Windy Sydney

So the entire Sacrament Meeting today was dedicated to the subject of tithing. No mention of Memorial day. No memories of loved ones or of military men and women who paid the ultimate price. It was dedicated to tithing. The stake high councilman was anxious to note if you give any of your assets to a charity, it does not count as tithing. Forget feeding the poor, first feed the corporate organization. The last ten minutes a member of the Stake Presidency took the pulpit. He announced the stake leadership were "very" concerned the percentage of tithe payers had dropped considerably in our stake. Surprise, concern, in a stake which donated thousands to prop H8, whose region is now in a economic disaster.

I hope he couldn't see the smile on my face, sitting out among the sheep...

It's quite amazing to me that they took the time to tell people that donating to charity isn't good enough. No. Instead, you need to write out a check to the LDS Church.

Looks like they are hurting for funds.

That puts a smile on my face, too.

I have said it before, but I will say it again... Helping people with your talents and time is just as important to donating money to charities. If you do want to contribute to charities, please donate to groups that are accountable for how that money is spent. The church refuses to show ANY of their financial records, and they have refused to do this for a very long time. They claim their members don't ask for it, but that is a lie. I am a member, and I ask for it.

The mormon church owns more companies than you could possibly know about. Some of these companies you would never even know belonged to the church!

At one point I had a huge list of these companies on this article, but I couldn't get the formatting to work. Instead, I will give a link to the list for you...

Have they always been upfront and honest about the money and management of these companies?? Hell no!

I thought you might find interesting this transcript of the US Senate Committee case regarding Mormon Senator Reed Smoot. Where did Mormon Church President Smith find time for meditation, let alone revelation?

Senate Committee Testimony Transcript:

Mr. Tayler (Senate Attorney):What is your business?

Mr. Smith (Mormon Prophet and President): My principle business is that of president of the church.

Mr. Tayler: In what other business are you engaged?

Mr. Smith: I am engaged in NUMEROUS other businesses.

Mr. Tayler: What?

Mr. Smith: I am PRESIDENT of Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution.

Mr. Tayler: Of what other corporations are you an officer?

Mr. Smith: I am PRESIDENT of the State Bank of Utah, another institution.

Mr. Tayler: What else?

Mr. Smith: PRESIDENT of Zion's Savings Bank and Trust Company.

Mr. Tayler: What else?

Mr. Smith: I am PRESIDENT of the Utah Sugar Company.

Mr. Tayler: What else?

Mr. Smith: I am PRESIDENT of the Consolidated Wagon and Machine Company.

Mr. Tayler: What else?

Mr. Smith: There are several other SMALL INSTITUTIONS with which I am associated.

Mr. Tayler: Are you associated with the Utah Light and Power Company?

Mr. Smith: I am.

Mr. Tayler: In what capacity?

Mr. Smith: I am a director and PRESIDENT of the company.

Mr. Tayler: A director and the president?

Mr. Smith: Yes, sir.

Mr. Tayler: Had you that in mind when you classified the others as 'small concerns'?

Mr. Smith: No sir, I had not that in mind.

Mr. Tayler: That is a 'large concern'?

Mr. Smith: That is a large concern?

Mr. Tayler: Are you an officer of the Salt Lake and Los Angeles Railroad Company?

Mr. Smith: I am.

Mr. Tayler: What?

Mr. Smith: PRESIDENT and director.

Mr. Tayler: Of what else are you President?

Mr. Smith: I am PRESIDENT of the Salt Air Beach Company.

Mr. Tayler: What else, if you can recall.

Mr. Smith: I DO NOT RECALL JUST NOW!

Mr. Tayler: What relation do you sustain to the Idaho Sugar Company?

Mr. Smith: I am a director of that company and also the PRESIDENT of it.

Mr. Tayler: Of the Inland Crystal Salt Company?

Mr. Smith: Also the SAME POSITION THERE.

Mr. Tayler: The Salt Lake Dramatic Association?

Mr. Smith: I am PRESIDENT of that and also a DIRECTOR.

Mr. Tayler: Are you president of any other corporation there?

Mr. Smith: I DO NOT KNOW. PERHAPS YOU CAN TELL ME!! I DO NOT REMEMBER ANY MORE JUST NOW!

Mr. Tayler: It would seem that the number has grown so large that it would be an undue tax upon your memory to charge you with naming them all. What relation do you sustain to the Salt Lake Knitting Company? Did I already ask you about it?

Mr. Smith: No sir, you did not.

Mr. Tayler: The Salt Lake Knitting Company?

Mr. Smith: I am PRESIDENT of it, and also a director.

Mr. Tayler: The Union Pacific Railway Company?

Mr. Smith: I am a DIRECTOR.

Mr. Tayler: Are you an official of any mining companies?

Mr. Smith: Yes, sir.

Mr. Tayler: What?

Mr. Smith: I am the vice-president of the Bullion, Beck and Champion Mining Company.

Mr. Tayler: The Deseret News?

Mr. Smith: No, sir.

Mr. Tayler: You have no business relations with that?

Mr. Smith: NO SIR.

Mr. Tayler: Is the Deseret News the 'organ of the Church'?

Mr. Smith: Well, I suppose it is in some sense the 'organ of the church'. It is not opposed to the church, at least.

Mr. Tayler: It has for years published, has it not, at the head of its columns, that it is "the organ of the church", or the "official organ of the church"?

Mr. Smith: Not that I know of.

Mr. Tayler: Do you know who owns it?

Mr. Smith: How is that?

Mr. Tayler: Do you know who owns it?

Mr. Smith: I know who owns the building that it is in.

Mr. Tayler: Who owns the building in which it is published?

Mr. Smith: The church.

Mr. Tayler: The church?

Mr. Smith: Yes, sir.

Mr. Tayler: Tell us what you know about the owners of that newspaper.

Mr. Smith: It has been for a number of years past owned by a company --- AN INCORPORATED COMPANY.

Mr. Tayler: What is the name of the company?

Mr. Smith: The Deseret News Publishing Company.

Mr. Tayler: Do you know who its officers are?

Mr. Smith: No, it is not owned by that company.

Mr. Tayler: Oh, it is not?

Mr. Smith: No; it is not.

Mr. Tayler: What do you know ----

Mr. Smith: But I say for years it was owned by a company of that kind.

Mr. Tayler: What do you know about its present ownership?

Mr. Smith: I presume that the present ownership is IN THE CHURCH.

Mr. Tayler: You suppose the present owner is 'the church'?

Mr. Smith: Yes, sir; the church.

Mr. Tayler: I do not want to have any misconstruction put upon your use of the word 'presume' because you do not know that it is so owned?

Mr. Smith: I really do not know so that I could tell you positively.

Mr. Tayler: Who would know?

Mr. Smith: I PRESUME I could find out

Mr. Tayler: Could you find out before you leave Washington?

Mr. Smith: Perhaps so. (SOURCE: Reed Smoot Case transcript, Vol. 1, pp. 81, 82, 83, 86, 87, and 88)

A day later, because the ownership of the Deseret News and its articles were keys to the case, Joseph F. Smith testified:

Mr. Tayler: In what form does your church have title to the Deseret News property?

Mr. Smith: It owns the deed.

Mr. Tayler: I am speaking of the newspaper, not the building.

Mr. Smith: The press; yes. I would like to state that when I was asked that question before, Mr. Tayler, I was not aware of the fact that I have since learned from my counsel here that during the trusteeship of Lorenzo Snow the Deseret News plant was transferred from the Deseret News Company to Lorenzo Snow, trustee, in trust. I was not aware of the fact, Mr. Chairman, when that question was asked me yesterday, I believe it was. I have since learned that that is the fact and that my counsel who is here made out the papers for the transfer. .....

Mr. Tayler: So that it is now in YOU as trustee in trust?

Mr. Smith: NOW I OWN IT AS TRUSTEE IN TRUST. Furthermore, I will say that I have discovered since yesterday that there is published on the second or third page of the Deseret News the statement that it is the "organ of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" (Reed Smoot case, Vol. 1, page 158).

As you can see, the Mormon Church has been about business for a very long time.

So yeah, lets not talk about the men and women who lost their lives defending the United States.
Let''s forget that there are men and women fighting TWO wars right now. Lets forget about the wars of the past and the lives that were lost.

Lets instead, talk about tithing and how important it is.

This church makes me sick.

Andee