No Paid Ministry (or Hundred Grand Gross Annual)
And lo-
It came to pass that an employee of the Mormon church anonymously shone round about the Mormon/Exmormon community, and the employee said unto them (providing documentation) that the Higher-Ups (General Authorities, Quorum of the Twelve, and the First Presidency) of the church...
...be gittin' paid.
Is this a big deal?
Yes.
Behold-
"Inasmuch as there is no paid ministry in the Church, service opportunities are available to men, women, and children of all ages."- Elder Franklin D. Richards
"In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there is no paid ministry, no professional clergy, as is common in other churches." -Elder Boyd K. Packer
"Over the years of my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have greatly appreciated the opportunities for service, for there is no paid ministry." -Elder Derek A. Cuthbert
"I explained also that our Church has no paid ministry and indicated that these were two reasons why we were able to build the buildings then under way, including the beautiful temple at Freiberg." -Elder Thomas S. Monson
"Because there is no paid ministry, almost every churchgoer has a responsibility." Mormon Newsroom
"We recognize how busy you are. Without a paid professional ministry, the responsibility for administering the Church depends on you consecrated members." Quinton Cook April 2012
"We have no professionally trained and salaried clergy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Dallin Oaks April 2012
These men spoke these words while collecting an annual salary of roughly $100,000 (based on 2014 numbers, so give or take accordingly).
Some of you may be wheezing, mouth agape, while others are shrugging and not giving an eff.
Go with me... It's not rocket science. It's not any kinda science at all...
Let's talk about the amount, the $100,000+ a year, for two secs before I get to the heart, blood, and guts of my post.
Look just at the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency- among these 15 men are a:
-heart surgeon
-attorney/former BYU president
-former executive for 4 major international companies including positions of president and vice-president within the companies
-another former BYU president
-former president of BYU-Idaho
-attorney/partner/chief of executives of California Health Systems/vice-chair of Sutter Health (yeah, that was all one person)
-lawyer
-former vice-president of Morton Plant Health Systems
-former president/board of directors of Huntsman Chemical
-former COO of ICON Health and Fitness
-cardiologist
-former senior vice-president of Lufthansa
-former general manager of Deseret News
They are all retired from some seriously well-paying careers, granted some have been at the church game longer than others.
They also don't have little children at home to feed any longer. I'm a mother of 4 who works full-time as a retail manager and receives child support. Total, I bring in half of what these guy do, just from their church pay.
I don't need to continue along this trajectory. You get it.
But...
It's not the amount...
Or the fact that all the General Authorities receive this base income annually...
Or the fact that there are paid clergy in all kinds of religious organizations...
Nor is it relevant that these leaders have admitted to receiving a 'modest stipend'.
It's saying "NO PAID MINISTRY".
It's the lie.
These men spoke the above words while receiving bi-weekly paychecks.
This golden nugget of revelation unto us adds yet another layer to the big picture (or corner that the church as painted itself into).
Hi! I'm Mormon! The founder of my church had at least 40 wives, some of which already had husbands so he married them in secret and some were teenagers- one as young as 14! But we only like to acknowledge Joseph Smith's first wife, Emma!
The leaders of my church in the early days were racist and banned black members from several of the most coveted 'blessings' members can attain, but only until 1978!
Also, if you are gay and in a gay marriage, forget your child(ren) becoming a member of our church if they'd like to. They're welcome to attend activities and services; they sure might have friends who'd like to invite and fellowship them! But they can only become a official members of my church when they are adults and disavow the lifestyle of their parents! Because, ya know, it's about protecting families!
My religious organization is exempt from paying taxes even though they heavily influence Utah politics and are quite vocal about the country's politics!
The head leadership of my church, which includes over 100 men, earn over $100,000 annually, even though leaders over the years have said often from the pulpit that our church has no paid clergy!
So yeah, they are racist, discriminatory, contradictory, speak devoutly of their polyandrous founder, but there must have been a good reason, because... my religion is based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a Gospel of Love!
I'm at a loss, people. I'm utterly lost as to how members continue to swallow this.
It came to pass that an employee of the Mormon church anonymously shone round about the Mormon/Exmormon community, and the employee said unto them (providing documentation) that the Higher-Ups (General Authorities, Quorum of the Twelve, and the First Presidency) of the church...
...be gittin' paid.
Is this a big deal?
Yes.
Behold-
"Inasmuch as there is no paid ministry in the Church, service opportunities are available to men, women, and children of all ages."- Elder Franklin D. Richards
"In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there is no paid ministry, no professional clergy, as is common in other churches." -Elder Boyd K. Packer
"Over the years of my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have greatly appreciated the opportunities for service, for there is no paid ministry." -Elder Derek A. Cuthbert
"I explained also that our Church has no paid ministry and indicated that these were two reasons why we were able to build the buildings then under way, including the beautiful temple at Freiberg." -Elder Thomas S. Monson
"Because there is no paid ministry, almost every churchgoer has a responsibility." Mormon Newsroom
"We recognize how busy you are. Without a paid professional ministry, the responsibility for administering the Church depends on you consecrated members." Quinton Cook April 2012
"We have no professionally trained and salaried clergy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Dallin Oaks April 2012
These men spoke these words while collecting an annual salary of roughly $100,000 (based on 2014 numbers, so give or take accordingly).
Some of you may be wheezing, mouth agape, while others are shrugging and not giving an eff.
Go with me... It's not rocket science. It's not any kinda science at all...
Let's talk about the amount, the $100,000+ a year, for two secs before I get to the heart, blood, and guts of my post.
Look just at the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency- among these 15 men are a:
-heart surgeon
-attorney/former BYU president
-former executive for 4 major international companies including positions of president and vice-president within the companies
-another former BYU president
-former president of BYU-Idaho
-attorney/partner/chief of executives of California Health Systems/vice-chair of Sutter Health (yeah, that was all one person)
-lawyer
-former vice-president of Morton Plant Health Systems
-former president/board of directors of Huntsman Chemical
-former COO of ICON Health and Fitness
-cardiologist
-former senior vice-president of Lufthansa
-former general manager of Deseret News
They are all retired from some seriously well-paying careers, granted some have been at the church game longer than others.
They also don't have little children at home to feed any longer. I'm a mother of 4 who works full-time as a retail manager and receives child support. Total, I bring in half of what these guy do, just from their church pay.
I don't need to continue along this trajectory. You get it.
But...
It's not the amount...
Or the fact that all the General Authorities receive this base income annually...
Or the fact that there are paid clergy in all kinds of religious organizations...
Nor is it relevant that these leaders have admitted to receiving a 'modest stipend'.
It's saying "NO PAID MINISTRY".
It's the lie.
These men spoke the above words while receiving bi-weekly paychecks.
This golden nugget of revelation unto us adds yet another layer to the big picture (or corner that the church as painted itself into).
Hi! I'm Mormon! The founder of my church had at least 40 wives, some of which already had husbands so he married them in secret and some were teenagers- one as young as 14! But we only like to acknowledge Joseph Smith's first wife, Emma!
The leaders of my church in the early days were racist and banned black members from several of the most coveted 'blessings' members can attain, but only until 1978!
Also, if you are gay and in a gay marriage, forget your child(ren) becoming a member of our church if they'd like to. They're welcome to attend activities and services; they sure might have friends who'd like to invite and fellowship them! But they can only become a official members of my church when they are adults and disavow the lifestyle of their parents! Because, ya know, it's about protecting families!
My religious organization is exempt from paying taxes even though they heavily influence Utah politics and are quite vocal about the country's politics!
The head leadership of my church, which includes over 100 men, earn over $100,000 annually, even though leaders over the years have said often from the pulpit that our church has no paid clergy!
So yeah, they are racist, discriminatory, contradictory, speak devoutly of their polyandrous founder, but there must have been a good reason, because... my religion is based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a Gospel of Love!
I'm at a loss, people. I'm utterly lost as to how members continue to swallow this.
Oh also the very very large stipend they get when called In order to get their "houses in order," pay off debts, have no expenses to speak of. This from a direct source. Not hearsay or Mormon folklore.
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