I converted to the Church at age 19. I was told, many times, that the Church "has no paid ministry" and I was told that other churches, because they paid their ministers, that was a "sign" those other churches were false and of the Devil, because the Gospel was free and freely given.

Years later, I was told something different. I was told that "the Brethren receive a small monthly stipend". I asked "how much?" and was told "very small". I asked "how small?" I was told "VERY small" and the subject was changed.

Thanks to Mormon Leaks, we now know that the "small monthly stipend" that General Authorities receive is $12,000 a month, plus full medical and dental for family, plus free travel, free rooms while traveling. That has been PROVEN.

I ask: "HOW is $12,000 a month PLUS full medical considered to be a 'small monthly stipend'?"

When I was a missionary, I was given a small monthly stipend of $275 dollars a month.

Why do retired men, who all get excellent retirement pay, I would say, conservatively, they get a pension of probably $50,000 a year, not including their stock market earnings, and their Social Security. If all travel is provided WHY ON EARTH would these men need an additional $12,000 a month??????

Also, GAs do not have to tithe.

And there's talk that when they get called, they get a big lump sum to use to clear up all their debts and obligations.

I heard that too.

I believe the top 15 get in the neighborhood of 300,000 per year tax-free, which is about 25K per month. Due to various tax loopholes, they've worked out a legal scheme so the money is tax-free.

There's speculation that receiving the 25K per month is voluntary, and some really wealthy men might turn down the 25K per month. However, there's also speculation that they pressure all 15 to take the 300K per year, and if they don't need it to donate to something.

Incoming tithing might be down slightly due to a few decades of internet revelations of church secrets, and a big increase in inactive members (especially men). However, church cash flow is easily sufficient to pay the top leaders millions if they wanted to.

You've made a number of claims without even the tiniest shred of evidence. I'm calling BS

It's a cash cow for them.

Don’t forget about car and housing allowances too.

Many members still believe that it's a small allowance to cover travel expenses ONLY. Unfortunately, my TBM mother is one that embraces the church's deception.

I'm not sure if this is true, but I heard that also if any of the GA's kids want to pursue a college education that that is covered for them.

As CEO pay goes, it is modest. It’s called a stipend because they don’t actually do anything useful to earn it.

What should bother you is the claim that other churches are of the devil. How can you trust a church that says that?

How can you trust a church that doesn't say that ?

I forgot. Unsubstantiated claims are the bedrock of religion. Is that bad? Unsubstantiated claims fuel civilization.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/2018 01:45PM by babyloncansuckit.

Please correct me if need be because I can't site sources right now.

For GAs.

$1,000,000 upon accepting calling
along with gold cuff links
Free BUY for kids and grandkids
Any mortgage paid off
Tithing exempt

Must sign NDA.

If NDA is broken, all monies and benefits must be paid back to the church. In other words, they're indentured and know that if they open their mouths, the holy ones will strip them of everything.

****

Stake Presidents:

They used to keep 2% of tithing. Doubt if that still happens.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/2018 11:05AM by kathleen.

I had never heard about stake presidents keeping 2% of tithing, but that would explain why they hound bishops to keep the tithing rolling into the church.

That was a long time ago, like the 19th century. Bishops and Stake Presidents used to keep a percentage of tithing donations to support them.

This is no longer the practice, and all tithing funds are transferred to SLC. The fastest way for a church official to get excommunicated is to steal tithing funds.

I recall someone here did a search of real estate records and
found that Thomas S. Monson owned just under a million dollars in
real estate. I thought at the time, "not bad for someone who
spent his whole life working for the Church."

Guys like Uchtdorf who came to be full-time GAs from the world
of business can be justified for being filthy rich. They were
successful business people before becoming a GA. But Monson was
Church all his life.

Then, again, there was Brigham Young whose estate at his death
valued at over a million dollars (which, counting inflation,
would be equivalent to over $23 million today). Briggy had
stole so much money from tithing funds, etc, to create his
business empire that the Church sued his estate after his death
and most of it ended up being given back to the Church in a
settlement.

I bet they never taught you that in Seminary.

Brigham also charged the union pacific $.30 per yard for work done on the Railroad from Echo Canyon to Humboldt Springs. All supplies were provided for by the UP (shovels, picks, dynamite, nitro glycerin) From this Brigham paid his subcontractors (his sons) $.27 to be divided out to the Mormon labor (after they of course took their princely sums). And Brigham pocketed the $.03 per yard. Quite a nice little sum for a man who never did a days work on it. (none like it in the world 285)

But where the mormon bretheren really made a killing is from sitting on the board of directors of the different businesses throughout Mormon Utah. They would show up once a year to the share holders meeting, declare they are living, smile and wave, then get paid a management distribution. This is still going on with Bonneville communications, Beneficial life worth many Billions, Deseret properties management. There are so many different corporations within the corporation all meant to confuse, obfuscate, and send us on the wrong trail. And they all have their board of directors, member managers, and much much more. Not to mention the majority share of common and preferred stocks that the corporation owns, of course there are lucrative management positions held by prominent mormons as a means of payback for the percentage of these preferred shares of the businesses Mormondom owns.

I saw a documentary once that said the UP didn't pay BY, and he went hat in hand to them to try and get paid.

Didn't sound right to me, and doesn't sound like the firebrand BY we all know and loathe.

I don't think Uchtdorf became filthy rich in Germany where half a person's salary gets deducted for taxes + social programs.

But Uchtdorf really blossomed financially once he became a GA

I heard some time ago that Mission Presidents get a salary,or stipend,plus living costs,children flown over for Christmas etc.

The word on the street is that MPs do NOT get a salary. They get their houses for free (to them), a car allowance, their custodial staff paid for and finally, a church credit card, which they use for all -ALL- their expenses, including Christmas and birthday presents for family. And yeah, their kids get once a year airling tickets to come visit; that's for the three years they serve.

The idea is that the MPs live without tax consequences for those three years, since they technically (under US Tax Code Standards) show no income. "Show" being the key word: the IRS doesn't get any documentation regarding earnings on the part of the MP and his wife, no W-2s, no 1099s. They live a good life, on the backs of those who tithe.

See Appendix B starting on page 80

https://mormonleaks.io/wiki/documents/0/03/Mission_Presidents_Handbook_2006.pdf

Yeah, what you were told was a lie.
How about that.

Their logic is that they pay the men using a brilliant way of making the payment a series of stipends, reimbursements, and allowances to cover the men's costs. That's at least how they do it with mission presidents.

One difference between the G.A.’s and Mission Presidents is that the G.A.’s actually do receive a paycheck…the Mission Presidents do not. It appears that with the MP's, the church has set up a system where they can “break even” while serving time babysitting a bunch of missionaries. The perks they DO get…meh, probably comparable to what a low level corporate executive in the real world gets. All direct cash to the MP’s from the church is just reimbursement of cash the MP’s have laid out in the first place. There is no evidence to the claim of the MP’s having a church credit card which they use for all their expenses.

I don’t have a problem with ANYTHING the MP’s get. Now, if they got a salary along with their perks…I would feel differently. Although MP’s are volunteers, leaving home, perhaps going out of country, and not receiving a salary, to me sounds FAR FROM living a “good life”. That would be a definite step down in my lifestyle. I have had friends and relatives who have served as MP’s. I tip my hat to them for their service under those conditions. I wouldn’t do it…even if I were TBM.

>> "HOW is $12,000 a month PLUS full medical considered to be a 'small monthly stipend'?"

mormon answer: When you consider the mantle of authority they must carry as god's chosen earthly representatives, as well as ALL the good they do for everyone on the earth, both living and dead.....it's considered a small monthly stipend.

They have said that forever and ever. All the humble tithe

payers believed it. We were suckers. It's so vile of them to

continue preaching this pile of crap about how they don't

get paid while all along they knew they were lying when

ever they said it. Making money is the main reason the church

was started and the main reason it still exists .

Yeah, I remember being taught that the leaders of the church were a bunch of wealthy retired guys who were called of god and dedicated the remainder of their lives to service in the church. They were offered a SMALL monthly “stipend” that the majority of them turned down because they didn’t need it due to their wealth. They lived in modest homes or apartments, drove modest cars, and when they travelled they flew coach like the rest of us. On assignments they stayed in members’ homes (usually with a Stake Prez or Bishop), and they weren’t “too busy” to respond to mail from members.

How they could sit there with a straight face while members lauded their virtues for not being paid is beyond me. Well boys…your little secret got out.

What about all the seminary teachers that teach in buildings across from high schools in Utah, Idaho and Arizona. They are all paid to keep teenagers brainwashed and starved of affection from the opposite sex. They are the secret paid clergy, and their work is so very valuable to the church.

What an excellent observation!!

Appendix B is a great find. I found several things of interest.

First, the church will pay for church college schools for dependents under 26.

Secondly, the church pays for a Xmas visit only if the dependent(s) is SINGLE (18-26). If they are married, then they have to pay for their own travel.

One final perk describes that the church pays for modest gifts. What is a modest gift? We can only speculate.

The church will pay for a housekeeper, but doesn't pay for a groundskeeper. That explains why the assistant presidents (of my mission) loathed Thursdays. They complained of having to do yard work, but wouldn't hint where. Now it's crystal clear.

The handbook finally demands mission presidents to not disclose any financial secrets to anyone.

messygoop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Appendix B is a great find. I found several things of interest.

I have always found the Mission President's Handbook to be interesting

> First, the church will pay for church college schools for dependents under 26.

The church only pays tuition at church college schools, or equivalent tuition funds elsewhere. This doesn't seem like a big deal especially since the MP draws no salary. Places I've worked and businesses I've owned/managed have allowed employees to have a lot of free stuff, huge discounts, and perks. No difference.

> Secondly, the church pays for a Xmas visit only if the dependent(s) is SINGLE (18-26). If they are married, then they have to pay for their own travel.

This doesn't seem like a big deal either. I consider myself to be "prime MP age" and if I were an MP, only ONE of my four kids would qualify for this free travel. For the holidays, I think the church should fly out ALL of the MP's family regardless.

> One final perk describes that the church pays for modest gifts. What is a modest gift? We can only speculate.

If the church won't even pay for a ward janitor for a few hours a week, I highly doubt they would pay for lavish MP gifts either. A few hundred bucks seems reasonable.

> The church will pay for a housekeeper, but doesn't pay for a groundskeeper. That explains why the assistant presidents (of my mission) loathed Thursdays. They complained of having to do yard work, but wouldn't hint where. Now it's crystal clear.

Meh. I bet the AP's would choose yard work over knocking on doors.

> The handbook finally demands mission presidents to not disclose any financial secrets to anyone.

Demands?? Secrets?? A little misleading perhaps? My accountant tells me not to disclose my finances to anyone also. As far as the church advising MP's not to disclose their REIMBURSEMENTS as income to the IRS, it sounds like that has been a problem in the past. Mainly because...reimbursements is not income!!!! Involving the IRS unnecessarily is a HUGE nightmare, for everyone involved. If you have been through that hell, then you would know. As far as what the church tells the MP's on that point, I can only quote the old temple film where the preacher says to Peter, James, & John, "Your advice is good."

Same.

I remember it being pretty cool that people were willing to serve God on a totally volunteer basis. I always had respect for pastors from my old church, but I started thinking what came out of their mouths had to be tainted, because if they had a differing opinion or change of heart, they'd keep it to themselves to protect their livelihood.

Then I found out about the stipend. Years later I found this out. But, I was told, that it was way less than they were making in their highly successful careers prior to serving as GAs.

It's LD$ Inc. My friend mails her tithes to "Corporation of the Presidents" in Salt Lake City.

Yes - they wipe their bottoms with $100 bills in tithing money and erect malls with retractable roofs and live lavishly on your money while you suffer.