Grind Upon the Faces of the Poor

I'm making this video because I'm concerned about the current financial practices of the LDS Church. In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Nephi tells us that there are saved two churches only: the Church of the Lamb and the Church of the Devil, or the great and abominable. What are the characteristics that distinguish these two churches?

The Church of the Lamb is few in numbers but armed with righteousness and the power of God. They are humble followers of Christ who repent and come unto Him and seek to bring forth Zion. On the other hand, the great and abominable church has dominion over the whole earth and persecutes the saints of God. It hides the plain and precious truths of the gospel and seeks to bind down men with wickedness and false traditions. This church is built up to get gain, praise, power, and worldly pleasures.

In the Book of Moses, we learn about the city of Enoch. The Lord called His people Zion because they were of one heart and one mind and dwelt in righteousness, and there were no poor among them. And lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven. Since this time, it became the goal of all holy men for Zion to come back on the earth as promised by the Lord in the everlasting covenant: "And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant which I made unto thy father Enoch, that when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself."

We can see in Section 45 that despite the everlasting covenant being sent into the world and holy men seeking for the city of Enoch, they found it not because of wickedness and abominations. What exactly are the wickedness and abominations that prevented holy men from bringing their people to obtain heaven or the city of Enoch?

We do have examples of Zion communities being established. We have the people of Alma who started the Church of Christ. They had their hearts knit together in unity and in love one toward another. They imparted of their own substance to those in need, and they did it of their own free will and good desires toward God. We have King Benjamin's people. After having a mighty change of heart, they enter a covenant to become the children of Christ, to obey His commandments, and to impart of their substance to the poor. We have the Nephites in the Book of Mormon. After the Savior visited and set up His church, there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another. They had all things in common among them; all kinds of miracles were performed. We have the Church of Christ in the New Testament. They were of one heart and one soul and had all things common among them. But all of these eventually failed. What was their downfall?

We can get an idea of the problems in Zarahemla from this proclamation by King Mosiah: encouraging no persecutions, equality, no pride or haughtiness, and for the people and the church leaders to labor for their own support. We can see the example of the Zoramites who had cast the poor out of their synagogues after they had helped to build them with their own hands. In Fourth Nephi, we see the beginning of the end. The people begin to be lifted up in pride, wearing costly apparel and no longer having all things in common. Churches are built up to get gain.

We don't have a lot of information about the New Testament church, but we do have this example of Ananias and his wife who hold back a portion instead of having all in common. Even these great societies eventually failed. Why? Pride, inequality, and churches built up to get gain. Could this be the wickedness and abomination spoken of that prevents people from obtaining heaven? It would seem so, according to this verse in Helaman 4: "Now this great loss of the Nephites and the slaughter which was among them would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of God; and it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches; yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek."

Condemnation for not caring for the poor is a common theme in the scriptures: "He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich shall surely come to want. Will ye persist in turning your backs upon the poor and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them? But woe unto the rich who are rich as to the things of the world, for because they are rich they despise the poor. And if ye turn away the needy and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance if ye have to those who stand in need, behold, your prayer is vain and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith."

What about in the early days of the Church? Joseph was certainly one of those righteous men seeking to bring back Zion. What themes can we find there? "And it is my purpose to provide for my saints; for all things are mine, but it must be done in mine own way; and behold, this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low; for the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves. Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion according to the law of my gospel unto the poor and needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment. And the storehouse shall be kept by the consecrations of the church; and widows and orphans shall be provided for, as also the poor. And behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support, that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken. And inasmuch as you impart of your substance unto the poor, you will do it unto me, that my covenant people may be gathered in one in that day when I shall come to my temple; and this I do for the salvation of my people. Well, until you rich men that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your soul; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation and of judgment and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul not saved. Woe unto you poor men whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men's goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands."

In 1837, Bishop Edward Partridge and his counselors decided on a voluntary system of tithes equal to two percent of net worth after debt. In 1838, John Corle wrote this in his history of the Church: "If a man gives for the benefit of the church, it is considered a voluntary offering; yet the law requires or enjoins a consecration of the overplus after reserving for himself and family and to carry on his business." Section 119 clarifies that tithing is to be paid on one-tenth of the interest to be used to build the temple, for the debts of the First Presidency, and for laying the foundation of Zion. Orson Hyde recounted this quote from Joseph Smith: "If it requires all a man can earn to support himself and family, he is not tithed at all."

Let's add these verses from the inspired version of the Bible where we learned that Abram paid tithes to Melchizedek for the poor. We can see a few themes here: we are to care for the poor; tithes should be voluntary; and they should be paid on surplus or interest after needs are met.

In June of 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were murdered. What happened next? The Quorum of the Twelve assumed leadership of the Church. Less than two months later, in their first item of business, they issued a proclamation to the Church stating that tithing would now be 10% of income rather than increase. A few months later, the Twelve exempted themselves from paying tithing, along with the General Bishops and Temple Committee. In 1846, Brigham Young started west with the segment of members who would follow him. In 1847, he was officially made the second President of the LDS Church in Utah. In 1851, Brigham Young announced that excommunication is an acceptable punishment for those who are not full tithe payers. In 1855, Brigham Young gave a talk about the poor. These are a few excerpts: "I collect means around me; the poor must have it, and I must make them work and pay for it; that makes me wealthy, and I cannot help it. I have a word to say to another portion of the community, some of whom may be here today; a great many of the brethren are indebted to the tithing office, and I have a good deal coming to me, and I intend to put you into the screw, for we mean to make you pay these debts this season. I want to have you understand fully that I intend to put the screws upon you, and you who have owed for years, if you do not pay up now and help us, we will levy on your property and take every farthing you have on the earth. I will tell you what I have done, for I know that many of the brethren think that I am building myself up; I am; but let me tell you that if I do not build up the kingdom of God on earth, I never expect it to be built up; and I would not give the ashes of a wry straw for any man in this kingdom or for all his substance who does not build it up and gather means for that purpose. It is true I gather a great deal of substance around me; I am obliged to do it; I cannot shun it; I must feed the poor; I must clothe them and take care of them; I must see that they have houses; and when they get so much as to deserve them they must have a team, a watch, and a farm, and must increase; but they must work and pay for it all."

For reference, at this time, Brigham Young was by far the richest man in Utah and was building himself multiple homes, including the Beehive House and the Lion House. By contrast, here are some more typical early pioneer homes. Brigham would go on to build even more homes, including the Gardo Mansion. At the time of his death, Brigham Young's estate was worth approximately $1.6 million, the equivalent of $43 million today. However, it was found that he owed more than a million dollars of that to the Church, equivalent to $27 million today. It's hard for me to see how this was the poor being exalted in that the rich are made low.

In 1881, President John Taylor told the Stake Presidents that Church members must be tithe payers to be allowed temple recommends for temple ordinances. Considering that the Church teaches that temple ordinances are required for salvation, it's hard not to think of this scripture: "Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins."

In 1907 General Conference, Joseph Smith made this statement: "We expect to see that day when we will not have to ask you for one dollar of donation for any purpose except that which you volunteer to give of your own accord, because we will have tithes sufficient in the storehouse of the Lord to pay everything that is needful for the advancement of the kingdom of God; that is the true policy, the true purpose of the Lord in the management of the affairs of His church." Surely we have reached this point by now.

In 1970, the First Presidency made a statement defining interest as income: "The simplest statement we know of is the statement of the Lord Himself, namely, that the members of the Church should pay one-tenth of all their interest annually, which is understood to mean income. No one is justified in making any other statement than this."

In 1991, Dallin H. Oaks wrote a book entitled *The Lord's Way*. In this quote from the book, he explains that caring for the poor is more about caring for them spiritually, which is why the Church spends money on preaching and building temples rather than administering to physical needs. This doesn't seem to follow the pattern of the scriptures.

Before 1960, the LDS Church gave detailed reports in conference of their finances, and then it stopped. In the last few years, members have been shocked as reports exposing the vast holdings of the Church have been released. In 2018, the website MormonLeaks released the results of its own investigation into investments controlled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, showing more than $32 billion held in 13 separate funds. In 2019, a whistleblower exposed the Ensign Peak $100 billion fund, just one of many investments and holdings of the Church, alleging that funds were being used improperly and not to care for the poor. These are some quotes from the resulting article in the Washington Post: "The church typically collects about seven billion dollars each year in contributions from members, according to the complaint, while about six billion of that income is used to cover annual operating costs; the remaining one billion or so is transferred to Ensign. In its statement Tuesday, the church said that the vast majority of the funds it receives from donations are used immediately to meet the needs of the growing church, including temples, education, and missionary work." Is it just me, or is something missing there? The CEO of Ensign Peak, Roger Clark, indicated that EPA is a rainy-day account to be used in difficult economic times and that Church officials kept the size of the fund a secret for fear that public knowledge would cause people to stop paying tithing. He also admitted that the firm used a system of more than a dozen shell companies to make its market holdings harder to trace.

In 2021, despite widespread financial difficulties, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that the Church made six billion dollars in 2020 through an investment fund. It is no surprise that the LDS Church is by far the wealthiest of all religious organizations. Where exactly is all of this money going besides temples, education, and missionary work? Is any of it actually being used to care for the poor?

In 2016, Delaney Oakes stated that welfare and humanitarian efforts average $40 million per year. That sounds like a lot, but not really when you realize it is less than one percent of donations. Of course, at this time, no one knew just how much money the Church was sitting on. Perhaps in response to the criticism over how little was being given to the poor, the Church has thankfully increased the donations in the last couple of years. In this press release in 2021, they announced that donations from LDS Charities since 1985 now totaled $2.5 billion. By comparing statements from the last few years, we can see the donations of humanitarian aid are now around $100 million per year. In 2020, the Church's Presiding Bishopric announced that the Church now gives nearly one billion dollars in humanitarian and welfare aid around the world—that's double the spending in just five years, Church officials said. I'm assuming this means annually, but I'm having a hard time with the math here. Remember, five years ago the average number was $40 million. Maybe "nearly a billion" means something different to them than it means to me. Regardless, I'm happy to see any increase in what the Church donates to the poor, even if it's just a few percent, although I would prefer that a fair amount of these donations were not going to such organizations as Gavi, UNICEF, and the UN. But the Church has made it clear that once donations are paid, it is entirely up to the discretion of the Church leaders to determine how that money is to be spent. From the bottom of the donation slips, though: "Reasonable efforts will be made globally to use donations as designated; all donations become the church's property and will be used at the church's sole discretion to further the church's overall mission."

Speaking of Church leaders, I also find it a little concerning that General Authorities are being paid so much money. This scripture and many others make it clear that Church leaders are to labor for their own support: "And he also commanded them that the priests whom he had ordained should labor with their own hands for their support." On the other hand, it was Nehor who taught that every priest and teacher ought to become popular, and they ought not to labor with their hands, but they ought to be supported by the people. Alma called this priestcraft. Even if a modest living allowance could be justified, this seems excessive to me. A leaked memo in 2014 showed that at that time the base allowance for General Authorities was $120,000. It could be even higher now. It might surprise you to find out that 158 Church leaders receive this salary. This doesn't include housing, child allowance, travel, gifts, use of a car, free or half tuition for children at Church schools, and book sales. What, they make money off their book sales? Perhaps you think they donate all of the proceeds to the Church. Historian D. Michael Quinn writes this in his book: "A president of the LDS Church's publishing company has observed that very few General Authorities have declined royalties for their books. Mormons purchase books written by General Authorities primarily because of the Church office the author holds rather than for the book's content. Although many General Authorities do not write books, such royalty income is a direct consequence of being an LDS leader."

It is concerning to me that so little of donations to the Church are being used to care for the poor and are perhaps being used improperly, but there is one thing that is even more troubling. Let's watch a few excerpts from conference talks so we can see what Church leaders are teaching about tithing in their own words. Listen and see if you notice any common themes.

This is James E. Faust in 1998: "We learn about tithing by paying it. Indeed, I believe it is possible to break out of poverty by having the faith to give back to the Lord part of that little we have. Members of the Church do not who do not tithe do not lose their membership; they only lose blessings." Through Malachi, the Lord asks, "Will a man rob God? But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."

Next, we have Lynn Robbins in 2005: "No bishop, no missionary should ever hesitate or lack the faith to teach the love of tithing to the poor. The sentiment of 'They can't afford to' needs to be replaced with 'They can't afford not to.' One of the first things a bishop must do to help the needy is ask them to pay their tithing. Like the widow, if a destitute family is faced with the decision of paying their tithing or eating, they should pay their tithing; the bishop can help them with their food later." In this talk, he tells the story of President Hinckley visiting Latin America after a hurricane. His message to these destitute saints: "Pay your tithing," and then he references opening the windows of heaven for Malachi 3.

Here is a talk by Gordon B. Hinckley in 2006: Elder Lynn Robbins of the Seventy tells this story of a stake president from Panama. As a young man recently returned from his mission, he found the girl he wanted to marry. They were happy but very poor. Then came a particularly difficult time when their food and money ran out. It was a Saturday, and the cupboard was literally bare. Rene felt distraught that his young wife was hungry. He decided he had no other choice than to use their tithing money and go purchase food. As he was leaving the house, his wife stopped him and asked him where he was going. He told her he was going to buy food. She asked him where he got the money. He told her that it was the tithing money. She said, "That is the Lord's money; you will not use that to buy food." Her faith was stronger than his. He put the money back, and they went to bed hungry that night. The next morning they had no breakfast and they went to church fasting. Renee gave the tithing money to the bishop, but he was too proud to tell the bishop that they were in need. The story continues with this couple being given some food on the way home from church.

Next, we have a talk by Russell M. Nelson in 2011: "To develop enduring faith and enduring commitment to be a full tithe payer is essential. Initially, it takes faith to tithe; then the tithe payer develops more faith to the point that tithing becomes a precious privilege. Tithing is an ancient law."

From God, He made a promise to His children that He would open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Not only that, tithing will keep your name enrolled among the people of God and protect you in the day of vengeance and burning. And this is Valerie Corden in 2017.

One day during those difficult times, I heard my parents discussing whether they should pay tithing or buy food for the children. On Sunday, I followed my father to see what he was going to do. After our church meetings, I saw him take an envelope and put his tithe in it. That was only part of the lesson; the question that remained for me was what we were going to eat. This story continues with his father miraculously receiving a work order that paid in advance.

In 2018, President Nelson visited Africa. He said, "We preach tithing to the poor people of the world because the poor people of the world have had cycles of poverty generation after generation. That same poverty continues from one generation to another until people pay their tithing." While on his trip, President Nelson visited a poor single mother. He brought her a gift—a job. "To minister to the one Massimo cow, a single mom, 'You're so kind to invite us into your home. We brought a photograph of the new First Presidency for your home.' 'Thank you, that was so thoughtful.' I'm sure that is just what she needed—maybe it will remind her to pay her tithing."

Did you notice any themes from these talks over the last two decades? One thing I noticed is that just about every talk about tithing mentions how the poor need to pay their tithing, even when the choice is between feeding their family and paying their tithing. Each of these stories has a miraculous ending—a promise that poverty will end if you just pay your tithing. Yet a large part of the members who faithfully pay tithing are still living in poverty. I wonder if they are seeing these kinds of miracles.

Another common detail is this scripture in Malachi 3: "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me, but ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." This is a great scripture, but is it being used in context? If we go back to chapter 2, we can see who this scripture is about: "And now, O ye priests, this commandment is unto you. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts." Malachi is condemning the church leaders who are departed out of the way and not teaching the people correctly.

Now let's go back to chapter 3 and read it with that context. Who is it that is robbing God? It's not the poor who aren't paying tithing; it's the wicked priests who are collecting tithes and not using it to care for the poor. If they will do what they are supposed to do, the Lord gives His promise: blessings that there will not be room to receive. And continuing on: "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts." This is describing Zion. That makes sense in this context; Zion is always described as living with all things in common and having no poor among them. This scripture is being used in the opposite way it was meant. I believe this is what it means to grind up on the faces of the poor—taking from the poor instead of lifting them up.

Let's review some warnings by prophets in the scriptures who saw our day:

Second Nephi 13: "The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; and the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts."

Second Nephi 26: "And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling-block which they have built up many churches; nevertheless they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the faces of the poor."

Second Nephi 28: "Because of pride, and because of false teachers and false doctrines, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up because of pride; they are puffed up; they rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up."

Mormon 8: "Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown me unto you, and I know your doings; and I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, ye even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts; for behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted."

We started off talking about how there are only two churches. Which church are we more aligned with? Are we closer to Zion? Nephi tells us here what the great and abominable church will look like in the last days: "For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity." He warns about four things: gain, power, popularity, and the lusts of the flesh.

Now I want you to listen carefully to this talk by President Nelson: "The Book of Mormon chronicles the classic rise and fall of two major civilizations. Their history demonstrates how easy it is for a majority of the people to forget God, reject warnings of the Lord's prophets, and seek power, popularity, and pleasures of the flesh." Did you catch it? He references the scripture, but he left out gain. Maybe he just skipped it in this talk. Let's check the end sign—nope, still missing. Why would he leave out gain? Maybe because he is the sole owner of a corporation worth over more than a hundred billion dollars.

You may be asking, "What am I suggesting? What should you be doing with your tithing money?" I used to believe that tithing was the one commandment I could do perfectly, that I could just pay it and I was absolved of my responsibility to the poor. I see it differently now. I recognize my responsibility to be involved. I have seen the blessings of being involved. I will ask you: Do you want Zion to come back? Remember that Zion is about consecration. I suggest that if you haven't already, you enter a covenant between you and the Lord that you consecrate all to Him—meaning you will do whatever He asks you with your resources. Zion is being of one heart and one mind. The way that happens is when everyone is living by the Spirit, able to receive personal revelation. What I am suggesting is that you pray and ask regularly what the Lord wants you to do with your resources. If He instructs you to pay tithing to the Church, wonderful. If He tells you to help your neighbor who is struggling, great. If He tells you to donate to a food bank, amazing. There is something incredible that happens when you pay your tithing in this way. Certainly, you can still say you are a full tithe payer if you are doing as the Lord directs you. Remember the Lord's promise: The windows of heaven will be opened and a blessing poured out that there will not be room to receive it.