From the church's newsroom, April 14, 2023

I have questions at the end but here are some excerpts:

“…Church’s Humanitarian Efforts Worldwide”

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/new-platforms-church-humanitarian-efforts-worldwide


“In January, the name of those social media accounts [Facebook and Instagram] changed from @latterdaysaintcharities to @caring.churchofjesuschrist.

“Caring.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. The name reflects the goal to care for all of God’s children and a larger effort to shine a light on the efforts of the global Church and Church members working to care for those in need.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a mission to care for all of God’s children around the world. That includes their spiritual health and their physical well-being.

“The two great commandments can guide us: first, to love God and, second, to love our neighbor. We show our love by serving.” —President Russell M. Nelson

“The Church works with charities and organizations around the world to fulfill this mission of caring for others.

Building self-reliance
Facilitating member service
Providing worldwide aid
Giving ideas on how people can make a difference

“Building self-reliance includes initiatives such as education projects, self-reliance courses, addiction recovery and employment services.

“Facilitating member service includes ways that Church members around the world work to give their time, talents and resources to bless those in need such as: youth service projects, refugee aid, missionary service to the community, fast offerings and food pantries.

“Providing worldwide aid includes projects in categories such as food security, clean water, vision care and mobility, maternal and newborn care, and emergency response.”

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I'm wondering what programs the church has that "build self-reliance" and that "facilitate member service".

Also, what does "refugee aid" include?

What does "missionary service" entail? (In my admittedly limited experience, it meant door-knocking. So to whom, if so, is the "service" being given?).

In which ways does the church participate in providing clean water, vision care, maternal and newborn care and emergency response?


I'm not being snarky. I really want to know how they assist. Do they mean giving money? (Are they donating $$$?)

By "member service" do they mean the missionaries going out and about looking for someone to preach to?

Re food pantries, do they mean setting up food banks or other means by which they regularly provide sustenance for people in need?

Or is it a case of giving the $$$ to these places? In that case, I would consider it more accurate to say we donate to this, that and the other place, not making it sound like they are actually performing the work on the ground (if they aren't).

I've mentioned before the missionaries I bumped into who were serving breakfast at a community mission, basically slopping porridge into bowls and laying them on the table. They never looked up from their task and never, that I saw, engaged in greeting or conversing with the hungry people. I give them a break in that they were young and inexperienced in the extreme. But I don't consider that to be providing "food pantries", if that's what church personnel means by their terminology.

Maybe it's different in other places and they are engaged in more direct and useful assistance that could possibly be life-changing for folks.

I'm just wondering.

Because we know how language can be used to frame a concept any which way somebody wants it to appear.

So are they referring to the regular young missionaries that are basically mandated to go out and about or do they actually have professional church projects that assist communities in meaningful ways?


I also tripped over an article this morning from 2019 that outlined Nelson's revelation about the 'Mormon' moniker. About his nighttime revelation that Mormon is out, Jesus is in. It's a bit Johnny-come-lately, imho, but better late than never for a Christian church? Getting ever so further away from Joseph Smith and his band of not so merry men. Rebranding is a thing so it could well work. I wonder if the newer emphasis on Jesus will change the (deadly dull and uninspiring, in my experience) Sunday meetings? A rousing hymn or three couldn't hurt. A little wine with the pinch of bread would be an improvement too. :)


PS: From the article: the new stuff is part of "... a larger effort to shine a light on the efforts of the global Church and Church members working to care for those in need."

Why is this I'm wondering too. The Bible says to hush about your good deeds:

Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV):

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

"so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

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I don't necessarily want the "reward" either - I just want to help out where I can. I mean, I don't do it to get something back. But the main part of those verses to me is don't be a hypocrite and don't do it for praise.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2023 02:43PM by Nightingale.

Hmmmm. They changed the honest name they had to one that fakes people into thinking they are some random Christians and not LDS.

They must really be ashamed or desperate to ditch Mormon stuff and blend in with mainstream Christians (whatever those are).

They "care" all right. They care about their investments.

They might be gaining a lot of insight from astute advisors rather than from random midnight revelations.

I've seen several articles this week alone about Mormons and their many financial contributions to the world. Even if they do hand over millions, they still keep most of the loot for themselves, according to disclosures from various in-the-know sources.

I would love to see them announce that the church is doing well financially and so tithing is no longer mandatory or perhaps just that it will be lowered to 5% from 10. That would do a great deal to help out the everyday members who struggle with the 10% monthly demand from their church. In the family I came to know the best, as friends (until I quit going to church) both parents worked at very demanding jobs and the husband had a second job. Between the church requirements for meetings and all the time they spent at work it was a herculean task for them to also have time for their four young kids.

Have lots of kids, give much to the church of all your personal and physical resources, and be happy.

A recipe for a good life? Not so much. At least in my book.

And then they can't even enjoy their grandkids due to being pressured to serve senior missions. Or they might struggle to fund their retirements.

Let’s see what the caring church is going to do right now there is flooding in Utah. “Mormon helping hands” those yellow shirts can not be worn again because the word “Mormon”. I do hope the the church will start to care more.

From my time being posted to Democratic Republic of Congo, we got a little too close to the underbelly of things. We knew the two mission presidents at first name basis, and all the old, white missionary couples. They always came to our house for a movie night, because we had access to all kinds of DVD's. And we talked a lot. They liked to talk about their alleged humanitarian projects, which were few, and always made for the benefit of the old white people to feel like they were doing something. But that self-reliance thing got in the way. It always meant that the church might dig a well, then turn it over to the locals and say, "It's yours now, buddy. Keep it in good shape," before pulling out without ensuring that the locals had the means to maintain anything. So in a few months, it would all go to hell, and then the old white people would cluck their tongues and tell the locals that the church could do no more; they had brought them the well, and the locals bungled it all.

Meanwhile, we also knew a lot of the other missionaries working in DRC, like Catholics and various protestants, especially the Adventists who maintained schools and clinics. When talking about the Mormons, they would just roll their eyes. Sometimes they would invite the Mormons to help with one of their own initiatives, and the Mormons would always decline. You know how that goes. It gave the Mormons a way to treat the locals as children, and it made good fodder for their letters home.

So I like to tell people that the Mormons should not make those claims. Any claims are just false advertising.

Those wells, wheel chairs, and other things are generated by the Humanitarian Fund. I know this because I donated to that fund instead of tithing for a couple of years as I began to take slow steps towards the exit doors, and keep my TBM extended family at bay. At the end of each year LDS Corp. sends a glossy mailing telling all about what the fund acheived that year.

So Fast Offerings, Humanitarian Fund, and Missionary donations are "NOT" considered tithing. You can contribute all you want, but your 10% tithing is a stand alone requirement. You can give 20% to Fast Offerings, but they will not give you a temple recommend if you do not show tithing paid.

So all that charity they claim.....well I am sure that the church gives some of the interest and dividends on that 100 Billion to buy goodwill. But its the members who are doing the charity work by donating to these other funds. Its the missionaries (Seniors included) that are providing many of the services on their dime.

So to me it is smoke and mirrors. I am sure there are some things they do that are of help to people. But in my opinion, its smoke and mirrors to keep the subject of a 10% tithing off the table, and that 100 Billion Fund.

The tithing and Ensign Peaks is a war chest, the charity claims are to distract us from what their real goal is, 10% tithing from anybody and everybody. Anyone or organization that says God demands 10% of your pay even if your family goes without food, shelter, and proper healthcare......is not charitable!

The church is not a humanitarian organization. The church’s main goal is to provide ordinances and covenants so people can get next to Kolob again.

Everything the church is about is spelled out in the baptism and temple covenants.

The church does some charity but it’s not the main focus of the organization.

The tree in Lehi's dream was actually a money tree.

I hope they start doing something. Wouldn't it be nice to be known for how much they help others rather than as polygamist cultist freaks?

I support any changes to the church that 1. Make it less repressive and demanding, 2. Bring them in line with other Christians with a focus on Jesus Christ to soften those weird scifi doctrine issues and 3. Make the money more obviously given towards the members who ARE the church, or at least supposed to be.

I've decided that it really doesn't matter that the church originated as a scam by a sexual predator and propogated by sexual predators and narcissists, if they stop teaching that these men were the holiest of holy men called of god. If they want to ignore Joseph and his stupid book, shove it under the rug and go for a "Jesus loves everyone" surface level message and start pouring out cash for community efforts, I will be glad.

Not holding my breath but every day is a dance with hope. Otherwise I'd just stay in bed.

blackcoatsdaughter Wrote:
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> ...shove it under the rug and go for a "Jesus loves
> everyone" surface level message and start pouring
> out cash for community efforts, I will be glad.

Me too. History morphs - things can improve. As long as they don't lie about it. Lying is the greatest sin in my book. Especially lying to deceive sincere people and take their money. Speaking of money, yes, if they pour their coffers into useful community endeavours I would be absolutely in favour of that and may look more kindly on them.


> Not holding my breath but every day is a dance
> with hope. Otherwise I'd just stay in bed.

I love this. A dance with hope. I might steal it. :)

I appreciate your input.

No surprise that these thieves steal the use of the legal name of another Church.

Boyd KKK Wrote:
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> No surprise that these thieves steal the use of
> the legal name of another Church.

So I was looking this up and came across this gem:

Random question and response on an internet search:

What religion is most similar to Mormonism?

"Similarities. Mormonism and Islam each believe in a life after death: belief in the Last Judgment and an Afterlife is one of the Six Articles of Belief of Islam; it also forms an essential element of the Mormon belief system."

This is an incomplete answer at best. Obviously Christian religions believe in the last judgement and the afterlife so in that way Mormonism and Christianity have crucial commonalities.

I'm sure Mormon leaders would be thrilled to see that they're closely allied with Islam, according to this Net description.

So that was an interesting little peek at the Church of Jesus Christ and their beliefs. I note they misspelled Israel in one of their headings but it's just a typo. Sorry, I notice these miniscule details.

I had to just skip through all the doctrinal statements about Joseph, Israel, Joseph, and the exodus to North America. I don't need to have all that detail in my head.

Interesting though.

Yes, now there will likely be confusion between that branch of Mormonism and the SLC guys with them both claiming the same name.

Meanwhile, non-mo Christians will debunk both groups.

And so it goes.

Sorry - I'm in the middle of a massive rainstorm here on the Wet Coast so what else have I got to do on a Sunday but check out Joseph and all his offshoots.

Well, other than making a huge mug of Yorkshire tea and reading my latest forensic science novel. This one really gets down to the gross details. I start to worry about my fascination with it.

I could say the same about Mormonism. :P



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2023 02:14PM by Nightingale.

...between Mormonism and Islam is that both religions believe in polygamy. For Mormons the practice may not occur during one's life, but the practice has yet to be dropped from its descriptions of the afterlife.