Generalization

I work with children with disabilities and one of the skills we teach them is how to generalize. Most children learn this concept naturally, but not all people, on all skills in all areas, over all environments. For example, we can teach a child in a controlled setting how to identify his colors, but that doesn't mean they can identify their colors out of that controlled environment. They need to then be taken out of that controlled environment and taught their colors in other ways. They need to be taught to match color cards to objects of the same color. They need to be taken around the room and in the real world and asked what color certain objects are. They need to be asked what color their clothes are, the walls are, etc. In this way, they are able to generalize the concept of learning colors.

When I was on my mission, we tracted out a young man who was so excited to show us what he had found in the back of a magazine.  He had found a handkerchief that was personally blessed by a popular televangelist and if you paid $49.99, you could be the proud owner of the handkerchief and untold blessings would come to you.

My companion and I walked away and were confounded how people could be taken in by half truths and lies by something that was so obviously a religious charlatan. Today, I watched this video:
Inside Edition on Televangelists

As I watched it, I was reminded of Jim Jones and how he was able to fool so many people and they couldn't see through his half truths and lies at the cost of their lives, not just at the cost of their money. When the story of Jim Jones broke on the news, I remember hearing about the points that make up a cult. As I read them in the news, I remember thinking that they were just like the Mormon church. Yet, with nobody to discuss my concerns with, I quickly dismissed them.

Today, as I watched the video, I am once again taken back in time and marvel how I was not able to generalize the knowledge I had of cults or of charlatans to my own experience within the Mormon church. I could see it in other churches and other church leaders, but not my own. I could see how other church leaders used their charisma  to get their members to hand over money, but I could not see it within the Mormon church leaders. I could see where the Mormon leaders would say, 'trust me', without actual facts or data to show trustworthiness, yet I could not see how handing over 10% of my income, without transparency within the Mormon church would be considered criminal in any other corporation. If I was told by any other organization to not compare what they told me about their history to what was available about their history from other sources, I would be suspicious and sceptical of that organization. Yet, when the Mormon church said to do that very thing, I just blindly accepted it.

As I speak to others who continue within the Mormon church who also have knowledge of how the leaders hide their history, are not transparent with their finances, who have knowledge of the leaders purchasing billion dollar malls, yet they cannot generalize this knowledge to other religious leaders who own million dollar jets or homes.

City Creek Mall

 city creek

This week, several members who have been able to generalize, filed a criminal fraud suit against the Mormon church for similar practices that are so often seen in other churches and other corporations, yet so hard for Mormon members to see within its own ranks.

 It will take Mormon members to get out of their controlled environment, and compare what is happening within the top leadership to see what is happening before they can generalize.
An Open Letter to Mormon Leadership

I learned to generalize once I stepped out of the controlled environment the church set up and stepped out into the real world. What a beautiful world it is.

Real costs of membership

Today I learned something new about the mormon church. When a church member dies, the family has a funeral at the church and hosts a luncheon for the family after. The church used to carry the cost of the main dish for the family and the church members would then add side dishes, thus providing a complete lunch for the family before they have to travel back to their home cities.

The majority of wards have dispensed with this cost, asking the family members to cover the cost of

the main dish while the church members continue to add side dishes.

Once again, my anger goes from dormant to active at the audacity of the coperation known as the LDS church. Do you know how much money the mormon church brings in each year in tithing money? The church refuses to disclose these costs, yet because Canada and European countries require transparency, a close prediction can be made.  My numbers come from two sources. What is the annual intake from tithing each year? Estimates place it at $7 billion. tithing income    tithing income II

In addition, the mormon church has a very profitable corporate arm. Here are a list of its holdings:
*2 billion City Creek Mall and other real estate venues totally over $5 billion
*Polynesian Culture Center which brings in $23 million in tickets sales a year and other Hawaiian      holdings under the name of Hawaiian Reserves
*Largest Rancher in USA called Deseret Ranches worth $1 billion , with other ranches in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, Australia and Great Britain (the Australian ranches have sales of $267 million a year)
*Insurance Company- Beneficial Life worth $3.3 billion
*Education Division- BYU, BYU-I, BYU-H, and seminary buildings
*Deseret Corporation
*Bonneville International- media outlet
*Multiple stock holdings
It is estimated that the churches holdings are worth $30 billion  businessweek

But the church is a charity and often brags about its humanitarian aid work bragging rights, so this is all good, right? Lets look at the church's own numbers. not to brag about
over a 25 year period:
$1,212.2 million (cash 327.6 + materials 884.6)
Amount of aid per year: ($1,212.2 / 25 yr) = $48.5 million per year
12 million members of the church over that 25 year time span

($80.8 / 12) = $6.73 per member given in charitable aid per year    by the numbers

Walmart and Target give more in humanitarian aid each year than the Mormon church does!

Hard to believe? Want another source? charity?

With all the wealth, what do the members pay for out of their own pockets and with their own time?
*Missionary funds and dedication of own time
*funeral food
*cleaning churches- janitorial own time
*humanitarian materials and dedication of own time
*temple services for cafeteria,veil work, janitorial
*some teaching positions at BYU-I and BYU
*extraction work
*visitor centers are run by dedication of own time
*all church positions at stake president level on down, such as bishops, ward clerks, Relief Society presidents, nursery workers, etc.
*welfare system paid for out of fast offerings, not out of tithing fund

It is difficult to measure the costs that members give over a year or a lifetime to the church, but far more than the 10% they require in tithing to enter their temples and get to heaven.With the billions and billions the church brings in each year, is it too much to ask that the mormon church cover the costs of the food for funerals of those who die each year, who have dedicated their lives, their time and their money to the fucking mormon church?

Gawd damn fucking church.

Saving Grace

When I was mormon, I read scriptures regularly, but I have learned more since leaving than I ever knew as a believing mormon. For example is the scripture in Moroni 8. As a believing Mormon, the only part that is ever discussed, is the part about children being saved in Christ. However, the most fascinating part is the two verses that talk about people who have never received any knowledge of Jesus:

In Moroni 8:22-23 it states: 22 For behold that all little children are ^aalive in Christ, and also all they that are without the ^blaw. For the power of ^credemption cometh on all them that have ^dno law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing—

 23 But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in ^adead works.

When I was still Mormon, I didn't think too hard on this passage, as I do now. I find it one of the most fascinating scriptures in the BoM. Joseph Smith's grandfather refused to believe in any organized religion because he believed that no religion had the capacity to save. He believed that god's grace saved. He believed that if god's grace was good enough to save some, it was great enough to save all.

If god's grace saves people, then a religion does not save, baptism does not save, saving ordinances do not save, good works do not save, and tithing paid to a church does not save.

We find a hint of this belief in Moroni 8. Children and people who do not hear the gospel of Jesus are saved with no need for saving ordinances. If no saving ordinances are needed for them, then why are they necessary for others? Why are there two sets of rules? If grace saves one set of people, then why do works save another set of people? Why are works necessary for people who do hear about Jesus? Why are works necessary for people who are born into the Mormon church?

I was raised to believe that in order to be saved, I must pay tithing, not have sex outside of marriage, attend the Mormon temple and church, faithfully do my church callings, take bread to my neighbor, and many other good works. Why must my good works save me, when no amount of good works are necessary for those who have no knowledge of the Mormon church or Jesus?

I was taught that I was more valiant and blessed than people who weren't born into a Mormon family, yet to get to heaven, it is harder for me to get there, than someone who was born in India or China.

It seems to me that god made it harder for me to return to him, and therefore I am not blessed or more valiant, and the guarantee I was given has too much fine print and is a bait a switch.

I want my money back.

Accountablility

I attended the Unitarian Univeralist Church today. I have only attended a few times, as it has taken me many years to overcome my apprehension of attending any worship service since leaving the Mormon religion.  I must admit I really feel a sense of belonging here, I enjoy the fact that they include heathens such as myself who do not pray to a god; they accept gays, lesbians, transgenders. They do not pray, but instead have a moment of meditation. This all appeals to me. I did attend several churches when I left Mormonism, but I could not feel at ease.

Today, the topic of discussion was about their sister church in Romania. They spoke about how they made the beginning introductions, how at first it was difficult to communicate with the language barrier.  But with time, they have been able to get translators.  They spoke about how they made mistakes along the way. At first, the UU church here donated money for a tractor, and even with oversight of the money, the money disappeared and when an accounting for the money was demanded, the minister committed suicide. It was discovered that he was was an alcoholic and the entire story was so very sad.

A lesson was learned, and a part of the lesson learned was that love, friendship and strong ties need to be shared, along with donating money.  With stronger ties shared and more oversight and stronger accounting of the funds, the money donated has been used for its intended purposes.  Many trips have been made, some of the members from Romania have visited here, and some members here have gone and visited Romania on a yearly basis.

A scholarship fund has been set up to help send the youth to university.  What a wonderful way to make church donations work; to send youth to college, to pay for tractors to aid a community in farming and to help build a local community house.

This is how donation funds should be spent.  I loved to hear about the strong accountability of the funds, not only in Romania, but also here. All money donated is 100% accountable to the congregations.  There is no secrecy about how much is given or how it is spent.  There is no need to have trust or blind faith in any leaders. All is known and accountable to those who donate.

When I hear Mormons justify the secrecy of how tithing funds are spent, I wonder how they can feel comfortable about that. There is such a contradiction in what they say. On one hand they say that to question their leaders is to not have faith, and on the other hand they say the church is true, the leaders aren't.  How can they put such trust in people who they acknowledge make mistakes?

There was accountability within the UU church, and still the minister was able to squander away $2,000 for his personal gain.  As I watch the Mormon church build a multi-billion dollar mall with its business branch, why aren't the members asking how the church built a business branch to begin with, anyway?

  Why does an organization that is supposed to be charitable have a business that they started out of tithing funds, since all moneys gained began with tithing?  Why does it not use its billions of dollars to build water wells in Africa or safe housing in Haiti instead of Malls? How does the Mormon church justify this, and how do the members justify this? The Mormon church just laid off 8% of its Publishing Department, yet it spent billions investing in the City Creek Mall. Layoffs

Why aren't its members allowed to ask these questions? In the UU church, when the $2,000 disappeared, the members were allowed to ask these questions and get answers, as well as put in place better safeguards to prevent this from happening again.

To me, the building of a multi-billion dollar mall by a charitable organization is the epitome of mismanagement of funds.

If I were donating several hundred or thousand dollars a year to an organization, I would want open accountability. The Romanian words for accounting and accountability are the same.  It makes me wonder how much better off the members would be if they meant the same within the LDS church.

Belief

I don't run into many of my former mormon friends in stores any more, but I used to.  It was uncomfortable because the only questions they would ask is what ward (congregation) I belong to; what church calling I hold (what volunteer work I do in within the church); how is my husband (whom I am divorced from).  I do have a few mormon friends on fb and no matter how many photos I post of me in tank tops (a big no no to show shoulders because for some odd reason, shoulders have become sexual or offensive or vulgar), or how many articles I post about alcohol ( mormons think drinking alcohol and tea and coffee is a sin), my mormon friends cannot grasp the concept that someone can leave the mormon church and so they continue to ask about what my life is like within the mormon church. Sigh.

I was taught my entire mormon life that people only leave because they are offended by something or someone or because they are sinners and do not repent.  I believed this and repeated this diatribe and now this is one of my greatest regrets as I have come to realize it is false.

I have attempted multiple times to explain to mormons that I left because I stopped believing that their leaders speak to a god that hates black people then changes his mind and loves them.  I stopped believing that their leaders should rule in fear and shame.  I stopped believing that people should receive church discipline for having a crisis of faith. I stopped believing in a church that punishes a woman who divorces a man for leaving an abusive husband. I stopped believing that women should be submissive to men. I stopped believing in the patriarchal order.  I stopped believing that god will punish people for not giving tithing to an organization that builds malls instead of water wells.  I stopped believing in a god that makes people gay and then punishes those same people and tells their family to shun them. I stopped believing in a god that helps people find their keys so they will be on time for church yet does not stop an earthquake from killing thousands.

I stopped telling mormons why I left because they believe that all people are supposed to be mormon, all people are supposed to conform to its beliefs, all people are supposed to accept it someday (that is why they do baptisms for the dead).  How do you rationalize with beliefs like that?

Standing for Truth

Why I am no longer a mormon?

The Church makes no apology for its selective story-telling policies.  Boyd K. Packer, a high church official, has said that “some things which are true are not very useful.”  

These are exact quotes from the following article.  It is time for the people who are members of the mormon church to wake up:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/religion/the-church-of-jesus/the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-b071a.htm
 What is it about the LDS Church which warrants the distinction of being singled out as a ripoff?  Isn’t the Mormon church just like all the others, taking money from members to fund the day-to-day operations of the church? 

Four aspects of how the Mormon Church operates makes it a ripoff:
1.       Since 1959, the LDS Church does not disclose their financial holdings. Why the secrecy? Simple.  They are building an empire.
2.       Members who do not pay the prescribed 10% have privileges withheld.  This is extortion.
3.       New recruits are not informed of the sordid origins and evidence contradicting the foundational claims of the faith.  This is unethical.
4.       Blatant meddling in politics, unethical for a tax-exempt organization.

Since 1959, the LDS has not disclosed their financial vibrancy.  Only in the UK and Canada, where it is required by law, does the church come clean with their financial holdings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finances_of_The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints).  The LDS church stands alone among the major religious denominations in the USA in this secrecy....

MONETARY EXTORTION

Tithing in most religions is considered a gift, but the LDS Church makes it an obligation. Fear is often used as a motivator to get people to pay a full tithing. The member often hears the term 'fire insurance' associated with tithing. He who is tithed shall not be burned at Christ's' 2nd coming. Malachi 8:10 is often quoted - "Will a man rob God, yet ye have robbed me".

The guilt placed upon Latter-day Saints can be considerable. Members are not considered in 'good standing' if they are not paying a full 10% tithe. They cannot attend the temple if they do not pay in full. They cannot have temple-related callings or any high-profile positions if not full tithe-payers. And those who are full tithe-payers are often counseled to then start paying generous fast offerings, contributing to the missionary fund, etc. Extracting as much money as possible is the theme, and guilt is always knocking at the door.  This is a destructive mind control technique, which in turn reinforces the escalation of commitment human bias.  

SHAKY FOUNDATION

The Mormon faith is built on the foundation of a latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, who was purportedly called by God to restore His true church, this being accomplished by direct revelation and restoration of authority through divine messengers from the heavens in 1820.  Besides taking Smith at his word, the primary evidence that the sincere investigator is given to evaluate this claim, are the ‘revelations’ Smith received via translation from Egyptian-type writings; the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham, and other ‘revelations’ from Smith.

What the investigator is NOT told, incredibly, is virtually criminal.  The sincere investigator deserves to know a bit more than just one side of the story, including:

1.       In the trial of 1826, Joseph Smith was brought before the court on charges of fraud (money digging for profit).  At this trial, Smith freely admits, under oath, that he was incapable of locating buried treasures using either his peep stone or while being carried away in vision.

2.       The method of “translation” of the golden plates which supposedly produced the Book of Mormon was Smith looking into his hat through a peep stone.  The golden plates Smith claimed he possessed were never anywhere in sight during the so-called ‘translation’.  Every eyewitness account of the translation of the Book of Mormon describes Smith using this peep stone and hat method.  Russell M. Nelson, Dallin Oaks, and other church leaders have also confirmed this.  Does this sound like a method which would be used by a prophet of God or a con man? 

3.       It is a documented fact (multiple accounts diaries, personal histories, and the LDS family search website) that Joseph Smith Jr. took multiple plural wives without the knowledge or consent of Emma.  If this was a commandment from God, why the secrecy?  He persuaded women who were already married to marry him.  Five different people (Joseph Smith, Joseph F. Smith, Benjamin F. Johnson, Mary Lighter, and Lorenzo Snow) assert that an angel of God with a sword commanded Joseph to institute polygamy or the angel would slay him. 

4.       The Book of Mormon cites cattle, elephants, sheep, horses, wheat, silk, chariots, steel, and glass, yet these things were unknown to native stone-age Americans when the European pioneers arrived.  And the Book of Mormon makes no mention of what DID exist in abundance on this continent; potatoes, corn, llamas, buffalo, etc. Yet the LDS church claims the book represents an accurate depiction of American history.  How does a culture forget how to make wheels?

5.       The other LDS canonized scripture which Smith purportedly ‘translated’ from Egyptian is the “Book of Abraham”.  The original papyrus scrolls that Smith translated into the Book of Abraham were found in 1967 and authenticated by LDS and independent scholars.  Over a half dozen Egyptologists, including the expert hired by the Church, verified that the scrolls are Egyptian funerary documents typically found buried with mummies, and post-date the time of Abraham by 1500 years.  The information contained on these scrolls bears zero resemblance to the Book of Abraham and could not have been “in Abrahams own hand” as asserted by Smith.   Joseph’s own cross-reference showing the characters and the corresponding meanings is complete nonsense, according to every Egyptologist who has examined the documents, some of which are in Smith’s own hand, according to handwriting analysts. 

6.The account of the first vision, where Smith purportedly received, in 1820, his calling from God and Jesus to be a prophet is not reconcilable with historical information.  Neither Joseph Smith nor anyone else prior to 1838 referred to the event at all.  Smith claimed intense persecution due to the vision as a teen, and it was during a time of “great excitement on the subject of religion”. However, no one, friend or foe, remembers any persecution or even a claim to have experienced a vision prior to 1827. 

Tithes

I have written several blog posts about tithing. I am writing another one. In the mormon church, it is a requirement to give 10% of one's income to the church.  In order to make to the mormon's highest heaven, a person must meet with their church leader (a bishop) every two years where he asks if they are giving this ten percent to the church (among other questions of worthiness) if they are not, they cannot enter into the mormon temple.  If they are not allowed access into the temple, they will not be allowed access into heaven, according to mormon theology.  Therefore, paying tithing is a requirement to get into heaven.

The only scripture in the Bible on tithing comes from the book of Malachi. However, Christians believe that the new law in the new testament did away with the old law in the old testament and therefore, they should no longer be under the requirement to pay tithing.  The new testament says nothing about paying tithing.http://www.cultwatch.com/
http://www.tithingdebate.com/bobgassrebuttal.html

Yes, yes, the mormon's have their own scripture sources, but are they compatible with the christian scriptures?