Investigating The Mormons $100 Billion Fraud
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
- Ok, after a month long investigation it's finally ready. We're diving deep into a place where few people go, the Mormon Church's finances.
Support My Work ➤ / cooper447
(x) Twitter: / cooperacademy1
📷 Instagram: / tristanjcooper
TH-cam Subscribe Here: bit.ly/2Y1kNq8
The issue is dishonesty, not money; secrets, not transparency.
I was raised mormon so super interested in this, thanks for the upload
Seems like the Mormon Church should have a profit sharing system with all their members.
Have a Family member who is a member of the church, He is Handicap and on Disability. He still must give 1/10 to the church. So this is doing good? A person they should welcome to church freely with out cost! Looking after those who less fortunate? You might say it's his choice, True. Then it's the choice of the church take or not take money from the people who need it the most.
You think the Mormon church is bad? Wait until you find out how much Exxon the Catholic Church owns!
At least Catholics are an actual church.
Mormon church investments are several times that of the Catholic Church. I’m lds
But atleast they dont pretend thats the problem here dont you get it?
I never trusted them , I never will.
They a front , a Cult.
I'm Mormon but I'm not that religious, haven't been to church in years.
This is quite an eye-opening investigation. It's important to shed light on these matters to ensure transparency and accountability. Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
Thank you for your take on this.. The stunning bit for me is the small fine.. The Sec didnt make them pay all outstanding taxes.. As with banks a small price to pay. As what they did with the money.. Thats up to them. Atleast they didnt invest in durex..
I'm interested because recently, I went to a province in the Philippines (Ilocos Norte) and I'm surprise that most small city has a Mormon Church with a Basketball court. While a normal Christian Church is basically a small house Church. I also don't see them adding value to the community. Talking about the Mormon Church as a whole even in Urban areas like Manila, Philippines. They look agreeable and approachable but secretive.
perception is one thing. talking to them and learning about them is another. I'm sure if you asked those questions they can answer for you. At least you'll see how open they are, instead of how closed they "look" to be
Thank you!!
Issue its criminal! And against the law and its money laundring!
"Donators", usually described as 'donors' . . . . in the English langauge anyway.
They didnt send help never!
LDS are some of the nicest, most dedicated, loyal, honest, and self giving people I know. Many Christians would do well to copy LDS zeal for God, as they know him, and family values. None the less, the mormon faith is a train wreck when compared to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus DID NOT abandon his flock 'twice' and leave them orphans for 1600 years as Joseph Smith falsely claimed. True, Joseph Smith wanted to clear up the misunderstandings of the protestant reformation, but Smith would ultimately lie, steal, murder, and used whatever means necessary to justify the end.
Jesus Christ built one (1) universal (catholic) Church, to stand against the gates of Hades, he sent the Holy Spirit to teach us in all things, and promised to be with us until the end of the age. ALL Christian Churches today are founded on this one universal Church. The Greek word for universal (καθολικός) is pronounced 'catholic' and St. Ignatius, a disciple of John the Apostle and Bishop of Antioch, described Jesus’s Church as ‘catholic’ in his writings in 107 AD. He learned this from John.
Everybody say hi to the good imvestors and money and crime hidders! But they want to see good on front of people
@Cooper Academy - Real critique bear with me. I liked the last video I saw which had what seemed like a balanced approach to the MIT prediction of population collapse. This video unfortunately does not have that same level of balance. Similar to the 60 minutes segment (which is where most of this video comes from) is crazy one sided. I say this as a member of the LDS church--so you can view me as either an apologist, or someone who might have a different perspective which you should consider. I was disappointed to hear multiple instances of conjecture in this video ("SEEMS LIKE") reminiscent of that classic channel 4 interview with Jordan Peterson (SO WHAT YOURE SAYING IS ). If you don't believe just watch the video again and identify all of the verbal conjecture. Also, really crazy they find the most anti-LDS voices out there and casually paste them into this analysis. "This is a large corporation that has a sideline religion." That's an interesting comment. Usually I hear that "Mormonism is too intense of a religion." So which is it, are we corporate vampires with a side religion or are we a religion that is too zealous and intense for most people's liking? I did appreciate the short comments at the end about "the people of the Church." But really, it is quite disappointing to not dig beneath the surface to attempt to find greater understanding as to what Tithing is and is not and find more interviews or info on this subject. The 60 minutes segment let's face it is a smear piece trying to tear down faith, something common for MSM these days. If you want sensationalism, which is what loves to get served up these days, you got it here!
The problem is, there are a few critical points that must be understood correctly if you're going to ever "get it." That includes having some level of knowledge of the Bible and knowledge of LDS Church History. Unfortunately in the way this world is going, where short-term outlook/results is everything, perception is reality, and all things organized religion (and religion in general) is met with extreme skepticism, most people just aren't going to get it. HOWEVER, if you're willing to hear out a detailed counter analysis on this topic, one that nobody is willing or wanting to gather, then please read the lengthy replies to this thread. My hope would be at least for @CooperAcademy to give this a fair read (and be open to the criticism above), broken out into the following points:
1. Tithing - Definition and fundamental purposes
2. Fraud/enrichment scheme / Priestcraft - Telltale signs missing
3. Early Church History - Rough Financial History
4. Principle of Provident Living - Helping people take care of themselves
5. Church assistance for the poor (direct giving) - How its strategy for direct giving clearly departs from models of "throwing money at a problem," creating a welfare state, or working to get members to X state of wealth (Equity initiatives)
6. Use of Funds Timeframe - Weighing the Church's viewpoint on WHEN to give may differ from the public's. The public, similar to Wall Street, has an intense level of shortsightedness and craving for perception-based action, and critique of those who don't adhere to the Church of Public Perception
7. Proselytizing Mission - Understanding how to fund the missionary and church operations effort for the 2/3 of the world that are currently restricted from hearing the message of the gospel (and what it would take to
8. Mission / Example of Christ - Christ and His Apostles never gave money to the poor. They served. Similar to your final clips of "Helping Hands" initiative for instance. Christ cared not for money but to win and convert souls unto His doctrine and teachings.
Anyone who is unwilling to hear this out (you got this far!), just consider this--at the end of the day, you have people who voluntarily give their money to a church, so what do you care? They can stop and still attend church and virtually no one will know their "tithing/giving" status, or they can subscribe to a different religion (we would miss them. The Monopoly mustache guy wouldn't think so though!). And why would @CooperAcademy suggest that paying their fair share of taxes automatically equates to helping out society? With our govt being one of the most inefficiently run out there, I'm not sure that argument holds any sort of water, sorry. Yes, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesars" and marry that with “The legal right of a taxpayer to decrease the amount of what otherwise would be his taxes, or altogether avoid them, by means which the law permits, cannot be doubted.” (Gregory v. Helvering, 293 U.S. 465 (1935)). More on that in the long analysis below. Last, the culture of the Church is one of provident living (e.g. teach a man to fish not give a man a fish), so naturally, they are not in the business of throwing money at a problem, much like the US Govt thinks it can do, to fix their problems. They are not in the business of equity, wealth redistribution, etc., which are great talking points if you're a liberal elite. Also more on that below.
Thank you for considering this counterargument.
This is a long form response to criticisms about Tithing in the LDS Church. If you are truly looking for thoughtful commentary on why the LDS Church would/could justify amassing a large wealth and believe it still to be for the benefit of its membership (as opposed to itself?), please consider the words below. Thank you.
Comments of defense for the LDS Church:
1. Tithing fundamentals - The fundamental aspects of tithing is not emphasized or even discussed. Tithing is first and foremost a principle to help unshackle oneself from the dependence on money, and place emphasis on dependence to God. This involves being willing to sacrifice ones wealth to demonstrate that materialism is not the most important thing in your life. This is regardless of how wealthy or poor one is. This aligns itself with one of the 10 commandments, “Thou shalt have no other god before me.” In this day, money and material possessions can very much be considered as a god. By putting God first, the promise is that the blessings returned, however you may wish to interpret, will be greater than what was sacrificed. What tithing fundamentally is NOT is that it is not primarily a method for collecting charitable donations and distributing it out to specific causes, especially ones demanded by the public or by the Church’s critics. Donations to the poor, disaster relief, etc., is a secondary function which also may happen to be the reason why the Church can receive tax exempt status.
2. Fraud/Enrichment scheme - Claims of fraud and enrichment lack the tell tale signs or reasons. Critics claim church leaders are personally enriching themselves; however, there is a lack of evidence of this. Former President Thomas Monson lived in Holliday UT in a very modest home. Other church leaders who have more wealth did so through their own exploits from previous careers, before being called into leadership. No leader flaunts wealth driving McLarens or Ferraris. Claims of “$100K stipends” as a form of enrichment, even if factual, is a far stretch to decry as “fraud” to those who understand that $100K isn’t that much money, of which maybe could support living in a townhome in a middle class neighborhood these days, especially when recognizing many of these church leaders receiving a stipend gave up earning far more (i.e. sacrificed) in order to take the call to serve. On the flipside, there are clear examples from other faiths (no disrespect to other faiths, just to such individuals) who have multiple private jets and an extraordinary amount of wealth amassed solely through their priestcraft. This isn’t to deflect, but to provide a comparison of how fraud usually is executed. Those who commit fraud generally tend to consume much and live extravagantly, because the party could end at any moment, and the party is what life is all about. Does the example of the LDS Church and its leaders fit this example? Hardly. On the contrary, there is generally an initial fear of being called into church leadership positions, because doing the Lord's work is very much work, and there is alot of it, and no time to waste. A solid pattern of specific examples of fraud, extravagant living, etc. would need to be revealed to support any claims.
3. Rough Financial History - LDS Church had a rough early history with finances and in some cases an inability to assist its membership through hard economic depressions, particularly through the early 1900s. Similar to how an extreme experience can greatly shape the life of an individual for the rest of their lives, this would also be deeply in the minds of the LDS Church as an organization seeking to remain on solid foundation through the anticipated event of the Second Coming of Christ. An organization cannot help its people in the worst of times if it foolishly spent it all previously frivolously (in nicer terms, spent it in ways which in the grand scheme of things isn’t as effective as alternatives), and while violating its own principles of provident living which is vigorously teaches to its members and its very much engrained within the non-religious aspect of LDS culture.
4. Provident Living - The concept of provident living is about helping individuals to figure out how to take care of themselves, akin to the idea of giving a man a fish vs. teaching a man to fish. The doctrine of the LDS Church is focused on people trying to do their best temporally and spiritually, and letting the grace of God fill in the blanks.
5. Church assistance for the poor (direct) - The Church does directly assist people who are in need, including non members at times, but this help is directed by local lay-ministers with only high level guidelines. In general my opinion is that generally this would involve a plan to “get someone back on their feet” and then to withdraw aid. The Church does not believe that creating/perpetuating a welfare state or mentality will be of benefit for any party. Those more conservative minded in the US would likely agree. The Church has no target or interest to get all of its members to X state of wealth. The church also clearly lets its membership know the funds that are used for these purposes (clear labeling on donation forms for Humanitarian Aid and for "Fast Offerings" which are to be used directly for helping families struggling with food and finances
6. **Use of funds timeframe - LDS Church has a different time frame and ambition than many are willing to concede. In ancient Egypt, the story of Joseph shows that in good times, resources should be amassed in preparation of the bad times. What bad times could lay in store for the church or for humanity that may require the need for significant funds? We have lived in a world of relative peace and prosperity. Times have been good (more or less). If catastrophes come by in the future, whether through war, climate events, etc., would it not be better to be prepared?
7. **Proselytizing mission - The mission of the LDS church is to preach the gospel in “all nations and tongues.” In our current geopolitical environment, a very significant portion of the world’s populations are living in areas where religion is restricted (China, India, Muslim-predominant countries), preventing the mission of the church from being fulfilled. If the landscape improves in any one of these areas (i.e. freedom of religion is granted, proselytizing is allowed, etc.), how quickly would this money dissipate to support the needs of new members and underlying infrastructure and church operations? The church currently has a 15 million membership. If access to another 1 billion people in India leads to another 5 million members, what spending would be required to create and maintain this new infrastructure (a 33% increase in membership)? How about doubling the size of the church? Tripling? Etc. A back of the napkin approach from our investment banking whistleblower friend would have helped him realize that any of these increases in membership (33%, 100%, 200%, etc.) would require a massive amount of funds, to the tune of tens of billions, or more! Maybe his experience in the investment management world, frequently ridiculed for narrowly focusing on quarterly returns and sometimes even minute movements in daily activity, has possibly made his outlook a touch myopic.
8. Mission/Example of Christ - I noted some comments about “WWJD” in the circumstance. That is an interesting question and I think there are opinions that can greatly vary from here. I will not dismiss any comments that are critical to the Church in this regard, because it is opinion and the critique (to use more money for the poor) is also in many ways “doing good,” but I want to make the following, possibly unpopular point. From a look at the Bible alone, there are no examples of Christ or his disciples giving money to the poor. At the same time, He hailed the poor as the inheritors of the earth. They healed the sick and administered to the poor. Administered money or wealth? No, but the Word of God. Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, so any overfocus on worldly things, including money, does not have much support when making an appeal to the Bible. Those who get a raw deal during life will very likely be judged on more favorable terms after this life, for those who believe in such. In other eras of the Bible, such as the story of Joseph, there is evidence where God enlightens leaders to temporally prepare ahead of a major catastrophe (see “Use of funds timeline above). This also demonstrates the idea that continued revelation to modern day prophets and apostles would be beneficial, which is why the LDS Church claims to have such people. Maybe they know something we do not.
Comments of recognition to shortcomings of LDS Church policy:
1. The playbook of many current government and institutions is to avoid the need to explain oneself when it takes a position that could be unpopular, despite whether the position is valid or not (I feel we have many examples of this in our recent past in the world!). The LDS Church is probably no exception here. This is more of a policy and probably not a great policy in this day and age where transparency is more valued and appreciated. I would agree and argue that it would be better to just be transparent, mention some of the points above, let the critics squawk but help everyone else understand better what the intentions of the church are. The Church wants to be able to be ready to spring at the chance to support the needs and infrastructure of double or triple its membership, or for a catastrophe of some kind, OK great! You can still debate whether that is the best use of funds, but you can acknowledge the merits of wanting to be prepared for that.
2. The LDS Church never has claimed itself as infallible. On the contrary, there is a high recognition that it firmly believes that all men save Christ himself are imperfect. The Lord calls imperfect people to the work and uses them as his tool. Along the way there will be mistakes. We are left on earth to make our choices and try to do our best along the way. We aren’t held by the hand through many of our choices. The doctrine of the LDS Church is that part of being here on Earth is to exercise our freedom to choose, and to try to choose to do good along the way. Along the way however we will absolutely make mistakes, even those who are leading the LDS Church. Those leading the Church claim to receive guidance and revelation to help direct the Church, but the timing and frequency, and for what which issues need to be addressed, are unknown beforehand. It is not likely to have the answers provided to us for all things, given the doctrine of our mission of life. Having all the answers handed to us and our hand held the entire way would destroy this mission, and our notion of faith with it. That being said, the decision to live on the edge of tax law is potentially a mistake that has been pointed out, that also can be corrected for the future, even if this ultimately means paying taxes. Render unto Caesars what is Caesars. But on the flipside, as the Supreme Court has also stated, it is American to only pay what you are required to pay in taxes. The Church has no obligation to pay more if it is living within the bounds of tax policy. We'll just see where that ends up. In either case, being in the gray area of tax law is more of the latter than a sign of it being intentionally deceitful and fraudulent. Thank you for considering these thoughts.
When you understand how money works, you will understand that there is no moral issue with the church making investments and building wealth. You can't simply give to the poor over and over again, because like Jesus said, "The poor will always be with you." In other words, giving to the poor is important but ultimately is a small part of what it means to be charitable. The biggest expense of the church is their education system. Teaching people truth is much more valuable than simply handing over resources. When truth is understood, people excel in every aspect of their lives, including finances.
I understand how money works but as a christian I alos understand why this is wrong ask anyone whi actually gives their tithe every month how come you cant get this simple concept lol
I live in Salt Lake City. Mormins don't do anything meaningful to help people who aren't Mormon. I hvae volunteered at a Methodist Church to provide services for homeless people. Mormons don't do things like that
Why are you in SLC and not part of the church? leaching off of red state policies???? GET OUT NOW!!!
i think Mormons just help out other Mormons. if you're a Mormon and you lose your job, the church will find another job for you, and they will look after your family until you start your new job. the entire Mormon religion (Latter Day Saints) is operated like a business. PS- i am not a Mormon and believe that some of their ideas are false/goofy.
Not true - I attend and am encouraged to volunteer and I do in many various ways - not just as an instructor in the Church, but at various local charities including the local food bank, I regularly give blood and have donated my time to clean up after storms and tornadoes - should I keep on?
Ok, I have had my prayers answered to know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is true, Joseph Smith saw God and was instructed by him and stayed true and faithful to his martyrdom.
@@Roylamx ok, I do all those things too. I volunteer at a warming shelter in the winter. It's held at a Methodist Church downtown Salt Lake City. Mormons don't run any homeless shelters. Members might volunteer, but leaders don't prioritize homeless people. Everyone in Utah knows that
No one is perfect. But being a Christian I'm sure you agree is more about trying to see the best in people, rather than finding ways to point a finger and scoff at them. This is not the way brother. I commend your devotion to the homeless and those who are in need.
I am a member of the church. There was a time that our church was on the verge of bankruptcy. Approximately 1900. Financial solvency is important to any organization. They are one of the largest welfare programs for both church and non LDS members in the world. The church has become one of the fastest growing religions in the world. And it's goal is spread the gospel throughout the world. It takes money to build temples churches and is very committed to educational institutions such as several colleges. And large ranches and farms. There was quite a bit talked about the shopping center. The church doesn't want a bunch of dilapidated buildings that have strip clubs and bars around its temples. So it will buy land and build apartments and commercial districts around its temples so they don't have strip clubs and bars in dilapidated old parts of town. I personally don't have a problem with it.
Did you learn the 32B in this video or from the leaders itself? That's the point because they are pushing 1/10 tithe even though its an old testament thing.
There's also a problem with buying a lot of stuff within the area of the Temple because of the tax exempt and the bubble that you may create in the area.
If there's a strip club then its an opportunity to share Christ.
That money should be going to feeding and housing the poor and starving, not building temples. Tithes in the bible were always meant to help the poor and those in need. Not to build temples. This is why I have a problem with the Mormon religion.
@@Adam-bm7mq That and the baby raping
@@Adam-bm7mq How many people do not have access to Christianity today? I estimate about 2/3 of the earths population (China, India, Muslim nations). If any of those three population centers open up their borders and their peoples to proselytizing, WITHOUT danger of persecution, what would a legitimate effort to reach those people cost? And to maintain church operations?
I am open to disagreement on where funds should ultimately go, but there are so many valid reasons to store up during times of plenty.
Also, tithes are meant to rid ourselves of bowing down to the gods of this world, which is currently money, power, fame. It is about sacrifice more than it is about public critiquing use of funds. They could turn that 100B into $200B tomorrow and then light it on fire and the membership wouldn't care. Tithing is about showing God that he is put in front of all things, even money.
@@johngaudy If all mormon people are equal and children of God, then then the accumulation of that 10 percent tithe should be invested in making industries that would give wealth and jobs to the members of the church, not hoarded in some vault and used when the top church elders wants to build another mega mansion, super yacht and boeing air plane.
You have literally been wrong just about everything...lol...
All religious organizations receive funds from the followers an spend them to their consideration. All the negativity against mormons is usually motivated by doctrinal hatred. I'm an atheist, but I really upset about the topic you chose. It just exacerbates the marginalization of the community that's already severely marginalized. There's nothing wrong if an organization accumulates capital to ensure it's future, that is what we, individual investors, also do. It actually should be respected, because they could have spent these money on cars and yachts as some churches do, but instead they are thinking about the safety of their church.
Shouldn't you be out on a street corner railing against a God you don't believe in and watching Dawkins videos lol?
@@HermannTheGreat Atheists can't rail against a god, and I'm watching Dawkins videos.
How precious, of course you are. @@XOPOIIIO
@@HermannTheGreat All humans are precious.
Are you done calling Black Folk a subspecies who can't get into heaven then?
Cooper Academy, might do you well to become more educated on this church. Normally I’m impressed with your reporting. Sorry, you lost one today.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out. It's all good Cooper, ya gained one today.
More educated? Maybe YOU should get more educated and read labout thus more ol