John Dehlin is joined by guests Spencer Anderson, Radio Free Mormon, and Rebecca Bibliotheca to go over the latest Widow’s Mite Report shedding light on the financial practices and transparency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We discuss the church's significant wealth and delve into its historical and current approach to charitable giving. We expose discrepancies in reported figures, revealing how the church combines various donations to inflate its humanitarian efforts. We explore whether the church could do more with its immense resources and discuss its environmental stewardship initiatives. Additionally, the conversation touches on tax issues in Australia and Canada. If you're curious about the financial side of religious institutions and their charitable efforts, this eye-opening discussion provides valuable insights. https://widowsmitereport.wordpress.com/mormonstories/ Episode Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/mormon-church-humanitarian-efforts-widows-mite-pt-3/ Chapters 00:00:00 Introductions of the panelists 00:11:45 Historical perspective on the Church's charity 00:13:07 Humanitarian aid vs. fast offerings 00:14:14 Church's donation reporting and numbers manipulation 00:18:20 Slides 1 to 5 - Church's financial reporting and focus on marketing 00:20:53 Slides 2 and 3 - Guiding principles and top initiatives 00:24:27 Slides 4 and 5 - Church's transparency and limited information 00:29:50 Slides 5 to 9 - Rising metrics in global aid efforts 00:32:44 Widow's Mite analysis and concerns 00:38:25 Changes in reporting and transparency 00:46:21 Slides 6 to 10 - Cumulative assistance and growth in humanitarian aid 00:50:35 Slides 11 to 14 - Church's response and potential impact 00:57:55 Slides 15 to 25 - The Church's lack of generosity and potential influence 00:57:55 Slides 15 to 25 - The Church's lack of transparency and limited information 01:02:40 Slides 26 to 28 - Growth in humanitarian aid, external donations, and unclear metrics 01:07:55 Slides 29 to 33 - Church's financial entities, LDS Charities, and Canadian tithing funds 01:16:55 Slide 35 - The Church's lack of effort to solve world hunger and its impact 01:21:13 Slide 37 - What would a generous church look like? 01:41:09 Slide 46 - Volunteer hours and people helped 01:43:45 Slides 47 to 49 Sustainability efforts 02:02:55 Slides 52 to 54 - Church's financial issues in Australia 02:26:29 Closing statement - "The true wealth of the church is in its members" ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 #MormonStories #Mormon #lds