Deseret News Defends the Crappy 2020 GC

[RubinHighlander]

https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2020/4/ ... m=referrer

Media Apologists: Look, we are doing so much great stuff! Don't criticize the church! We quoted all these scriptures to show how in line with God we are. Here's something mean the Trib said about us:

One writer in the Salt Lake Tribune observed: “When Nelson announced that April conference would be special like never before, I expected an announcement of mass relief efforts. … But instead, conference consisted of a Joseph Smith commemoration, discussion of the end of times and an announcement of another church wide fast.”

We won't address that one, but we'll talk about the one where somebody suggested the church use it's billions for unemployment relief, because that's the easiest one to talk to and try to make it look silly. Oh, and by the way:

Elder Craig C. Christensen, a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commented that the church was currently filling a $30 million humanitarian-related request in Utah alone.

So, 30 million...seems like a lot, until you divide it by the 130 billion in the COBs bank, then the percentage seems rather small. Smaller than a percentage actually, like 0.023% - same percentage you get when you divide the number of corporate drones by the population of the earth.

They talk a lot about these projects approved around the world and they talk about fast offerings relieving suffering at the local level. What they don't mention is that most of those projects will be labored off the backs of local members AND fast offerings are the only donations members pay on top of tithing that get to be spent for local relief of local congregations, basically congregations are required to be self-funded for those efforts.

And be sure to toot your own horn while you write up your media apologetics:

Disciples deserve the benefit of the doubt, including these writers. But when judging the church publicly we should at least seek a clearer understanding of the full humanitarian efforts of the church, alongside its broad religious mission. Otherwise even genuine questions risk coming across as, ironically, uncharitable, even as the church expands its own charitable outreach all around the world.

I will give some of the "disciples" the benefit of the doubt, but not the rich corporate leadership! Good job on promoting your important status and authority in the tribe and plugging your damn book!

[moksha]

Too bad they failed to add, "We've taken a beating in the stock market recently."

[Hagoth]

Church relief efforts can typically be attributed to the labor and donations of goods & money from individual members. It does not come from the "sacred funds." Previous statements from the church have clarified that the "church" corporation takes credit for the members' charity. I would suggest that a $30 million relief package represents $30 million of extra giving by the members, not $30 million of cream skimmed from the corporate cheesecake. Remember when the good members in England contributed millions in tsunami relief out of their own pockets, but the tax documents showed that it was swept directly into the church's general fund?

That said, kudos to anyone who's helping. The church could feed everyone in the world who is suffering from this virus. Maybe that tsunami relief money will find its way back into the sunlight now, or at least some of the interest that was earned from it.

[wtfluff]

Dear Cronus.

Old coots using their propaganda "newspaper" to act like petulant children and prove their relevance. Sorry coots, it's obvious to the vast majority of humans that you have absolutely no relevance.

My confirmation bias tells me that they are absolutely terrified. The virus has pretty much shut down everything that they view as important, and neither they, nor their god have any power whatsoever to do anything. Wherefore art thou Elohim? Hiding, as from the beginning of time.

[Exiled]

I've predicted elsewhere that the church will give some relatively small amount to charity and toot their horn over it, as they have always done. I bet they haven't dipped into their hedge fund and won't. They want to be financially relevant and that requires the fund to continue to grow. They want it to be at least $1 Trillion or more.

Cashing out to feed the poor is not their station as the poor will be always with us as the religious rich like to tell us. Feeding the masses is for governments and bleeding hearts in their opinion. Sure, token efforts will be made. But, feeding the animals leads to more animals wanting to be fed and not to self-reliance, or so the story goes.

As for the conference, I watched some of the Joseph Smith show until I couldn't watch any more. What a failure the hosanna shout was. Too bad Pres Nelson couldn't foresee how the corona virus would spike the planned pageantry of having the conference center wave their handkerchiefs in unison. I am sure they planned on having generous wide shots of conference goers during the shout. Instead, Nelson looked robotic and Oaks was out of step.

[Reuben]

Wait, wait, wait waitwait. So you're saying that Xinhua declared China to be the most powerful nation on Earth and the Communist Party to be the best and most generous people ever?

Say it ain't so!

[1smartdodog]

The issue for me was not so much not coughing up some money for relief, never thought they would do that. I just though given what is going on, this was their big chance to do a little of that prophet seer stuff they are always claiming. But really nothing more than usual. Maybe even less than usual.


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[Hagoth]

I just though given what is going on, this was their big chance to do a little of that prophet seer stuff they are always claiming. But really nothing more than usual. Maybe even less than usual.

Just in case you've never seen a deer in the headlights, now you have a pretty good idea.

[Just This Guy]

$30 Mil in humanitarian aid. Lets look at that. So if the church as about 5 mil active, tithe paying members, that works out to about $6 per person. What a sacrifice.

I wonder how much they got from their Good Friday fast? This is a pure guess, but the humanitarian aid is somewhere close to the amount they could have gotten from from the extra fast.

How inspired of the church. Hold a fast to raise money to cover their efforts pretend they actually do some good in the world. Now they can make the media announcement without any actual sacrifice to the bottom line.

[Exiled]

I guess I can't blame LDS, Inc. for wanting to conserve their coin. It is what their temple building cash/tithing model is all about. Build or merely announce and the coffers will rise. They are focused on the goal and cannot be distracted by pandemics or the hunger of third world peasants. Tithing is supposed to lift people out of poverty, magically. Continue to donate and wear your conservative suit, oh member. Give until the coffers are overflowing. Taking it from the people and then immediately giving it back in the form of assistance will mean the fund is less. That cannot happen.

[2bizE]

I think the same people who comment on the Dez news also contribute to the MDMM board.

[Hagoth]

Maybe we need to give the church more compliments for the $30M. If they get enough good attention maybe they'll want more.

[StarbucksMom]

This is just more tone deaf nonsense. I am REALLY wanting to know, are more faithful members waking up to the BS? Because this last conference displayed it like never before. Prophets not forseeing this/seering or revelating about this or doing or saying anything Christlike about it in their WORLDWIDE broadcast. Didn't people wake up and smell the million mile deep pile of dung????

And other suggestions that the church should have forgone or curbed certain devotional elements of its recent general conference — e.g. the “Hosanna Shout,” revealing a new proclamation or an invitation to fast — fail to appreciate the full breadth and scope of Christian worship.

Um, really? What about conference was "full Christian worship?" It had nothing to do with bringing people to Christ, but everything to do with promoting worship and allegiance to Joseph Smith, Russ Nelson, and his pack of self centered thieves and liars. Yeah, this has always been the case, but at a time like never before in our history, members needed to see the Mormon church rise to the occasion and focus on real prophetic leadership and service. What a sham.

And the quote that Rubin shared pretty much sums it up--You are never, EVER allowed to question the Mormon church leaders, because the thinking has all been done for you.

Disciples deserve the benefit of the doubt, including these writers. But when judging the church publicly we should at least seek a clearer understanding of the full humanitarian efforts of the church, alongside its broad religious mission. Otherwise even genuine questions risk coming across as, ironically, uncharitable, even as the church expands its own charitable outreach all around the world.

[Emower]

I just though given what is going on, this was their big chance to do a little of that prophet seer stuff they are always claiming. But really nothing more than usual. Maybe even less than usual.

Just in case you've never seen a deer in the headlights, now you have a pretty good idea.

But that would detract from people's agency and totally take away and sully this mortal experience. Better that they use their seer stones (smartphones) to share encouraging testimonies on Facebook. That's what real special witnesses do.