I remember the disgust I felt when the Mall was supposed to ONLY cost 2 billion. All I could think of,because I read so much about it,are all the people dying from lack of clean water. All the babies and children in 3rd World countries that would love just a cup of clean water and a bowl of soup. And now that the amount is FIVE BILLION I have no words. What a tragedy and what a selfish church.
I love how in the comments this one chick's like "well, it's good for the economy in Utah" Totally neglecting the fact that it's 5 billion dollars of tithe money from all over the world, going to benefit ***only*** Utah! Typical Mormon entitlement!
That's what gets me: How about the COB shares the wealth?
When I was ward clerk I saw a check for almost half a million dollars come through. I couldn't believe it. And then the next day, Monday morning, the money is "swept" from the account by the LDS financial juggernaut. How much money did our ward get of that? Christ, we could have had operating funds, FROM OUR OWN LOCAL AREA, for the next ten years, easy. That's if we didn't invest it and work to grow it.
Or the same tither could have gifted an anonymous 10K to each of the poorer families in the ward. Our ward. In our area.
But no. That money goes to Salt Lake City. Bastards.
I wonder how many TBM's outside Utah know about the mall? Hopefully a light bulb will come on when a family that scrimped and saved to go to SLC sees the mall and realizes they can't afford anything in it.
What kills me about the mall is that they would rather spend 5 Billion dollars than engage the community in urban renewal. In most other US cities the urban renewal tends to start with the gay, liberal, feminist, artist communities cleaning up the city. SLC has big enough population of concerned citizens that with perhaps a bit of funding and input from the church, the whole community could have really come together in accomplishing a successful revitalization project. Instead it is yet another controversy. The church missed a big opportunity here. Typical.
The mall is one more example of the church's history of overt bigotry spilling over into the present as one more example of the church's current covert bigotry. Nothing has changed... the mormon god is, and was, always the same and he is a bigot.
Comment 26 by tyler bothers me. He makes the usual argument that "no tithing" dollars were used in the $5 billion dollar mall. Another poster though makes the point that the LDS church's money initially comes from tithing, no matter how they parlay it.
The logic escapes me. I mean I get the reasoning, but it's bogus: All of one's money comes from source A. One takes most of that money and generates interest. The interest is considered NOT from source A but a new source, source B.
One must use all of source A money to keep up one's home, but one can spend the money from source B on anything one wants.
I'm sorry. It's still the same pot of money. It's one's money, whether it's source A or source B is academic.
If one's entire mission on Earth is to do what Christ would do, then using the money in ways that Christ wouldn't seems dishonest.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2012 03:01AM by derrida.
Jesus was a carpenter. Say he works all week (He takes Sundays off, but some people say Saturday. It turns into a whole "thing", so we'll just say he works all week) During his workweek he earns $10.00 (he's not the best carpenter).
Up comes a whole slew of widows and they all tithe a mite each. We'll say.....$10.00 bucks worth of mites.
Now Jesus has $20.00 in his hand (no coins, please). He really likes helping the poor and needy, but he also likes his temples. WWJD?
What is very interesting (Episode 3) is that the succession of the church is outlined in the articles. In other words, when the prophet dies IT IS A MATTER OF LAW that the senior apostle will become the next prophet.
SO MUCH FOR THE LESSONS THAT GOD CHOSES THE NEXT PROPHET.
That is a lie. God doesn't chose. It is done by matter of law based on seniority. Corporate Succession. PERIOD.
Isn't that a tacit admission that they KNOW they've spent money inappropriately for a church?
They would need no excuse if they spent the money on funding a soup kitchen or helping a third world community. Or helping their own people through a recession? That would be perfectly respectable.
Wouldn't a church want to spend ALL of their money doing good?
Interestingly, they won't actually SAY where the money DID come from. My guess is that if they are telling the truth [we know they don't have a great track record] and it wasn't from tithing, maybe it came from people who donate their estate to the church after they die. I'm sure the church makes a lot of money THAT way.
Are those not ALSO "sacred funds"?
I know someone who has done a fair amount of work for the church (their company does some kind of consulting work). The church people come in all dressed up (and THEIR people have to follow suit, women wearing pantyhose, and all). The church ALWAYS wants a break on the price, "sacred funds" and all that. So how the HELL did they spend 5 BILLION dollars?
Hmmm... sounds like an oxymoron to me: feminist Mormon housewife... doesn't compute! There is nothing in the LDS teachings that promotes a feminist-type perspective or view point.
I guess the LDS Church can use it's "sacred" donations any way it wants. It gets donations from many different kinds of sources not just tithing, of course.
Utah approved the mall, condo's etc.
Maybe it will all be very successful and help the economy and the profits will go back to the owners, however that is defined. I don't know the exact names.
"I guess the LDS Church can use it's "sacred" donations any way it wants."
You are right - completely right. They can use their donations any way they choose. What is telling - damning even - is what they have chosen. Their choice to use it for a mall instead of using it to help the poor and needy reveal everything I need to know about the character of those running the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.