Did the revelation of the cash stash have any substantive effect on Mormons? Any tithing strikes? Torches and pitchforks waving on Temple Square? Or was is a collective shrug?

Anecdotes, jokes, and flat out lies are welcome.

Mormons are so whipped they didn't care.

Yes some stopped or deprioritized tithing.

But as with most mormons telling and proving the truth has no effect on them.

No anecdotes, but I have to believe that some people are going to rationalize paying on net instead of gross, or other ways to fudge their donation, or stop altogether.

Between the $100B and Nelson calling for vaccination, I bet a lot of the RW true believers are not believing as much as they used to.

LDS Inc did not release country by country membership numbers after April GC like they have normally done for decades. Usually in November they give the Utah state government a set of detailed membership numbers for the state, to aid the state in infrastructure planning. Also for the first time in decades, they will not do that this year.

Their excuse is covid, and I’m sure that makes the stats less reliable, but I also think there has been significant shrinkage in certain countries and in parts of Utah, and they are trying to hide the fact. Next year we should know if this was a one time withholding of data, or are they hiding embarrassing news.

One anecdotal case

https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2021/11/30/jana-riess-my-new-way/


"On this day of giving, I have been thinking about what has changed in my life in the past year since I published a column explaining why I had stopped paying tithing to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The short version of the story is that I was deeply disturbed two years ago by the revelation that the church had stockpiled more than $100 billion worth of investments and was not utilizing those funds for helping others, but rather to shore up business enterprises such as the City Creek Center mall in Salt Lake City."

"I’m just not comfortable with the “black box” nature of sending checks to an organization that is never held accountable for how that money is spent (or even if it is spent at all, ever — what has perhaps been most disturbing about the church’s unaccountable wealth has been the fact that it is simply sitting there, regarded as something that needs to grow indefinitely for the possibility that someone, someday, somewhere might need it)"

What's revolutionary in that piece is not the decision to reduce or end tithing payments. Its something more fundamental: the notion that the individual has a right to consider paying tithing at all.

When dictators are pressured to justify themselves, they've lost the battle.

I always saw tithing as temple club dues. The temple recommend is really a membership card to a secret fraternity inside the church. You can still warm a bench at church and not pay tithing.

I never paid tithing as a teenager and I made a lot of money during the summers. Nobody ever got on me for not paying. I never paid tithing until I had to get a temple recommend.

I think what would cause exits is the church leadership getting caught enriching themselves with the tithing money. There’s never been a big scandal like that.

I think the church membership in General like to see fat church accounts because oddly enough they feel they are part of the success. Our church is rich! People like to be associated with wealthy organizations. It’s why Joel Olsteen has done well.

My mom was into that prosperity nonsense. Put a twenty in the collection plate and earn not only pious points but a ten-fold return! I asked her why she didn’t just use the tithing envelopes they gave her when she joined.

Rubicon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think the church membership in General like to
> see fat church accounts because oddly enough they
> feel they are part of the success. Our church is
> rich! People like to be associated with wealthy
> organizations.


I think you’re right about this, and I think they also believe that it’s a safety net for them, that if there’s ever a massive financial collapse that TSCC will be there for them, and take care of them. I doubt that would be the case though.

Consider Mitten’s comments on giving taxpayers each 2k last winter: “someone has to pay for that.” Uh, like taxpayers? That’s the “royalalty”’s attitude re. this largesse: the cannon fodder pay in; they do not withdraw.

Gordon B. Stinky Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rubicon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I think the church membership in General like
> to
> > see fat church accounts because oddly enough
> they
> > feel they are part of the success. Our church
> is
> > rich! People like to be associated with
> wealthy
> > organizations.
>
>
> I think you’re right about this, and I think
> they also believe that it’s a safety net for
> them, that if there’s ever a massive financial
> collapse that TSCC will be there for them, and
> take care of them. I doubt that would be the case
> though.
>
> Consider Mitten’s comments on giving taxpayers
> each 2k last winter: “someone has to pay for
> that.” Uh, like taxpayers? That’s the
> “royalalty”’s attitude re. this largesse:
> the cannon fodder pay in; they do not withdraw.

Ooooh... if he'd only made President? This LDS thing may not have collapsed so very hard.

Sorry Mitt!