Welfare.

If Christian churches, synagogues, and Mosques as well as the other small sects would run a welfare system like the Mormon church does, a federal government welfare system may not be necessary.

There are 100+ storehouses where Mormons in need can get food/supplies. There are nearly 100 Mormon employment centers. Reciepiants usually stay on the dole for 10-12 weeks at a total cost of about $300. Funding does not come from tithes, but each Mormon is asked to go without two meals a month and donate that to the welfare fund. That fund is administered locally.

Could you imagine if all churches did what they are supposed to do here, and the government could get out of the welfare business? Now that would be a move for the greater welfare of the nation. If only.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/089526725X/ref=sib_dp_pt/102-9820417-0624944#reader-link

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This is a richly documented, controversial history of the welfare state as seen from a conservative political perspective. The system is generous with money but stingy on human involvement, argues Olasky, a University of Texas journalism professor: compassion means tough love in which those who give must demand self-help from those who receive. But Olasky adds a proviso that the giver too must be personally involved. He holds up the example of 19th-century charity workers, whose religious beliefs made them compassionate and willing to deal intimately with the poor, rather than dispensing money to them through government agencies. There's plenty of social history here--from Horace Greeley, soup kitchens and orphan asylums to today's homeless impasse. Olasky does not blame the system for poverty. He faults the poor, along with social workers back to Jane Addams and the founders of the settlement house movement.



[This message has been edited by texasag73 (edited 1/31/2006 6:28p).]

[This message has been edited by texasag73 (edited 1/31/2006 6:31p).]

Guitarsoup, having served for 18 months with my wife in this Church calling one night a week as managers of the Bishop's store house, I can tell you that it is a truly amazing system of assistance. Its purpose is to get people on their feet ASAP and the average LDS recepient requires less than 6 months help vs. 10+ years help for a recepient in the Federal welfare system. It covers also job training, placement and other types of counseling by LDS professionals who are paid employees of the Church. They have no Eccesesastical authority. If you are ever in Salt Lake, part of your excursion should include the Welfare Center and the Humanitarion Center.

By the way, all of the food in the Bishop's storehouse is grown and harvested on Church owned farms and ranches around the country and harvested and canned by volunteer labor.

Appreciate the kind comments. It was a great revelation the Church leaders recived during the depression to help the members deal with those vey tough times. Members of the Church took NO federal aid during this period as counseled by Church leaders. That was why the Catholic Priest came to study us and our system that I quoted to you.

The Mormon church owns a ridiculous amount of businesses like these farms. THey even own the biggest ranch in the nation in Florida. The property of the ranch is worth almost a billion dollars.

Churches don't pay taxes so then can acquire land without any worry of having to pay anything back to the community.

Hmmm, Taxing the Church might be a good way to collect much needed revenue...

I would love to see it Losman. The Church does and has paid taxes on every one of its business enterprises from the get go. I believe that we are the only ones who do so, at least I have heard of no others.

The Mormon church does not pay property tax, because they are specifically exempt as a non-profit organization.

The businesses that the Mormon church owns must pay all taxes, including property, because they are for-profit ventures that the church derives a ton of money through.

Churches specifically do not pay taxes because of all of the charitable work they do that the government would have to pick up the tab for..

quote:

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Its purpose is to get people on their feet ASAP and the average LDS recepient requires less than 6 months help vs. 10+ years help for a recepient in the Federal welfare system.

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While I'm sure it's a great program that works wonders for the people it helps, comparing its results to the government's efforts isn't really fair.
I don't have any figures to back this up but I'd bet the average LDS recipient is FAR less likely to be an addict, have a criminal record, lack a high school education, be illiterate, etc. I'd bet these LDS recipients suffer from far fewer disadvantages on average than the typical goverment welfare recipient.

I think the original poster was comparing it to other churches, not the government.

http://www.providentliving.org/

Not the original poster. Ibmag compared the 6 months that the LDS recipient spends collecting benefits to the 10+ years that the average federal welfare recipient remains dependent.

Oh.

I don't read ibm's posts anymore.

Are these Mormon "welfare" services open to anyone, or must one be Mormon to recieve charity?

Only Mormons, but exceptions on rare occasions are made. These funds that are used to fund this program are sacred. The members have gone without 2 meals and used that money for this program to help the poor and needy of the church.

Our humanitarian aid program that distributes millions of dollars of aid goes to members and non members alike during times of disasters.

Difference is that the people on the lds welfare want to get back on their feet, that's why it works.

If there was a cut off to governmental welfare, people would be forced to get back on thier feet. It isnt like there are zero job openings in America or people couldnt find a way to go into business for themselves.

Mormon welfare seems designed to get people back on their feet, not get them comfortable suckling on the nipple of someone else.

Guitarsoup, I am impressed. You got that one right. The purpose of Church welfare is to sustain life, not a lifestyle!

And now the backhanded compliment.

It's better than no compliment at all, right?

Hey Cheese - you posts have sucked a lot less than usual. Good job!

Thanks! I pride myself on being the best of the mediocre.

[This message has been edited by friend of cheese (edited 2/3/2006 1:04p).]

davebco98 -to a large degree you are right about about most LDS recepients wanting to get off of welfare. But I will give you an example of how corrupting an influence welfare of any kind can be. When my wife was relief society years ago, and there was no Bishop's storehouse in Dallas, the program then was afert the food order was put together by the wife and the R.S. President, the RS President would accompany the wife to the store. Almost always the family was humuliated and humbled to the dust that they had to go to the Church for assistance. But if the assistance went on very long an interesting phenomon took place. There was almost an air of expectancy that began to develop and my wife never forgot the question she received one shopping trip to the store -why can't we have Chocolate Pinwheels or Oreo cookies? The issue was that these were not necessary to sustain life, but a life style. If one wanted to get these luxuries, they would have to get themselves out of their current situation. I never forgot that. The dole is evil and if permitted to go unchecked, will rob any man of his dignity and a desire for self reliance!