I was reading the posts about the Democratic Republic of the Congo. What exactly is the church doing to help people there? Or, is it only about selling mormonism? It sounds like they send in missionaries who are untrained and have no idea what they're really getting into.

If tithe payers are bolting from the church, is it wise to have future ones killed on missions?

They offer eternal life for just 10% of income. Who cares how much they suffer now right?

Like my TBM mother used to say: the church preaches the true and everlasting gospel, what more can anyone want? I believe she was quoting SWK on this. Bottom line is they are doing nothing for anyone anywhere on the planet.

Given this corporation's penchant for investing in real estate and natural resources, the Congo seems like the place to be. Lots of rare earth minerals. Too bad for the church that the US administration has completely missed out on Africa.

I remember some photo's of an insanely large, multi-storey ward house in another African country (can't remember which one) that just screams money laundering, given the low number of members they have over there.

Whatever it is they're up to, it can't be good.

rt Wrote:
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> Given this corporation's penchant for investing in
> real estate and natural resources, the Congo seems
> like the place to be. Lots of rare earth minerals.
> Too bad for the church that the US administration
> has completely missed out on Africa.
>
> I remember some photo's of an insanely large,
> multi-storey ward house in another African country
> (can't remember which one) that just screams money
> laundering, given the low number of members they
> have over there.

> Whatever it is they're up to, it can't be good.

Oh, wow, rt...I think you may have hit the jackpot on this one.

Minerals. CONFLICT minerals. Vast, enormously valuable, mineral resources, ready for exploitation by financially able "partners" with deep pockets and NO ethics or morals when it comes to people (or animal life) that are of no import to those doing the exploiting.

Google: "minerals democratic republic of congo" and see what VERY interesting results come up.

For the corporation that is buying up Florida in chunks, "investing" in the DRC is a no-brainer. The costs are much lower there (whole "armies" of enforcers can be bought for a relative pittance, and you don't even have to supply them with the normal things like food, etc. because they scavenge/pillage all their own needs "off the land"...and area people), and you can get literate "supporting units" for free (or even for an actual profit) by using self-supporting "missionary units" to do the organizational and advance work.

Seriously: the Congo (and related areas) could be (and may be) one of the most financially profitable projects TSCC has ever financially invested in. Over time, the income could be just unimaginably ENORMOUS, putting TSCC at the top of the global 1%.

(And making everything invested in Florida look like an insignificant trial balloon.)

This could be the answer, rt.

It really, realistically, COULD be the answer.

Holy crap.

There are senior couples doing doing PR about importance of malaria (and other?) vaccines and setting up events and medical missionaries giving the vaccines.

I hope Cludgie doesn't mind me quoting him, but in case anyone missed the other thread, here is the best summation of the whole missionaries in Africa thing that has been posted here. You need to make sure ANYONE getting called to Africa understands the dynamics of TSCC's missionary efforts there.

Cludgie wrote:

"Okay! I'm back! I was having a difficult time typing, but some of what I said actually made sense. Anyway, here's the thing:

- DRC has absolutely no infrastructure remaining. There is no dependable electricity, and no potable water. I had a commercial water still in my home that was provided by the embassy. That meant that all the embassy members had distilled water to drink. But if you fill up a bath, you will notice that the water is distinctly green. When they baptised people at church, they would lead them down into opaque, green water. Sweet.

- There are no emergency services in DRC. There is no fire department, even if they have one small fire engine. The military uses the fire engine to round up people on the street, and the thugs beat them up and throw them on top the engine and haul them away. The police only get paid in money that they shake down from people. They will sometimes crowd around a vehicle and club the car and stuff until they get what they want. You're supposed to pay traffic cops to get let into street traffic.

- There is no traffic safety of any kind. There are little to no street lamps at night, so it is ENTIRELY dark, and the persistent dust from cars blinds you when your headlamps are on. Black people in dark clothing will suddenly cross in front, and wham!, they're dead. You have to get out now, or bystanders will drag you from your car, beat you, and set your car on fire. Happens all the time. It is a common thing to see a dead body or two by the side of the road in the mornings, people who have been hit by cars and killed. You NEVER stop if you have a traffic accident, unless your car is disabled. If it is, you are normally screwed. If you're injured, they will rob you and undress you, taking even your underwear.

- The airport is dangerous, the runway in bad need of repair, and no real professional personnel running anything. Runway lights go out all the time, with frequent power outages when aircraft are on arrival. A safe arrival by airline is an act of God. Fortunately, not too many airlines travel there. But that means that getting in and out is also an ordeal.

- Missionaries get jacked up and robbed all the time at the airport when flying out. They only have tourist passports, and since the church doesn't provide security or expediters, they are vulnerable to all the tricks. The police accost them, demand payment, then finally jack them up and take their money and valuables.

- If a person has a heart attack, stroke, or any other sudden life-threatening problem, he or she is Shiz outta luck and just dies like a Congolese. As I said above, there are no emergency personnel, no ambulances, no police vehicles to help you.

- There is no postal service in DRC. Just sayin'. A post office would always be convenient, but in Congo no one can send or receive letters.

DRC is one of the most fundamentally unsafe places to live, even in the most stable of times. Approximately 12 million people live in Kinshasa, but there are only 300 miles of paved road in the entire country, which is about 1/3 the size of the 48 states. So the capital is mostly dirt roads, and there are no signal lights. It's chaos. The LDS church has entrenched itself there because anyone can baptise a Congolese into any church after only a few hours of chit-chat. The missionaries baptise by the dozens. Of course, there is no more retention than anywhere else, but 30% of thousands means a lot more members. The church spends a lot of money on them, building them nice chapels with back-up electric generators and basketball courts. People will come to church in order to sit in luxury for a few hours and to charge their cell phones. Congo equals "success" to Mormons, and they aren't going to leave even if every last senior missionary is killed during an uprising. The church needs Congo to bolster its numbers."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2013 12:31PM by NormaRae.

At least make sure they read this first.

The congo sounds like one big clusterfuck. Although the church is seeing "success" with baptisms are they hoping the wholesale of religion will bring in a little money? What money do these new members even have in order to pay tithing. The collection seems to be meager and they Branch President or Bishop, from the sound of things, would get robbed every week on the way to the bank to deposit donations.

What little money they have is stolen by paying tithing

In the LDS money game, it's probably very important in the grand scheme of things. They can ratchet up the numbers and keep the wealthy American tithe payers placated thinking the church is really growing, the new missionary program is successful, etc. They won't see any money from Africa, per se, but boosts the sales in America.