"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Matthew 6:24

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2018/04/top-mormon-leader-tells-africans-tithing-will-end-cycle-of-poverty/

APRIL 18, 2018, NAIROBI, KENYA
Mormon gangster hustles Africans: In a despicable display of greed, the leader of the Mormon church tells poor Africans that giving the church money will end their poverty.

Russell Marion Nelson Sr., President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was in Nairobi, Kenya, earlier this week “to deliver a message from the Lord.”

The message: God needs your money, and if you don’t want to be poor, you have to give the Mormon church 10% of your income.

Nelson told the crowd in Nairobi:

We preach tithing to the poor people of the world because the poor people of the world have had cycles of poverty, generation after generation. That same poverty continues from one generation to another, until people pay their tithing.

The statement is despicable and deceitful, but not a surprise. The Mormon church has a well documented history of preying on the poor. For example, at the April 2017 General Conference, one Mormon leader told the gathering of the faithful that the financial needs of the church come before everything else, even feeding your family.

Speaking at the annual conference, Elder Valeri V. Cordón told a story about how his father chose to tithe before providing food for his hungry and poverty stricken family, suggesting that one should pay the church, even if it means your family starves.

As for the Mormon church’s efforts to proselytize in Africa, there is some bitter and ugly irony at play, given the church’s profoundly racist past. In fact, historically, the Mormon church has always been a bigoted, narrow minded, and morally corrupt institution. Indeed, up until 1978, the church taught that black people were spiritually and morally inferior beings, and barred men of African descent from entering the clergy.
However, it should come as no surprise that in the end it is green, the color of money, that trumps all other colors when it comes to the greed and avarice of the Mormon church.

Bottom line: President Nelson and the Mormon church are running a spiritual protection racket, telling the African people and others to pay up or suffer in poverty. It is a despicable practice, but not unique to the Mormon church. Indeed, wherever there is a church, there will be someone leading the church telling you to give them money or else you will be punished by God.

It is an immoral, but profitable business model.

Now we know why the black race was allowed, starting in 1978, to have the Mormon priesthood. Why would anyone give money to a church that banned their whole race from taking part in any part of its leadership? Mormon church leaders have literally sold their tokens for the money when they give a so-called cursed race their priesthood and then ask those same people for money a few years later. Black mormons should be exempt from paying tithing for at least the same amount of time they were denied to hold the priesthood (well over 100 years). In a mixed race marriage, that would equate to five percent tithing for the couple and if both parents in the family are black, then no tithing at all and they still get their temple recommends. I can't see why anyone would want to participate in Mormonism these days. But if they choose to participate, that's how it should work. Then the church should take several billion of its $100B stockpile and invest in African communities. If they do a good enough job of building those communities and of educating its citizens, then when the tithing exemption run-out in 100+ years, maybe those communities will be in a position to make voluntary contributions back to the Mormon church. That is how real charities work.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2019 10:24AM by azsteve.

> Black mormons should be exempt from
> paying tithing for at least the same amount of
> time they were denied to hold the priesthood (well
> over 100 years).

Are you willing to apply that moral principle across the board?

> Black AMERICANS should be exempt from
> paying TAXES for at least the same amount of
> time they were denied FULL RIGHTS OF CITIZENSHIP . . .

Moral consistency is important, is it not?

Nelson and his posse are disgusting.

I wish this article would get picked up by more mainstream press.

realty at your expense. I'm sure most of us here can "testify" to the fact that paying our tithing didn't make us wealthy.

My boyfriend and I were passing time until the movie we wanted to see started yesterday and we were driving around Cliffside in Logan, River Heights, or wherever it is. He makes good money and has a nice home, but these homes were huge. I couldn't help but wonder who lives in those homes. We really have a lot of HUGE homes in this valley for the wages paid here. Who can possibly own these homes? Those who paid their tithing of course. All those people in Africa will own homes just like them as soon as they pay their tithing.

[Adult Language Warning for this post]

Africa is a huge continent (I have flown over it, north to south), encompassing (according to Google) 54 soverign states plus 10 non-soverign territories [think: colonies of France, etc.], so it is impossible to make general statements about "Africa" as a continent.

That being said, here are the realities of at least most of African life:

"Public education" is not free, but requires tuition fees which must be paid for by each student's family. The stark realities of African life are: when families can pay only, let us say, the fees for one child's education, that chosen child is almost always male instead of female.

In addition: schools frequently charge additional fees for tuition necessities (books, paper, pencils, etc.).

In addition: schools usually require specific uniforms (which change from school to school). Students who do not wear whatever is the required uniform for that school cannot attend school.

In addition: female students, when they begin menstruating, and nearly universally throughout Africa, cannot afford sanitary supplies--which means that, during their periods, they cannot attend school because they will bleed all over their uniforms and whatever they sit on. Thus: even if they are fortunate enough to somehow have their school fees paid, and are somehow able to pay for tuition supplies, they STILL cannot attend school for several days each month because they do not have access to the sanitary supplies which would make school attendance possible.

And out of THIS kind of deprivation, among peoples who would do just about anything to get their kids to school (and where the kids would do--and DO do--just about ANYTHING to go to school), the Mormon church is on a campaign to get African families to tithe whatever small amounts of money they are able to cobble together INSTEAD of using that money to buy menstrual pads, or food?

F*** 'em.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2019 12:12PM by Tevai.

Right. I do not know for a fact what exactly is needed to get Sub-Saharan Africans out of poverty, but I would think a good education would be high on the list. IMO investments in water wells, good medical care, farms, and small/micro businesses would be helpful as well.

In his younger days, my brother spent a significant amount of time in rural east Africa supervising road construction projects using grant money. He was putting his training as a civil engineer and project manager to good use. This was during one of Africa's many severe droughts. My brother explained to me that building infrastructure would make it easier to get food donations to the people who needed it. He returned many years later to see the fruits of his labor.

These are the types of things that would benefit people. The Mormon church goes to Africa with the leaderships' collecting hands out. They have no shame.

Oprah and others have built schools and established programs that enable people to lift themselves up at least a little. Education is everything when it comes to bettering your situation. A little learning goes a long way.

The Mormon leaders are the opposite---- asking for money from those who need it most. And building Temples instead of schools because you can only go to the temple if you pay enough money. Tithing is the surest way to impoverish even more.

By keeping Mormons focused on getting to the CK, they are able to make tithing more important than even survival and glorify the way they are kicking the poor Africans while they are down.

Release the kraken !

Maybe the leadership of LDS Inc will be embarrassed enough, or required by the IRS to do some sort of charity work, to start spending a billion a year on education and infrastructure in sub-saharan Africa.

I'm not holding my breath, but I think it is within the realm of possibility.

It is True, a Prophet said it.

It works, just like Fasting ends starvation...

Utterly shameless greed. They have $100 billion and have the gall to ask some of the poorest people in the world for more money and promise their made up polygamous Adam-God will make them less poor by taking their money?

This doesn't fall under religious freedom. This is an international fraud scheme and a crime against humanity. The 15 should be brought to The Hague and held accountable.

"Mormon gangster hustles Africans: In a despicable display of greed...."

Thank you, anybody. It is gratifying to know that somewhere, someone is telling it like it is.

I agree with ptbarnum: "This is an international fraud scheme and a crime against humanity."

Even before the 100 billion dollar discovery, some of my friends left the cult, when they read about Nelson's attempt to scam the Africans with the same tired old false promises. I told my friends that this was one of the reasons I left years ago, except they were trying to hustle my (poor and fatherless) children out of their babysitting and paper route money. They Mormons prey on the weak and innocent.

Imagine--building a school in Africa instead of a temple. Paying for food and education. Sorry, Brother of Jerry, but in my wildest imagination I can't foresee the Mormon cult as donating anything, unless it is to cover their tracks, or bring them more money and members, for PR, advertising, or brainwashing. The cult tell us that their mission is to "grow the church," and that's what they are doing. Right. The cult has no shame.

Mormon gangster! I love it!
Mormon gangster
Mormon gangster

Developing countries ESPECIALLY (actually ALL!) should have laws prohibiting contributions from leaving their country.


If the Keynesian people (any other similar) want to 'donate' to ChurchCo mobsters, at least it should circulate in Kenya.


$100 B my arse.

I've donated to one of the many groups that helps educate and donate "ladies products" so that African girls can go to school and not worry about missing monthly lessons. Do you suppose TSCC does that?

China is moving into Africa big-time to get resources and cheap labor, much like European powers over the last 150 years. Your cell phone may have parts from this new "trade".

But the LDS focus on tithing is really sickening--what about the South American bishop who said to a guy who told he had trouble paying a tithe: "If paying tithing means that you can’t pay for water or electricity, pay tithing. If paying tithing means that you can’t pay your rent, pay tithing. Even if paying tithing means that you don’t have enough money to feed your family, pay tithing. The Lord will not abandon you."
"

Or this, in an article from The Ensign called 'Tithing--A Commandment Even For The Destitute': "Among those who do not sacrifice there are two extremes: one is the rich, gluttonous man who won’t and the other is the poor, destitute man who believes he can’t. But how can you ask someone who is starving to eat less? Is there a level of poverty so low that sacrifice should not be expected or a family so destitute that paying tithing should cease to be required? Faith isn’t tested so much when the cupboard is full as when it is bare. In these defining moments, the crisis doesn’t create one’s character—it reveals it. The crisis is the test.

And guess what? I copy and pasted those two quotes from the FAIR site, because they support this shite!

Chicken N. Backpacks Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've donated to one of the many groups that helps
> educate and donate "ladies products" so that
> African girls can go to school and not worry about
> missing monthly lessons. Do you suppose TSCC
> does that?

Thank you, Chicken N. Backpacks. :)

Providing these supplies to African school students has enduring positive effects not just for this generation, but for many future generations to come.


> But the LDS focus on tithing is really
> sickening--what about the South American bishop
> who said to a guy who told he had trouble paying a
> tithe: "If paying tithing means that you can’t
> pay for water or electricity, pay tithing. If
> paying tithing means that you can’t pay your
> rent, pay tithing. Even if paying tithing means
> that you don’t have enough money to feed your
> family, pay tithing. The Lord will not abandon
> you."
> "
>
> Or this, in an article from The Ensign called
> 'Tithing--A Commandment Even For The Destitute':
> "Among those who do not sacrifice there are two
> extremes: one is the rich, gluttonous man who
> won’t and the other is the poor, destitute man
> who believes he can’t. But how can you ask
> someone who is starving to eat less? Is there a
> level of poverty so low that sacrifice should not
> be expected or a family so destitute that paying
> tithing should cease to be required? Faith isn’t
> tested so much when the cupboard is full as when
> it is bare. In these defining moments, the crisis
> doesn’t create one’s character—it reveals
> it. The crisis is the test.
>
> And guess what? I copy and pasted those two
> quotes from the FAIR site, because they support
> this shite!

Both of these quotes are unspeakably immoral--and directly counter to what I know of the New Testament.

The only thing I can think of as a defense for these statements is that they were made by persons who never saw, or felt, the kind of poverty which exists not only in Africa, but in many other places around the world (India, etc.).

In other words, the most "unjudging" defense I can think of has to be assumed to be deep ignorance on the part of the speakers--since anything else would be monstrous.