Freshly posted:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2173519/Mormons-lash-tasteless-Businessweek-cover-mocks-Churchs-financial-enterprises.html

The Guardian has weighed in as well:

"The first is that it's ridiculous to suggest that an organisation should be exempt from investigation just because it's a religious kind of organisation – a form of special treatment that strikes at the heart of secular society. Actually, I'd argue the same goes for candidates' religious beliefs, too...."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/12/businessweek-mormon-cover-art-offensive?newsfeed=true

"Mormon church" instead of the full name, you just know it wasn't cleared with the LDS PR department first!

Chino Blanco is commenting on the coverage on the Religion Dispatches website.

"Oh, you're plainly rational, but from how you've described your leaders, they sound plenty nuts. I mean, how reasonable is it to cut off communication with journalists because of a satirical magazine cover poking fun at money-grubbing?

And, your comparison is less than apt. Nobody's talking about changing Mormon policy. Meaningful access would include things like actual LDS leaders (not paid flacks) making themselves available to talk. Openly. Like regular folks."

http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/joannabrooks/6185/what’s_wrong_with_the_controversial_businessweek_“mormon_money”_cover/?comments=view&cID=29490&pID=29489#c29490

Coverage in Canada:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/12/bloomberg-businessweeks-mormon-cover-aims-to-create-controversy/

Here is a quote from the second article:

"To be clear," said Mouw, "a journalistic examination and analysis regarding the financial practices of any group is always fair game. But if such mocking and distortion were focused on Evangelicals or Catholics, we would call foul. For the Mormon community — and all of us — this is out of bounds."

and in the words of my son, after I read it to him....

"the church is out of bounds".

It is true the wonderful picture does make a mockery of what is considered a sacred moment in the church history.

BUT I love how well it states what the church does!!!!

The difference between the Moron church and others is there is NO disclosure of where the money comes from and where it is allocated... and the 'charity' it upholds!

And the members still clean the chapels...with their cloth walls full of boogers, mold, sneezes,etc. To say nothing of the bathrooms! Ick Ick Ick!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2987383235452303450

At the 11:43 mark, the reporter brings up finances.
GBH goes on for 2 minutes about the TSCC's assets being "money consuming" not "money producing."

At the 13:40 mark, the reporter asks about TSCC not publishing its budget.
Hinckley's outright lie starts at 13:56.
"Well, we simply think that information belongs to those who made the contribution and not to the world."

Why didn't Gordon just tell the truth that no one, including members, are allowed to see the finances? Because the reporter would have asked a follow up question about why the members are denied access to information about how TheBrethren spend the money that members sacrifice to pay. What could Gordon have said? Because the finances are sacred, not secret?

Gordon knew the sheeple could be controlled by threats of excommunication if they dared comment on his lie and asked to see the finances. Sheeple are not allowed to criticize TheBrethren, even if the criticism is true, so sayeth Dallin Oaks. Poor Gordon didn't have the gift of prophecy about how far-reaching the Internet would become thereby making this interview available to the world, not just to the tiny number of German members the reporter would reach.

Mormon Observer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But if such mocking and distortion were focused on Evangelicals or Catholics, we would call foul.

Well, I certainly disagree with the "mocking and distortion" charge, but I would absolutely support demanding that the Catholic church open its books as well. I think that every charity that gets a tax exemption should be required to open its books.

The difference in this case, FWIW, is that Catholics (from what I've heard,) donate in very modest amounts, and the Catholic church is obviously in tight financial straights.

this is why the cover is so great - because the cover itself is newsworthy!

sure, a lot of TBMs will dismiss the article because of the cover - but TBMs are not the target audience anyway

grubbygert,

Great point. Although the article is superb, it won't ruffle Mormon feathers like the cover. Businessweek is well aware that similar articles have been written in the past which the Mos simply dismiss and then move on. Not so easy to ignore this. Mormons will be "crawling over or under or around" this cover. Let them squirm.

Love this. All people need to know that the Mormon church does not disclose their finances to anyone. And they need to hear it often. That is the only way the ave. person can tell their family members to be very careful when love bombed by Mormons as they are very secretive and not about to share how the money brought in is spent.Is this what you want they can then ask???

honestone Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Love this. All people need to know that the Mormon
> church does not disclose their finances to anyone.
> And they need to hear it often. That is the only
> way the ave. person can tell their family members
> to be very careful when love bombed by Mormons as
> they are very secretive and not about to share how
> the money brought in is spent.Is this what you
> want they can then ask???


I agree. The financial angle is far more powerful than the "church is silly and illogical" angle.

Average non-members don't worry too much about "weird beliefs", but money elicits everyone's emotions...including Mormons (we hope).

I chuckled at this comment -

Some mormons need to unwedgie their hieroglyphic underwear and chill the eff out.

- Blowfish, Sandusky, Ohio, 14/7/2012 11:47

Blowfish HAS to be one of you RfM'ers!!

Topping to get out the vote (on the reader's comments)