The church puts potential missionaries through an invasive worthiness interview, as if the church were doing them the favor of allowing them to go on a mission. No, brothers and sisters, the missionaries are doing the church a favor.

It's the same with temple worthiness. Will they allow you to get sucked even further into the system and covenant to give the church whatever they ask (in exchange for vague assurances about temporal and eternal well being)?

The church has to maintain the illusion they hold all the cards, that you're lucky to be accepted as a member, that there are fabulous perks for your slavish devotion. But, really, the members are the ones with the power. Without them, there is no church.

It's just like what I learned in a psychology class about the dynamics of relationships. Power goes to the party with the least interest in maintaining the relationship. So the church acts like you're really lucky it doesn't ditch you. It makes you suck up so they'll keep you around, so they'll like you.

They have the same attitude with tithing. Constantly reinforce that they are doing the member a favor by giving them a corporation to pay tithing to.

At this point, everything MO leadership does is designed to advance the corporation.

For this they need obedient people with low self-esteem.

It's a no-brainer.