The church started off as a theocracy. One reason people never liked it and tried to destroy it. Then after having several groups splinter off the Brigham Young branch of the Mormon church incorporated.

It's now a corporation with one stockholder. It's biggest asset is land. 40% of it's corporate headquarters is ran by volunteers. The church calls them missionaries. Much of it's land holdings are maintained and managed by missionaries. Not only do these volunteers work for free, they pay 10% of their income to do so.

The gimmick is you have to give these people something positive to believe in. A reward over the horizon they will receive if they put their shoulder to the wheel. Dangle that carrot in front of their face and socialize the masses and you really have a pretty good asset.

The church really doesn't seem all that concerned about growing. It seems very concerned about retaining what it's got. It seems concerned about what it's got is productive and making money. Does it really care about poor people in Africa? Not really. It's more concerned about the illusion it projects to it's money making base back in the US. They like the illusion of helping poor people and they like the illusion of an international church. So do some good and build a few cheap temples in the third world.

It's illusion folks and nobody understood it better than The Hinckster Hinkley. He set the model for church PR and he came up with the McTemple concept. McDonald's has the golden arches. Mormon Inc. has the golden Moroni. Whoever is selling those fiber glass statues painted gold is making out like a bandit.

In my opinion, TSCC is also a cult; the leaders try to keep members in line by fomenting the idea that if you dare to leave, all kinds of horrible things will happen to you, and that you will lose your family members forever. In the movies shown in all the temples, Satan turns to the audience and says that if anyone breaks promises made to him, they will be in his power; as if they aren't already. TSCC is also certainly a corporation. When cutting the ribbon at the City Creek Mall, Monson declared: "Let's go shopping!" They are all about money and power.

Many church's are cults. The LDS Church isn't the only one where you are going to catch flack from your family or other church members for leaving. But yeah. McDonald's doesn't bar you from your sister's wedding because you left and started eating at Burger King instead.

I feel like a stupid coward now, but I used to be very frightened of all the terrible things that would happen to me, including Outer Darkness, if I dared to leave the LDS church. Otherwise, since I was a convert, I would have left for mainstream Christianity only a short time after joining Mormonism. I had never fit in with it. Alas, I had read a lot of material, including threats Joseph Smith and Brigham Young had made.

Everything about the modern day mormon religious activities is boring and farm from exciting. However, the lamo mormon will tell you how spiritual visiting the temple is.

These folks are self hypnotic into their own BS belief. I know a couple that goes to the temple around their birthday and anniversary to commune with God / Jesus.

Going to a quaint restaurant or quiet area to talk about family and good times would be just as good.

Religion is show business and LDS Inc is a very boring show. I like jazzed up religious BS. I like the southern baptists. I like Russian orthodox with all the fancy looking priests sloshing holy water on people with a golden paintbrush. It's exciting. Mormon Inc. is like being at a business meeting.

>
> The church really doesn't seem all that concerned
> about growing. It seems very concerned about
> retaining what it's got. It seems concerned about
> what it's got is productive and making money.
> Does it really care about poor people in Africa?
> Not really. It's more concerned about the
> illusion it projects to it's money making base
> back in the US. They like the illusion of helping
> poor people and they like the illusion of an
> international church. So do some good and build a
> few cheap temples in the third world.
>

…not necessarily in the third world. I visited the building site of the Rome temple — it's between an expressway and an IKEA store — and I was wondering why the church had been wasting so much money on a useless temple in a country with very few active members and a strong anti-Mormon culture. While the Italians completely ignore that strange building — which, according to the church, is supposed to resemble Italian Renaissance cathedrals (!!!) — the only possible explanation is the one you gave up here: giving the illusion of an international church to its money-making base back in the US.

A corporation's first duty is to please the stockholder!

Yeah, I was wondering what the bottom line is...for most corporations, it’s a profit. For the Morg, it’s a Profit who isn't a prophet. At least with Monsanto, I get GMO plants resistant to RoundUp. With Monsonnelsono, I’m lucky to not to have a fig leaf to wear during the temple Rounds.

Is there any church that is not incorporated. Or not a cult?

There are house/home churches that are not incorporated.

LD$, Inc. only keeps Mormonism alive as a ruse. Not just for the tax exemption but also as a means to hide their profit motive. A "church" can get away with things that a mere corporation can't -- especially in the social sense and not just legally. They need the investment capital that tithing provides but massive growth isn't needed.

The question "do they know it's fake" is commonly asked. I think they know it's not "real" in the doctrinal, Sunday school sense but believe that there is some supernatural basis for it. I do think they have convinced themselves that what they are doing is for the common good and so what if they enrich themselves in the process. I don't think they are like common grifters pulling a scam like the way Joseph Smith did but something much more insidious: Lying for the Lord.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2018 11:32PM by anybody.

anybody Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think they know it's not "real" in the
> doctrinal, Sunday school sense but believe that
> there is some supernatural basis for it. I do
> think they have convinced themselves that what
> they are doing is for the common good and so what
> if they enrich themselves in the process. I don't
> think they are like common grifters pulling a scam
> like the way Joseph Smith did but something much
> more insidious: Lying for the Lord.


This is my conclusion, as well.

Why does Intellectual Reserve sound like a flavor of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream? It’s the one that freezes your brain.