(Having grown up in the Mormon church, I know they are better than most churches at hiding misconduct(s).)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pushed back Monday on a "60 Minutes" report detailing a whistleblower's allegations of illegal financial practices by the church and its investment company.
Catch up quick: David Nielsen, a former investment adviser for the church, accused the church of hiding billions of dollars and violating its tax-exempt status, in his interview that aired Sunday.
The church in February agreed to a $5 million fine after the SEC found it had hidden billions of dollars in shell companies.
What they're saying: "It’s unfortunate ‘60 Minutes’ sought to elevate a story based on unfounded allegations by a former employee who has a different view on how the Church should manage its resources," church officials wrote in a prepared statement.
"The Church believes in being financially responsible by carefully ensuring it has adequate resources available to fulfill its divinely appointed responsibilities," the statement read.
Between the lines: The church's response addressed members specifically, focusing on religious beliefs and proselytizing, rather than humanitarian work alone.
"To Church members who support the work of salvation through living the gospel of Jesus Christ, caring for those in need, inviting all to receive the gospel and uniting families for eternity, we’ll continue to move forward consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ which makes this world a better place."
Why it matters: The SEC alleged the church wanted to avoid "negative consequences" of disclosing its value, and the head of its investment company told The Wall Street Journal in 2020 the church didn't want members to know the scale of its wealth because they might stop donating.
Latter-day Saint experts and observers told Axios the SEC's findings could discourage members from tithing, which is generally required to remain in good standing and tied to "blessings" that "are sometimes spiritual and sometimes temporal."
The 10% tithe was the deal breaker when I considered leaving the baptist cult for them. So, I left both of those cults behind and started my journey of enlightenment, over 5 years ago.
Lately it isn't just the Mormons who want a 10% tirhe, but many religions require that now.
Technically, a tithe by definition is 10% or one tenth. However, originally it was supposed to be one tenth of surplus income. Today churches insist that it be one tenth of your gross income.
Ever seen a cat try to cover shit on a marble floor? Now you have.
The Mormon church are experts in managing to do cover ups and spinning stories to their advantage to make it seem like they are victims of (religious) persecution. They will at least be able to convince their membership of that.
@snytiger6 Same with pretty much all religions.
Put a gold statue of Moron-I on top everyone will be distracted.