I don't think it's a matter of "I wonder if anybody left the church", but rather how many left because of the 100 Billion Dollar savings account.

Do you think that TSCC actually GAINED any new converts because of it?

Using this line of thinking, with a sudden loss and no extra converts at the same time, this so-called church just spurted a big load of ex-mos out.

Wouldn't it be something if this is the great winnowing that was foretold of as a sign of the second coming? This would be amazeballs because the fact that they saved for the second coming and then this savings account came to light causing a great number of the very elect to fall away thereby triggering the second coming of the lord & savior (TM) in the flesh which would become the cat that ate the fish that ate the fucker on first base.

But a lot of shelves started groaning this month.

One would also expect those tithing receipts to show a statistically significant downward trend over the next year.

I agree. It's not the sort of thing that would likely cause a true believer to immediately leave and cut ties, but it will hopefully contribute to a whole lot of people deciding that tithing is negotiable when finances are tight.

Long before the whistleblower's story, many suspected it already, and left.

Left??

The story broke a couple of weeks ago. Leaving Mormonism usually takes longer than that, often MUCH longer.

Some people's shelves that were about to break probably did break. I imagine a lot suffered structural damage but haven't broken yet. I agree that the $100B is pretty much a one way valve that will take people out of Mormonism. So is their homophobia, sexism, and repressive conformity.

There are still some reasons for staying in Mormonism, but precious few reasons for joining. There's a growing list of reasons to leave. The $100B is the latest.

I didn't even bother bringing it up to my most-TBM friend. I'm fairly certain that she would simply choose not to believe it.

It's just another lie slamming the Church.

I was almost done with the lds church before I met my "husband." Then when I had to deal with the leaders over him being gay, I also didn't really believe. I was too messed up to know what to do and finally married him out of desperation to get the damn leaders out of our lives and because I did love him. I didn't want to get married in the temple at that point, but then what was the point of marrying him? And we kept going because maybe, just maybe we could make it work if we lived righteously. We obviously failed (no, I don't think we failed).

But it took a LONG time before we left over the gay issues that had impacted our lives beyond belief.

I see cracks in my daughter's shelf. One day it will all come crashing down on her just like it did me especially when she is off in Alaska far from the temple and the very non-local wards. Three hour drive to the nearest ward. More than that to the temple. Yea!!! She'll be at the base of Denali.

It takes time. Of course, there are those that this is the last straw and immediately will leave. We just won't know about them unless they show up here or they become a news story.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2019 10:46AM by cl2.

Greyfort is right, unfortunately.

A few days ago, I was having lunch with some TBM friends, who didn't know I had resigned from the cult. These Mormons were very angry! They were angry at the Salt Lake Tribune! They said the newspaper--and all the other newspapers except for the Deseret News were "anti-Mormon."

I slipped in the comment: "So--you blame a newspaper for reporting the news?"

Their main argument was that politics and finances should have nothing to do with the pure worshipping of Christ. Nelson is a prophet of God, and "The Church" should not be scrutinized or criticized.

One older friend ruminated, "Why can't The Church be like it used to be, in the good old days--removed from all this "pettiness"? I did have to comment that in the old days, it was easier to hide certain facts from people. We have the internet, now, and the unbridled TV news. (This old woman has as PhD and graduated from BYU Law School!)

This conversation was revealing, as to what extent the Mormon cult still keeps its members brainwashed and ignorant--even well-educated Mormons who keep up on the news and vote in all the elections.

I mostly listened (except for those few comments), and I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling these folks that they weren't supposed to use the word "Mormon" anymore!

As ridiculous as the cult is, in my mind, it is evil. These Mormon friends are parents, and some are grandparents. They are manipulating their families to stay in the cult, under the treat of being dis-inherited and/or shunned. They brag about the numbers of children and grandchildren they have manipulated into going on a mission or being baptized. It's as if there's a score to be tallied, a competition, a battle to be won against the wicked world. The cult is destroying these Mormomn parents' relationships with kids who refuse to go on a mission, kids who marry outside their cult and outside their race (yes these Mormons are racist) kids who are gay, kids who choose career over children, or whatever.

Anyway, for these friends around the lunch table in Provo--it's just another lie slamming The Church.

your friends sound just like my tbm well to do family! My relatives don't think there is the slightest possibility of mismanagement, greediness, or anything of the like.

The reaction comes I think because of class. There is a whole set of privledged people who live set apart from everyone else and from the big bad world. They don't experience poverty, What it is to not own a home, not have a car, being under/unemployed, to face unreliable back breaking labor with no insurance.

The GAs and church is run by comfortable people, who have many advantages. It's nice to be in this class of folks. The class divide is very real on the Wasatch front, probably more pronounced than other cities in the country.

My family isn't offended in fact they don't see a problem, perhaps another reason is the political affiliation. They are all GOP and believe the wealthy should keep their money and we should not tax the rich and let the poor be poor. It's a fine attitude if you have money!

My opinion is that if a person's shelf is already weighted down, this may be enough to finally break it. But most church members will make the usual excuses.

This is why I think outside intervention is needed. Make all churches which collect more than a certain amount per year (perhaps $1 million dollars could be the threshold,) and which claim the church tax exemption, make a full public report of their finances with a required impartial audit at appropriate intervals.

Have a legal requirement that churches over this threshold be required to spend a certain amount of money on charitable efforts that benefit the entire community, not just the church members. Charity could also be extended to projects in third world countries.

If the churches want the tax exemption, make them pay for it with projects that benefit the entire community (which is indirectly paying for their exemption.)

Hopefully there are members who are able to think for themselves and are dismayed by church finances. For the true believers nothing changes. Follow the Prophet! Follow THE PROPHET!!

Every Christmas, I go to the MORG just to hear mom play Christmas prelude music on the chapel organ.

I stayed to listen to the speaker (morbid curiosity) and the 20 minute monologue centered around the $100 Billion (almost wondered if it was a PR guy from SLC HQ making the damage control rounds).

I must report that it (COJCOLDS hording $100 Bn Tax Free ill-gotten gains) is a good thing! The one true Church is strong! We have a rainy day fund to last for centuries. Only the True and living church could amass and keep this little nest egg. The leaders have guarded your tithes well! The $100 Billion is faith promoting! It will lead countless hordes unto the light! ....and it will grow! We will become the most powerful organization on the face of the earth and at the end times, all will look to us for guidance, for we will be the strongest! The Lord allowed this information to be leaked to reward the blind faith of the saints.... so on and so forth.

I sat there amazed at the message being delivered. Sitting on the front row (where mom and the organ reside), I then had the thought 'is the congregation as wide eyed as I hearing these things?' I couldn't help myself and turned around to view the congregation.

Some asleep, some playing on phones, many staring forward glass-eyed not blinking. Was anyone listening? Did anyone care? Could the pulpit deliver anything that would affect the trance like state? Then I remember, years ago, I was there, myself.

In those days, almost anything could be delivered from the pulpit and it would be adopted as my reality.

In a nutshell, no, the $100 Billion will not increase the exodus, but is another cobblestone on the road to the inevitable irrelevancy of the Morg.

Zelf the Apostate Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We will become the most
> powerful organization on the face of the earth


Well that's a very scary thought.

Wow, I'm shocked that they even brought it up.

Good catch

Jesus f*cking christ. You can tell anything to calves in the stall without any resistance. No wonder JS could steal men's wives on command.

If they ever realize that if their God exists as advertised that their God can save dead people without their help, things would change overnight. The temple is the mechanism for total control.It is a waste of money and time.

I always felt if the temples were taken down the operation would fall with it. It's 'the symbol' of control literally.

One of the strangest Christmas gifts I received as a missionary was a small oral hygiene kit (trial sized toothpaste, toothbrush and non-waxed floss). What does this have to do with a 100 billion?

Apparently, some missionary had bragged or confided to a member that he didn't have enough $$$ to purchase a tube of toothpaste (this was a stateside mission not a poor developing country). So this member took up the cause to ensure the rest of us had access to toothpaste.

I lost a dear missionary companion after he returned home. He died from late stages of pancreatic cancer. It was too late to treat it. A simple mandatory health screening for all missionaries might during his one year mark might have extended his life. The church can afford it. No excuses period.

I never met any investigator who thought it was wonderful that a church had a foundation of millions of dollars (this was early 1990s). Just about every person that I spoke with as a church missionary thought most churches did very little to help others, but themselves.

When I saw pics of the new San Diego Temple, and read that it was the most expensive building per sq ft in the state of California, I was so mad that I shoulda left “the church” then.

I don't think that too many members will leave after hearing about the 100 billion.
Those that are TBM are going to dig their heels in even harder and will come up with all kinds of convoluted excuses for the leaders who sit on the piles of money, because as I was told in the past when I questioned the need for expensive furnishings for the temples: "Nothing is too good for the Lord."

Ok what happened exactly? Somehow they were forced to show their savings account? How?

Whistleblower.

One of their money managers was appalled and reported the church to the authorities while also publishing his data. If you watch the shorter of the two videos, you'll understand.

To add to what Lot's Wife was saying, the whistleblower felt that the church was (far) out of compliance with IRS rules. It remains to be seen to what extent the IRS will take an interest in this case.