Churches and Money

I've been thinking a bit about the news that came out about the Church and investments that came out in the past couple days. I don't have a definitive idea of where I stand but I have some disparate thoughts that I wonder if others are feeling. And this is my unfiltered view on the subject. They are not reflective of the church itself, or anyone else. I just wanted to own this and make that clear.

One, to me and in my belief, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the most true church. That's all. It's the best and most direct link to salvation, but it's still a church, it's still administered by men, and we don't always get things right. That's nothing shocking personally. Especially when we compare it to the biblical record, Adam was rebuked, Moses, Saul, David, Jonah, the twelve Apostles at large, Peter alone, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and several others. Prophets needed correction, the Lord's called and  anointed. If we truly believe in a prophets in a literal revelatory sense, then the correction of those prophets and missteps by those prophets is not unforeseen. We are all here in this experience known as life, none of us are perfected, and in this life we never will be. 

I say this because there is allegations of wrongdoing. Legal scholars are debating if it was nefarious or not, or even if it is a act of wrongdoing. I'll personally be watching closely to see what happens here. There may be a need for some correction and restitution. If there is I hope it is handled quickly, properly, and with complete acceptance of responsibility. That said I can completely understand if these times and these allegations shake some faith. To be honest I expect it will. And if it shakes your faith to the point where the church is no longer feasible for you to follow and worship with, that's ok to me. These are things we all must weigh out for ourselves. We all need to apply our faith and our logic and figure out where we stand. This isn't the first trial of faith I've seen or experienced as a member of the church and it won't be the last. 

I would be remiss and guilty of omission if I didn't say that I haven't struggled with decisions that have been made that have shaken my faith. This isn't truly one of them for ME. But I completely understand the feeling. And though my crisis brought me more fully into the faith, I hope that those who found themselves moving the other direction know I still care about you. This may be a bit of an aside from my original motivation for this blogpost, but if we no longer share a common faith, I still love ya. I mean that. I can understand and empathize with a crisis or change in faith, and I'm not going to judge you for it.

That being said, this one isn't bothering me like I thought it would. The first reason being, that the initial report I read showed that with a $7 billion annual revenue, $6 billion is used for operating costs and the rest invested. That 1 in 7 struck me as interesting, Joseph told the Pharaoh to save 1 in 7 parts of the harvest to prepare for the famine. That initial act is biblical. It truly is a part of that admonition to me. Now the invested and growing surplus, there is reasonable criticism and concern in my opinion. People can vary in opinions in how a Church cares for, grows, invests, and uses their funds. I personally lean toward the camp that this is good stewardship of funds given to the church through a spiritual mandate. And that the biblical parable of the talents is being followed. 

I've seen the good the church has done both with it's funds and with it's membership force. I've been a part of real selfless service in our communities. I've received aid, I've donated tithes and offerings, and watched others gain the help they need. I've been the clerk receiving and counting those sacred funds after church. And given those experiences, the biblical records both of prophets needing direction, and those regarding good stewardship, I find myself not doubting here. I'll keep a watchful eye. But I can totally recognize where criticism is coming from, and recognize why some may doubt or question.

Now I'm not writing this to be argumentative, or to debate. I'm not writing this to discuss the politics or policies around tax exempt statuses, or even try to parse out the exact legitimacy or implications of the current allegations. I'm just writing to sort out the thoughts racing through my head. Write them in a way that organizes them for my own self. And in doing so share those thoughts. By sharing I hope I help someone, or at least offer a new point of view. That's all I'm hoping for tonight.