she said it in such a self-righteous tone, as if this was just another evidence that she belonged to the "one true church."

I nearly blew a fuse.

I was long out of the church by then, so I said, "How can you say the temple is free?" I then proceeded to break down the numbers.

For the year previous to our sealing, I was a poor student working a part time job, but I still made at least $10,000 that year, meaning that I paid $1,000 out of my own pocket just for the privilege of using the "free" wedding venue. She made at least $5,000 that year, so she paid about $500 for the wedding. Between the two of us, we paid more in tithing than her friend paid for her wedding venue and officiant.

Now, if we wanted to invite guests, they would have to pay too. Her parents (and step parents) made more than $150,000 combined each year, so their presence at the wedding cost an additional $15,000. Her siblings earned a combined income of about $120,000 annually, so add another $12,000 to the total bill.

In addition to the direct family members, we had about 20 other guests in the sealing room. If we conservative assume that they all earned about $25,000 a year, their combined presence cost an additional $50,000.

To summarize, my wife and I paid $1,500 for our share of the wedding cost. Our direct family members paid about $27,000 and our guests paid about $50,000. The total amount of the wedding for all parties cost more than $78,500!!!

What a racket, especially for a "free" venue.

And what did we get for our money? We got to wear ill-fitting white polyester robes. We got to kneel across the altar and look at one another through the "eternal" mirrors while a complete stranger repeated a pre-fabricated prayer from a note card. Oh yes, we also got the assurance that our marriage would survive the ages as long as we stayed faithful and kept the money flowing in the right direction.

By the way, my relatives were not allowed to even catch a glimpse of the wedding because they didn't pay the cost of admission.

This is tragic! It makes me sick to think I ever believe this stuff.

+1 thank you it is written pretty clear that free isn't really free.

Wow! You can throw a hecuva nice wedding, reception, AND honeymoon for that kind of money!

Could this be why Mormon wedding gifts tend to be cheap, Cheap, CHEAP!?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/2013 10:55AM by caedmon.

When I spelled out the true cost of a temple marriage, she flashed me a look of anger that could have melted lead, but then an awkward silence settled between us. She never actually said anything. It just became this unspoken topic in our relationship, never to be repeated.

Temple Marriage is Free.
Mormons have an unpaid clergy.
It's not secret it's sacred.
The cheque is in the post.
Your bum doesn't look big in that.
Yes I will still love you afterwards.

We are from the church and are here to help you

That's a GREAT summary of the true cost of "free".

Thanks for sharing!

Yes - I agree about anything to do with the church and free. They also take a bit of your soul and trust. It is hard to get back or gain if you are BIC.

LOL neither are Mormon funerals.

Members paid all their lives to have local leaders interject themselves into the ceremony, right down to the music.

Then they use the nonLDS mourners as captive hostages while trying to feed them their delusional propaganda.

Nothing is "free" in this stupid cult.