In reading the response of the church to the 60 minutes interview, something leapt out at me.

"In 1975 it donated its 15 hospitals to a non profit organization because they were not "central to the mission of the church".

The mission of the church is welfare and humanitarian aid, education, missionary work, genealogical work, meetinghouses and temples.

So a hospital where people could get free or reduced health care is not part of welfare and humanitarian aide?

It couldn't be used to train medical professionals?

I look at all the good done by Shriners, St Judes and McDonald houses and wonder why caring for the sick is not "central to the mission of the church".

Getting 10% of your gross income, fast offerings, willed estates at death, humanitarian contributions, free labor from missionaries, and cheerful toilet scrubbers is the central mission of the church.

Right. Go figure. It's not like they do any miracle healing to make up for ditching the hospitals either. ;-) You get a blessing and maybe a mention on the prayer roll in a temple. Heal thyself!

One of the few things Jesus tried to do is occasionally heal a sick person. (He was probably like the Bennie Hinn of his time.)

    If "...the halt, the lame, the sick and the dying..." paid their tithing and were true and faithful, they wouldn't need hospitals.

    And of course, if you want to maintain that your ailing grandpa Norbert IS faithful and DOES pay his tithing...then he's being tested, praise ghawd!

All the priesthood blessings went out the window as soon as the government told them to stop.

?? The government told them to stop priesthood blessings?

I believe that was meant as a joke.

Have blessings been proven safe and effective?

Even if the sick are its own members.

I returned from my mission in the Caribbean with horrible stomach issues. Within months of getting home, I ended up with bleeding ulcers and lost over a quart of blood through internal bleeding. Could have died if I didn't go to the hospital.

They got it under control and I didn't get them again, but I still had severe stomach issues for many years after that.

I could have used some caring from the church.

Caring for the sick (and disabled, seniors) comes under the heading of Kindness & Empathy so that's why they're not considered or included.

are those written in the BoM, D&C, or PoGP?

There's your answer!

just sayin'

This is was a huge mistake. Divesting of its hospitals just made the church look worse. That allows religions like Seventh Day Adventists to jump the queue and enjoy far more good press because of all their hospitals and other health initiatives in hopeless Third World countries.

cludgie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is was a huge mistake. Divesting of its
> hospitals just made the church look worse. That
> allows religions like Seventh Day Adventists to
> jump the queue and enjoy far more good press
> because of all their hospitals and other health
> initiatives in hopeless Third World countries.


amen, cludgie

One of my first eye opening moments was as a teenager when a radio interview- remember them- said the Mormon church in Australia had no social programmes. No schools, childcare,food programmes and espy no aged care or health programmes.

The speaker was, like me, the child of faithful converts whose parents had sacrificed the money which would have given our childhoods the little things we were forced to go without , plus the never ending calls on time and labour to build our first chapels. My childhood and teen years were overshadowed by TSCC sucking everything out of my father.

The church doesn't want to encourage sin, the obvious cause of disease, by providing medical treatment. Get right with God and you'll be fine.

According to the church, mental illness was caused by sin and a priesthood blessing will cure anything.

IMO: no, charity is not the prime mission of the church. The prime mission of the church is spiritual guidance. The problem is that they do a pretty lousy job of that.

The Mormon church's understanding of how Christianity should be put into action differs from that of many or most other churches. It differs, and not in a good way.

The Mormon 'church' is a taker, not a giver.

Obeying the leaders is the central mission of the church.

The first law of heaven is credulity.

I think many of us were forced to attend when were very sick. I remember being sick as a dog that I actually stood up as the deacon quorum benediction was going to said and told them that I was not going to pass the sacrament. It was one of the few times that I tried to refuse a church assignment.

I don't remember hearing the closing prayer. I wasn't in the room. The deacon advisor grabbed my arm and whisked me outside. He didn't want to hear any excuses. I was told that I had just threatened Jesus. I was told to get my carcass down to sacrament pew and prepare my worthless soul to pass the sacrament or I was going to stay after church for a 2 hour interview.

I must have passed sacrament, but I don't remember doing it. Honestly, I slept thru sacrament and don't remember the trip home with mom.

I turned down a canning assignment because I was sick.

My uber TBM stepmother was furious. Said if I had accepted god would have either cured me or made sure I didn't contaminate the food.

I then said, remember the temptation of Jesus? He was told to jump off the temple and god would catch him?

Then he said you shall not tempt the lord they god. Remember that?

Well I'm just following Jesus.

She stormed off and Jesus rewarded me by having her ignore me for a week!

Actually, the LDS church have a program for the sick. The elders come into the hospital and give you a blessing. If you recover, it was because of the blessing, if not, god had a plan for you.

"Thoughts and Prayers"..., and maybe a Fast to go with a blessing.

Anything that costs actual MONEY is not TheLardzPlan.