Mormon leaders have been criticized for their faux pas and hypocrisy, but now some are trying to clean up the act.
Fox Sports’ Ben Fowlkes discusses the Mormon Church’s attempts to get away with not paying their bills and, perhaps, some of their questionable practices.
Mormons in general have been very vocal about their displeasure with the church’s tax-exempt status and, more specifically, the lack of public funding.
A Mormon leader has said that Mormon churches have been given too much money to do nothing with.
The church is also a large employer in Utah, a state where they have a large percentage of the population and the Mormon church has the largest tax-free charitable organization in the nation.
Fowlkes asked Mormon leaders whether the church should change their policies and if it could make up for that, what would they be able to do?
“Well, the church would probably have to change its policy,” Bishop Mark Driscoll, an outspoken critic of the church, said on Fox Sports’ The Herd.
“They would have to do some soul searching.”
Foul language is often used in church worship, and Bishop Driscolls stance has caused some Mormons to wonder if he is a hypocrite.
Bishop Driscolts public comments sparked the church to release a statement in response to the criticism.
“As a Christian and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I cannot and do not condone the use of profanity or other vulgar language in our worship services,” the statement read.
I hope the members of the Mormon faith who are hearing these messages are inspired to join us in a spiritual practice of humility and compassion, and to embrace their faith with open arms, rather than be deflected by false accusations or attacks from those who are not as committed to our faith as we are.
Some of the members on Fox’s show were quick to jump on the bandwagon, and their actions seem to have caused a stir among Mormons.
After speaking with a member in Utah recently, Fox Sports interviewed them and learned that the Mormon leader’s comment was “so ridiculous, so out of place, so totally inappropriate, it’s just really disappointing.”
They’re also quick to point out that it’s not the church that is being hypocritical, but rather the way the church is treating their members.
While the church has a huge tax-deductible charitable organization, the amount of money that they receive is not enough to cover all of the expenses that go into their church.
According to the Utah State Department of Finance, the Mormon organization raised $8.3 billion last year.
There’s a $3.2 billion tax exemption on the church.