Interview with official, LDS Church Welfare Department, 1983, as quoted in The Mormon Corporate Empire, p 194; “Only the feeble, halt, dumb, and blind will qualify for Church welfare when we get done!… The days of Church doles are just about over! We simply can’t afford to feed our members like we used to. Other things have taken greater priority.” – John Heinerman and Anson Shupe, 1985
Proverbs 21:13; “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.”
And just what else is so important? The Church earns a reported $7,000,000,000 – that’s 7 billion – every year just in tithing alone.
I find Joe Smith’s comments a tad bit hypocritical in light of what the Church does today. If they weren’t still claiming his testimony as an inspired work, we’d rethink our position on that, but as it is today his words are still encased in their teaching manuals.
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg 315; “The only principle upon which they judge me is by comparing my acts with the foolish traditions of their fathers and nonsensical teachings of hireling priests, whose object and aim were to keep the people in ignorance for the sake of filthy lucre; or as the prophet says, to feed themselves, not the flock.”
Boy, that’s something… ‘church has other priorities’? Shopping centers? If only the people would press for disclosure…