Back in the ’70s, it was said that CB radio gave “people with nothing to say a forum to say it in.” It would appear The Salt Lake Tribune sometimes supplies this same forum. Case in point, Andrew L. Seidel’s op-ed in the Dec. 22 Opinion section.
Mr. Seidel failed to get some of his facts straight. The whistleblower is not an employee of the investment firm managing the LDS Church’s investments. He is a former employee.
The LDS Church does not demand tithing payments. They strongly encourage tithing payments. There are many members of the church who are not active, do not pay tithing and are not in fear of losing the church membership. And no member of the church is ever threatened with excommunication for failing to pay tithing.
Mr. Seidel states, “I feel for the victims. I empathize with everyday Mormons trying to make ends meet.” My question to him would be, “What do you really know about everyday Mormons?” My experience, having lived in Utah my entire life, is the tithing paying members of the church do so willingly and with great joy.
Mr. Seidel goes on to state, “This money was diverted from charity away from helping those in need.”
Does this include the Freedom from Religion Foundation?
A little research revealed that at the end of 2018, the Freedom from Religion Foundation’s total annual revenue was just under $5.2 million and its net assets were just under $16 million. If you compare these numbers to the $100 billion in the whistleblower’s complaint, it would appear to me that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is very clearly selling a far superior product.
Bill Inglesby, South Jordan
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