President Gordon B. Hinckley, top leader of the Church (1995-2008) addresses several issues related to the church’s history and practices in an interview on Christmas Day in 2005. The interview covered many topics but here we’ll look closely at what he said about polygamy and fundamentalist Mormons and church history and transparency. Polygamy and Fundamentalist …
Tag Archives: transparency
(Page 2)The Mormon-Canadian-BYU Billion Dollar Tithing Funnel
Investigation reveals more than $1 billion raised by the Mormon church in Canada has been funneled to the U.S. rather than going to charitable works in this country. We hear from former members in Canada and elsewhere who say concerns about how money is spent have led them to leave the church. – The Fifth …
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![The church is taking away the government's ability to fund health care, and education, and provide other essential services. They've done it at the expense of taxpayer dollars. There's definitely been a change in [my] perspective. The church teaches that the temple should always be a focal point in your life. The temple has become a physical reminder of greed for me. - Nigel Kennet, a Canadian accountant, was working on the books of a church of a different faith, when he saw how much their members gave to charity. So, he looked into the Mormon's books, and was stunned by where their donations were going. - The Fifth Estate, October 27, 2022 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/canada-5th-estate-Nigel-Kennet-church-taking-away-government-ability-to-fund-essential-services-temple-has-become-a-reminder-of-greed.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)

![If people knew that the church had a hundred billion dollars, and they weren't putting it to any use, they would be less inclined to continue donating to the church. A lot of members of the Mormon church have been clamoring to get their tithing back. People are upset about this, they know that the ethics are not Christ's ethics. [The church has] billions of dollars in Apple, and in fossil fuel burning companies, and energy companies. All of these vehicles, you wouldn't think, are what churches would invest in. So that rattled people, and then the lack of activity in doing something that that money is designed to be used for. Nothing religious educational or charitable. Small community congregationalist type churches shouldn't be subjected to a severe burden of reporting. But giga churches have to. There are mega churches in this country, maybe there are a few in Canada too, but in this country, there is one giga church, and it's the Mormon Church. - Lars Nielsen, Whistleblower - The Fifth Estate, October 27, 2022 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/canada-5th-estate-Lars-Nielsen-church-has-hundred-billion-dollars-not-putting-it-to-any-use-nothing-religious-educational-or-charitable-giga-church-should-be-required-to-report-finances.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
![There is in [Canada's] tax system a loophole that says if it's used for educational purposes that benefit Canadians outside of Canada, then you can use the money that way. They rationalize, oh, well maybe one percent of BYU is Canadian. They say as long as it's benefiting anyone who is Canadian at BYU... Even if it benefits one student. [My brother] started to hear that the leaders of the Mormon Church were saying things like, not one penny of tithing money was being used to build the City Creek Mall. That, blatantly wasn't true. He had seen the journal ledgers, he had been in on these conversations, he knew that 1.4 billion dollars had been spent to shore up the the City Creek Mall. If they do something that's illegal, I'm going to call them out on it because that's the right thing to do, and they taught me that. - Lars Nielsen, Whistleblower - The Fifth Estate, October 27, 2022 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/canada-5th-estate-Lars-Nielsen-canada-tax-loophole-for-educational-benefit-to-canadians-outside-of-canada-not-one-penny-of-tithing-money-used-for-city-creek-mall-call-them-out-on-illegal-activity.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
![The [prosperity gosepl] idea is, if you bring your tithing to God, that he will open the windows of heaven and you will have everything that you need. That is false. Jesus never taught that. It's not the way that the scripture should be interpreted. That's the way that Mormon culture interprets it. When you build out these complex corporate structures, you do it for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to hide. I observed that when there's money and the accumulation of wealth involved, truth and transparency often take a back seat. - Josh Bigley, Canadian Ex-mormon Whistleblower - The Fifth Estate, October 27, 2022 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/canada-5th-estate-Josh-Bigley-Mormon-prosperity-gospel-idea-is-false-complex-corporate-structures-to-hide-truth-and-transparency-taken-back-seat-to-accumulation-of-wealth.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
![I'm bisexual, I'm not straight. I don't struggle with same-sex attraction, I struggle with people who struggle with my same-sex attraction. [Being bisexual at BYU] is absolutely awful. Because anyone can report you to the honor code office. That's the reality for queer students—we all live with that fear. They allow this atmosphere of homophobia to permeate. - Jeannie Williams, a Bisexual BYU Student. The Fifth Estate, October 27, 2022 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/canada-5th-estate-Jeannie-Williams-bisexual-byu-student-anyone-can-report-you-to-the-honor-code-office-we-live-with-that-fear-while-they-allow-this-atmosphere-of-homophobia-to-permeate.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)

![Compared to other religions or Christian denominations, [the LDS church] is actually not a very charitable entity. It doesn't spend a lot of money out there. It doesn't create hospitals, it doesn't create social welfare, it doesn't do soup kitchens, that kind of thing. There's a lot of questions about whether the church has engaged in wide-scale tax avoidance or illegal wide-scale tax evasion. - Ben Schneiders, Investigative Journalist with the Asian Sydney Morning Herald, The Fifth Estate, October 27, 2022 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/canada-5th-estate-Ben-Schneiders-lds-church-not-very-charitable-entity-no-hospitals-social-welfare-soup-kitchens-church-has-engaged-in-wide-scale-tax-avoidance-or-illegal-tax-evasion.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
LDS Giving Machines: Charitable Fascade GasLighting The World
The Giving Machines are a charitable initiative by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Giving Machines are vending machines that allow people to “purchase” items such as food, clothing, and hygiene products, which are donated directly to those in need through other charities. People can select specific items from the machine, pay for …
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Mormon Church Ripping off Millions of Dollars from Australia
The Mormon church wants everyone to read the Book of Mormon, but it will do nearly anything to keep anyone from reading their financial books. 60 Minutes Australia did some investigative reporting and alleges that the Mormon church is ripping off hundreds of millions of dollars from the Australian government in tax evasion. In many …
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Church Claims Activism a Tactic of Satan and Gaslights Members
Brother Ahmad S. Corbitt, the then First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, gave a talk to LDS Chaplains, on October 4, 2022, in which he teaches against activism directed towards the church. He doesn’t want members getting any ideas that they can influence or change things the church does by criticizing, complaining, or …
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One Mission Is Not Enough – Church Urges Seniors for Two
The church held a special Broadcast for the Utah Area to drum up interest and enlist more senior missionaries in the service of the church. Elder Kevin Pearson, of the Seventy, who is also the Area President of the Utah Area worked to fire up the attendees with a call to serve. He urged all …
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Jeremy Runnells Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight
Jeremy Runnells, hailing from a seventh-generation Mormon heritage, achieved all the milestones within the LDS Faith: earning his Eagle Scout rank, serving as a full-time Missionary, and graduating from BYU. His journey took a transformative turn in 2012, in which he dove into a deep exploration of the church’s truth claims. A CES Director asked …
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On ‘Think Celestial’
In President Nelson’s pre-recorded conference address of October 2023, his goal seems to be to encourage members to have an eternal perspective when facing a challenge in life with his constant urging to “Think celestial!” He is upfront that his goal is for listeners to be spiritually minded, but it comes across as praising immature …
Will the Church Ever Have Sufficient To Stop Requiring Tithing?
Is tithing a forever part of the Mormon church? Or will there be a day when it will have enough funds in the bank and in the “rainy day fund” that it will direct members that it is no longer required to enter the temple? Will the church go as far as to ask members …
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President Gordon B Hinckley Interview with San Francisco Chronicle
Gordon B Hinckley, then church president, was interviewed by Don Lattin on April 13, 1997 for SFGate, the digital home of the San Francisco Chronicle. The interview was in his room at the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel, just before he delivered an address to the World Forum of Silicon Valley. Here is the transcript of the interview as reported …
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Daniel Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight
Daniel was raised Mormon and cruised along the Mormon conveyor belt in life. He’s also a physician and was educated to “research and investigate, to seek truth from reliable sources”. He suffered from religious scrupulosity and constantly felt like a sinner. He came across the Gospel Topic Essays though and quickly felt “uneasy with the …
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Elder Ballard Claims Church Leaders Can Not Lead You Astray
Echoing sentiments of When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done and The prophet will never lead the Church astray for the next generation, Elder Ballard spoke at a devotional in 1996 and reasoned that members should keep their “eyes riveted on the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles” He said …
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Micah Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight
Micah was all in and fully believed in the church. He lived every bit of it. To be more prepared for the second coming, he studied church doctrine deeply. But as he studied church history, he learned that what he’s always been taught wasn’t exactly an honest representation of history. In fact, he found that …
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Where Does Mormon Tithing Go? Read the Fine Print
The short answer is we don’t know. We can’t know where tithing goes for sure because the church doesn’t and won’t share that information. This is despite the fact that church president Gordon B Hinckley stated when asked why the church wasn’t transparent as is required in many countries. He said that that information belongs …
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Mormon Excuses for Zero Financial Transparency
The Mormon church is famously secretive (or confidential) with it’s financial disclosures. They say as little as possible about it and are even known to hide money from the IRS and SEC in filing the required tax forms illegally. They’ve been busted by a whistleblower recently and the SEC came looking – they were able …
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Byron Marchant, Accused Dissident, Unjustifiably Excommunicated for Opposing Priesthood Ban in 1977
Among the first votes of dissent in the modern Mormon church occurred in 1977, in opposition to the church doctrine banning blacks from any priesthood ordination and temple endowment. A member voted opposed to sustaining church leadership in General Conference 1977 and was subsequently excommunicated. Then less than 1 year later the church downgraded the …