The church definitely has an image problem. Despite spending millions and millions on the "I am a mormon" campaign, they are still looked at like a bunch of wierdos in vatican west. Imagine this. Instead of spending billions on the best mall in the americas...what if they build homeless shelters and soup kitchens. Could you imagine that! Not only would they actually be doing something very christian like, but it would also be very self serving. It would boost their public image! If they spent millions helping those in need, i dare say i would probably change my attitude towards the church (despite growing up a gay youth in the church). Why the hell didn't they do this?

They're used to having profits as the bottom line, not charity.

Believe it or not but because money ranks even higher than image in the church.

How long will it take to turn a profit off of a 2 billion dollar + mall?

The mall wasn't just about profits... It was about

1. Creating a fancy place for the GA's and FP to shop and eat within walking distance for themselves, as they are mostly aging/geriatrics
2. Creating a cool looking space that would attract a few more visitors to the SLC Temple. If they can get them to the mall, they might also check out the Visitors Centre/grounds etc.
3. Preventing more protestors from demonstrating around the Temple. Didn't they buy up the streets surrounding the Temple and put a mall that they own which is now private business property, so that they can kick any potential protestors off with anti-trespassing laws?

Others posting here have said the expense in building CCM were far above similar projects. I suspect there was a great deal of cash flow to well connected mormon contractors and building supply people.

That's always been my argument too.

Thats a lot of cheesecake. Remember you can buy anything in this mall with money. Do you have any money?

I have sufficient for my needs. My waistline proves it.

If they did some cool charity work, they might actually attract some younger people who want to do some good in the world.

And if they could attract young tithe payers, THAT might help their bottom line.

Oh, but wait. There's too much weird doctrine.

No, "young" means poor.

They are pandering to the rich and the filthy rich.

They have run the numbers, you can be sure. They are all about attracting baby boomers. We have the income, the equity, kids are gone and we can give free service and then close our lives by leaving them our children's inheritances.


Ana

The Mormon church is all about associating itself with pleasant images and selling that association to the world. In a nutsehell: the image of homeless people is that they are dirty and smelly and not very pretty, but multi-billion dollar malls are clean and fragrant and beautiful.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2013 11:41AM by Fetal Deity.

I was thinking in terms of, "where would you rather go, the mall or a homeless shelter?" and I immediately thought, "The mall" (meaning generically, any mall)

I wonder how many homeless people there are spending days in malls when it is too cold or too hot. I imagine security would notice and bounce them. Not the intent of your post, but it got me wondering.

Now then Mr. Waisted24years (I am assuming you identify as male - could be wrong!) - My youngest son, who is gay and 23 needs to find more gay male friends (ok, yes, I am always on the lookout for a "nice boyfriend" for him - and he says that is fine with him!)

Do you have a boyfriend dear? Do you live anywhere near Boston?

(Hey - it never hurts to ask!)



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2013 11:54AM by msmom.

Haha, you are too awesome. I am single, however, i live in the wonderful land of Zion.

Oh well - I hope you are having a wonderful life out there! I like the way you write.

Let me know if you ever come to New England - I know where you can meet a wonderful tour guide!

Will do!

"I wonder how many homeless people there are spending days in malls when it is too cold or too hot. I imagine security would notice and bounce them."

What's the halflife of a homeless person in the big, grand, sacred mall? Probably less than 20 mins I'd guess. How sad is that? It's disgusting that they even use the word church.

Great question and suggestion. The Mormon church seems to be mostly about wealth, image, elite, power, AND not about helping the hungry, the homeless, and others in need. There was once upon a time in mormonland, where things were a little different (I think).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2013 01:01PM by sam.

Homeless shelters, hospitals, and other social services for the world (not just to build-up the mormon world)--done for humanity reasons because all people on the earth are God's children--not just mormons. But, all decisions are made to enhance the mormon position in the world

If the corporation of the lds church were to help those non-member homeless that live by the hundreds in shelters (not provided by the church) within blocks of temple square, they would not be able to exercise control over them.....

Based on my ex-mo brother's recent experience with The Morg's so-called 'charity' work; the homeless would have to have a TR AND be fully active in order to stand in line at the One True Soup Kitchen to get a dollop of funeral potatoes...

And turn over 10% of any handouts they got, plus do 8 hours of work cleaning the COB toilets for that one dollop of funeral potatoes.

Look, they wouldn't even build a homeless shelter in Utah County and I think it is just now on the radar and there may be one getting built. When I lived there and was on the board of the Food and Shelter Coalition,the homeless were given vouchers to stay overnight at the old Hotel Roberts in Provo or given bus passes to get to Salt Lake (until Salt Lake's mayor got wind of that and put a stop to it). Now that Hotel Roberts is gone, I don't know what they do for shelter. Does anyone in Provo/Orem know?

I don't know but that is f*cked up beyond belief.

gemini Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
the homeless were given vouchers
> to stay overnight at the old Hotel Roberts in
> Provo or given bus passes to get to Salt Lake
> (until Salt Lake's mayor got wind of that and put
> a stop to it). Now that Hotel Roberts is gone, I
> don't know what they do for shelter. Does anyone
> in Provo/Orem know?

guess what took the place of the hotel roberts...??

a parking terrace for the new temple..

thanks GOD

I do not and can not understand why the members of the LDS corporation don't get. And can not seem to. The Mormon church does not do charity. The sublet it out.

My mom was on the board that raised funds and created the Homeless Shelter in Salt Lake. These peeps were all Catholic.

Last estimates I saw put charity and humanitarian work at something like 1 percent of the income. It was less than walmart. Then they two-face it and announce any time they do give to humanitarian work. What BS.

The 'get out of jail card' that many TBMs use in this scenario is that spiritual health and prosperity is far more important than physical. So $bn's can be better spent on temples, lesson manuals, missionary work etc than homeless shelters, soup kitchens, schools or hospitals.

The mall is of course a little different in this regard, but TBMs will still feel that TSCC obviously will make significant money from the investment, that will in turn be used in the future to build the church (I.e pay for more temples etc).

I disagree wholeheartedly, but this is how TBMs see it. Physical suffering is just a short term inconvenience in this life, whereas spiritual ill health is of eternal consequence.

In trying to discuss this with any Mormon they pull out the "downtown was going down hill" the church had to do something.

SLC has been in past times much less pleasant since lat e late 1800s. It all comes down to this giant Church disguised as a corp had enough extorted money to fund it and try to get a return on investment. The whole project is huge and the major funder was the tscc not the government, state, city, or county. Sure they got tax breaks but in the end the deep deep pocket of the morg funded it and built it "in your face" to creat the illusion that they are the prosperity gospel... hey look at us.
In the end it will not be profitable and you will see anchors leaving in my opinion.

I was living in a bubble when i was a member,been out now 5 years,thought the church did so much humanitarian aid,had my head in the sand,when i resigned i also moved to the poor area in our town,saw folk living in appalling conditions,sub-standard housing,addiction problems,poverty,anti social behaviour,the list is endless.

Only 2 miles away from the church were folk living like this,itook on the chair of the local community group,i was astonished to find myself surrounded by fantastic people,some from churches and others from none.

I saw one church caring for the addicted and poor,serving food,getting health services for them,and building them up,another delivering food parcels, 4 churches with food banks,one reaching out to the children,putting on breakfast and games,crafts etc,the list goes on.

What a difference to the LDS,who once a year put on their helping hands tabards and cleaned a small stretch of beach.

Many of us believe the mall's cost was especially escalated for what they got. The suspicion is that a lot of invested tithing income (interest earned from invested tithing) was filtered through accounts associated with the mall construction, paid to key families of key Utah elites in order to keep the back-scratching and intermountain west politicking going.

This video sums my feelings up on the subject very nicely:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJISDsMLoOo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The church is true and the Book of Mormon teaches that in the Last Days that the church leaders would become wicked rich.