Beggar's Bread

compiled by Fred W. Anson and “Team PFAAS”
As we explained in Part One of this series, if you’ve been following the Presidency of Russell M. Nelson it’s been one misstep and snafu after another. In my opinion, it’s no coincidence that LdS Church’s growth is now stagnant and about to start to go negative (evidence for this claim from objective third party analysis and statistics based on official LdS Church data that’s been captured by a Mormon Archivist can be found by clicking here).

His predecessor, Thomas S. Monson may have been boring but at least he wasn’t actively destroying the LdS Church like his successor is. It’s to the point that it now seems like just about every time that he makes a public appearance, an address, a policy change, and/or a revelation, President Nelson adds another chink to the destruction of the LdS Church. So, the destruction that was once passive is now active thanks to the current LdS Church President. So, in no particular order other than to group events by incident, here’s what we’ve seen so far:

10) President Nelson, the leader of the world’s richest church stuns the world by telling poor Africans that paying a tithe to the LdS Church is the answer to their poverty.
2018-04-16 This stunning teaching came right on the heels of denouncing the African tradition of paying a bridal dowry – a long-standing African practice that is ideally intended to help young married couples avoid destitute poverty and ensure the success of the marriage. As the Encyclopedia Brittanica explains:

“One of the basic functions of a dowry has been to serve as a form of protection for the wife against the very real possibility of ill treatment by her husband and his family. A dowry used in this way is actually a conditional gift that is supposed to be restored to the wife or her family if the husband divorces, abuses, or commits other grave offenses against her. Land and precious metals have often been used in this form of dowry and are frequently inalienable by the husband, though he might otherwise use and profit from them during the marriage.

A dowry sometimes serves to help a new husband discharge the responsibilities that go with marriage. This function assumes special importance in societies where marriages have regularly been made between very young people; the dowry enables the new couple to establish a household, which they otherwise would not have been able to do. In some societies a dowry provides the wife with a means of support in case of her husband’s death. In this latter case the dowry may be seen as a substitute for her inheritance of all or part of her husband’s estate.

In many societies, dowries have served as a reciprocal gesture by the bride’s kin to the groom’s kin for the expenses incurred by the latter in payment of bridewealth. These exchanges are not purely economic but instead serve to ratify the marriage and consolidate friendship between the two families.”
(Encyclopedia Britannica, “Dowry”) 

And as an African national, has noted well of the African dowry system:

“Marriage in African way thus entails that certain things must be observed, not for the sake of it, but for the very reason that they define the whole spectrum of African identity. This includes African religions and philosophical life, political life as well as African economic systems. Marriage is never viewed as an accident. Accidents get people unaware, and disorganize the entire society. Marriage on the other hand is a planned social action that involves various stakeholders. In view of this, it is an expression of community beliefs, thoughts, and entire heritage that cannot be wished away because of the advent of new civilization or modernity.”
(TheRt. Rev. Johannes Angela, Bishop ACK Diocese of Bondo, “POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES OF DOWRY PAYMENT ON WOMEN AND THE GENERAL SOCIETY”) 

And so it against this historical and cultural backdrop that LdS Church President, Russell M. Nelson played the role of the ham-fisted, Ugly American, ignoramus when he boldly announced that African should stop paying marriage dowries since that isn’t the Lord’s way (even though the practice can be found in the bible) especially when they could be paying a tithe to the LdS Church instead. From the LdS Church produced, “Church News”:

“President Nelson denounced the practices of paying a dowry or paying a bride price for marriages. He emphasized that cash or commodities shouldn’t be given to the family of a bride or groom.
“That’s not the Lord’s way,” President Nelson said. “The Lord’s way is to be married in the temple, for time and all eternity, with your children sealed to you.”

He added that if he’d had to pay for his wife, “I would have missed five children, because only with my last five was I out of debt.”

He also said tithing can break cycles of poverty in poor nations and families.

“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,” he said. “That same poverty continues from one generation to another, until people pay their tithing.”’
(Tad Walch, “London and Nairobi Stops of President Nelson’s World Tour Highlight Church’s Cultural Diversity”, Deseret News, 2018-04-23)

11) Doing and saying nothing in the face of the revelation about the $124-Billion Church-owned Ensign Peak Advisors fund being brought to light by a whistleblower.
2019-12-17 The Washington Post publishes an article entitled, “Mormon Church has misled members on $100 billion tax-exempt investment fund, whistleblower alleges”. From the article:

“[Whistleblower David A.] Nielsen’s complaint is sharply critical of church leaders for continuing to ask for tithes, even from members who are struggling financially, while the church sits on a fortune. “Would you pay tithing instead of water, electricity, or feeding your family if you knew that it would sit around by the billions until the Second Coming of Christ?” he wrote in a 74-page narrative that accompanied his complaint.

He suggests church leaders favor continuing to collect tithes to avoid “losing control over their members’ behavior” by releasing them from their financial obligations. In June, the church raised the monthly charge paid by most families to cover the cost of their children serving as missionaries from $400 to $500 per month.

Leaders have consistently tried to downplay speculation about the extent of the church’s wealth. Quoting a former church president during the speech last year, [high-ranking cleric in the church, Bishop Gérald] Caussé, said: “When all is said and done, the only real wealth of the church is in the faith of its people.”
(Jon Swaine, Douglas MacMillan, and Michelle Boorstein, “Mormon Church has misled members on $100 billion tax-exempt investment fund, whistleblower alleges”, The Washington Post, December 17, 2020)

And as was noted at the time of the Washington Post article the SEC Publicly reported holdings of the Ensign Peak Advisors fund was $124-Billion, thus making the LdS Church, by far, the richest church in the world (see https://sec.report/CIK/0001454984).

So, in the face of this bombshell revelation, what does President Nelson do? Answer: Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Yes, that’s right the Lord’s Prophet, the man who, according to Mormon dogma, has been set aside to lead the Lord’s Church with clarity, honesty, and precision does nothing and says nothing. Rather, he leaves the dirty work to underlings like the Church PR Department and Ensign’s president, Roger Clarke.

The silence was deafening.
And telling.
It didn’t go unnoticed.

12) In direct contradiction with and opposition to 188-years of Mormon History, all of his predecessors, official, correlated LdS Church manuals, and even himself, President Nelson states that the Restored (past tense) Church is still in the process of Restoring (present tense).
2018-10-30 In a video interview recorded as part of the Concepción Chile Temple dedication ceremony, President Nelson said the following:

“We’re witnesses to a process of restoration,” said the prophet. “If you think the Church has been fully restored, you’re just seeing the beginning. There is much more to come. … Wait till next year. And then the next year. Eat your vitamin pills. Get your rest. It’s going to be exciting.”
(LdS Church Newsroom, “Latter-day Saint Prophet, Wife and Apostle Share Insights of Global Ministry: President Nelson says process of Church restoration continuing”)

This is in direct contradiction with the stance of every Mormon Prophet who preceded him – all of whom have stated plainly and explicitly that with the establishment of the LdS Church on April 6, 1830, Christ’s Church was restored (past perfect tense). Further, this claim has been consistently and regularly reflected and reiterated in official, correlated church literature – which has never stated that the LdS Church is still restoring (present tense). Consider:

“The fullness of the gospel has been restored, and the true Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth again. No other organization can compare to it. It is not the result of a reformation, with well-meaning men and women doing all in their power to bring about change. It is a restoration of the Church established by Jesus Christ. It is the work of Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you can receive blessings that were absent from the earth for almost 2,000 years”
(“True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference”, 2004, p. 136)

“Testify that although other churches teach some truths and do many good things, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the earth because it is the only church that has the complete gospel of Jesus Christ and the priesthood authority to perform ordinances in the name of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus’ Church. It has his name and his law, and it is led by his appointed representatives. Express your gratitude to Joseph Smith, the prophet through whom the Lord restored the true Church”
(“Preparing for Exaltation Teacher’s Manual”, 1998, p. 99)

“Latter-day Saints hold that Christians in the broadest sense are those who base their beliefs on the teachings of Jesus and who have a personal relationship with him. Within that definition they recognize Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, and Latter-day Saint Christians, with the understanding that Latter-day Saint Christianity is the restored fulness of Christ’s gospel”
(Encyclopedia of Mormonism 1:271)

“The context of Nephi’s division of churches into one of two camps, those belonging to the Lamb of God and those who are disciples of the devil, comes only after the Church of Jesus Christ was restored in April of 1830”
(BYU Professor Emeritus Joseph Fielding McConkie, Here We Stand, p. 152)

What’s more even shocking is that even President Nelson himself has publicly affirmed that the LdS Church is, past tense, restored:

“The keys and offices of the priesthood have been restored, including the offices of Apostle, Seventy, patriarch, high priest, elder, bishop, priest, teacher, and deacon. And women who love the Lord serve valiantly in the Relief Society, Primary, Young Women, Sunday School, and other Church callings—all vital parts of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness.”
(Russell M. Nelson, “Closing Remarks”, Fall General Conference 2019, bolding added for emphasis)

13) Social Media Fasts for Everybody! (Except for dudes, of course, they’re special!)
2018-10-06 After being applauded by Mormon parents everywhere for calling Mormon youth to fast from Social Media in Fall General Conference 2018 he calls on the women of the LdS Church to do the same:

“I invite you to participate in a 10-day fast from social media and from any other media that bring negative and impure thoughts to your mind. Pray to know which influences to remove during your fast. The effect of your 10-day fast may surprise you. What do you notice after taking a break from perspectives of the world that have been wounding your spirit? Is there a change in where you now want to spend your time and energy? Have any of your priorities shifted—even just a little? I urge you to record and follow through with each impression.”
(Russell M. Nelson, “Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel”)

So who’s missing from this picture? Answer: The men of 2018.
(it comes across as a bit misogynist, doesn’t it?)

Oh, and by the way, the timing couldn’t have been worse to engage in this kind of gender directed Social Media exclusivity as this call to women came at the height of the #MeToo movement as a commentator noted so pointedly:

“For over a year since the #MeToo movement began, women have turned to social media with stories of sexual harassment and calls for reform that have powerfully reshaped our society. In recent weeks, women have flooded Facebook and Twitter and Instagram with pleas to #BelieveWomen, as Brett M. Kavanaugh gained a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court amid turmoil over accusations of sexual assault. And with just weeks to go before the Nov. 6 midterms, women are sure to make their presence known online in an election largely centered on female candidates’ surging campaigns and female voters’ intensifying anger.

At this time, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued an unusual demand: Women, get off social media.

Russell M. Nelson, the 94-year-old who became president of the church in January, proclaimed Saturday that all Mormon women should try a 10-day “fast” from social media.

His call for a fast has nothing to do with politics, many Mormons say. Still, the timing is a cause of consternation to some.”
(Julie Zauzmer, “In the time of #MeToo and the Year of the Woman, Mormon Church president tells women to get off social media for 10 days”, The Washington Post, Oct. 10, 2018)

Nor was the bad timing lost on Mormon women, as a politically active Latter-day Saint who was working the November 2018 mid-term elections noted at the time:

“Crystal Young-Otterstrom, a Mormon who has been active in Utah’s Democratic party for more than 15 years, said many women are talking about the conflict and deciding to do what’s best for their own lives, even if they agree in principle with the fast. That includes opting in on a limiting basis or deciding to put off their fast to a late date, as Nelson didn’t specifically say fasts should immediately begin…

Young-Otterstrom, who is also the director of the Utah Cultural Alliance, is more bothered by the timing. Utah’s November ballot is rich with important ballot measures — including education funding gerrymandering, and Medicaid expansion. Women, who are often the swing voters on Utah issues, need to be part of the online dialogue, not shut out, she said.

In addition, she said, “asking women in particular to be silent, especially in this time of #Metoo and continued gender conflict in our religion and our state, seems not well thought through.”

Young-Otterstrom also hopes that Nelson, who issued a similar call for a fast by church youths in June, will eventually extend the request to Latter-day Saint men.

“I certainly hope that if (church leaders) are going to make a suggestion to one member, they would make it to both,” she said.”
(Jennifer Dobner , “How Mormon women reacted when their prophet urged a social media fast”, The Guardian, 13 Oct 2018)

And care to guess who is still missing from this picture at this time of writing – 3-years later after President Nelson’s calls to the youth and the women of the LdS Church do Social Media fasts? A: Still the men.
(it comes across as really, really, really misogynist, doesn’t it?)

If that’s not bad, to make matters worse, Mormon Critics were quick to note that the Social Media Fast for women came right on the heels of a very public civil suit being filed against President Nelson’s daughter and son-in-law:

“(KUTV) — At least six people are suing the daughter and son-in-law of Russell M. Nelson, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Neither Nelson nor the Church is named as defendants in this 79-page lawsuit filed in federal court on Wednesday. The allegations of sexual abuse stem back to the early 1980s, accusing Jon and Jane Doe of holding “touching parties” and sexually abusing kids as young as one year old.”
( Jim Spiewak , “Daughter of LDS Church president at center of decades-old sex abuse cover-up allegations”, October 3rd 2018, KUTV)

Ultimately the lawsuit was dismissed by the Utah Courts on June 11, 2020, on a technicality because the Utah Supreme Court ruled that the Utah legislature lacked the legal authority to extend the statute of limitations to 35 years. However, as one source explains:

“The allegations are public and controversial because the lawsuit alleges that President Russell M. Nelson’s daughter and son-in-law were involved in organized sexual abuse in a Mormon congregation in Bountiful, Utah during the mid-1980s.

And, further, the lawsuit alleges that President Nelson, a bishop and a stake president “used their influence in the church and in the community” to protect the abusers from church discipline. Also, as a result of the alleged coverup, the lawsuit alleges that other children were later severely and violently sexually abused by one of the perpetrators between 1988 and (1995?).”
(Anne McMullin, “Lawsuit Against President Nelson’s Daughter — An Introduction to the Allegations”, July 1, 2020)

And Mormon Critics were quick to point out that calling a Social Media fast would be an excellent way to keep the demographic most likely to create a buzz about the October 3rd lawsuit, specifically Mormon women, distracted and ignorant of the facts as they were unfolding on today’s main source of real-time news: the Internet.

So here’s the bottom line here: Even if the speculation and buzz surrounding the timing of President Nelson’s call to the women of the LdS Church to a Social Media Fast is baseless, never the less, the appearance of evil that it created, not to mention, the lousy judgment and common sense it represents, is hardly befitting a divinely call Prophet of the Lord is it? To be specific, it simply makes him look like he’s not what he claims to be, doesn’t it?

14) In a stunning act of arrogant hubris, in the aforementioned Chile Temple Dedication event video interview, President Nelson declared himself and his fellow Mormon Prophets not just the Living Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the Living Prophet for the entire world. Yes, that’s right all 7+ billion of us currently residing on the planet.
2018-10-30 In the previously discussed video that was recorded during his Chile Temple Dedication tour, President Nelson also said the following:

“This is a global ministry. We’re prophets for the whole world–all of God’s children–not just the members of the Church.”
(LdS Church Newsroom video, “Interview With President Nelson and Elder Stevenson in Chile” @00:05:09)

So this is how the world’s “Living Prophet” acts? Hubris? Hyperbole? Self-Aggrandizing statements? Grandstanding for the cameras? Well, I hate to burst your bubble President Nelson, but you’re not my Prophet and you never will be – Jesus Christ is doing the job just fine. Oh, and He doesn’t need your help, thank you very much:

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;” (Hebrews 1:1-2 KJV)

And while President Nelson’s claim elicited guffaws and eye-rolls from the small, minuscule, portion of those 7+ Billion persons that President Nelson claims to be the Living Prophet for who aren’t Mormon, most of us, simply ignore this self-proclaimed Living Prophet for the world and will, no doubt, continue to do so.

And why shouldn’t we? I could care less what Queen Elizabeth II has to say, I’m not British, and she’s not my queen. Nor is Russell M. Nelson my prophet. Never has been, never will be. Wake up smell the Postum, President Nelson. Please, before you do your own church even greater damage than you’ve already done so far.

In fact, as of this writing, this video only has 98,252 views – the majority of those, no doubt, Mormon. And the credibility of the LdS Church in the marketplace of ideas took yet another hit – all thanks to the overblown hyperbole, grandstanding, and ego-driven bluster of LdS Church President and Prophet Russell M. Nelson.

15) The unapologetic NAACP Follies
2019-07-21 At the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President Russell M. Nelson continues the courting of the organization that was begun by other high-ranking Mormon Leaders in 2018 (see “First Presidency and NAACP Leaders Call for Greater Civility, Racial Harmony” and “Church and NAACP Leaders Meet in
Salt Lake City”)  by speaking at their annual convention.

While there is no denying that this was a historic occasion conspicuous in its absence was any hint of admission of responsibility or apology for the institutional racism of the LdS Church both religiously and in supporting secular racism in Utah.  If one was lacking this historical knowledge one could easily conclude from the content of President Nelson’s speech that the LdS Church has always been progressive in its racial stances. Consider this salient excerpt:

“At a press conference following that [2018] meeting, I explained that a fundamental doctrine and heartfelt conviction of our religion is that all people are God’s children. We truly believe that we are brothers and sisters—all part of the same divine family.

At that same press conference, President Derrick Johnson and I issued a joint invitation for all people, organizations, and governmental units to work with greater civility, to eliminate prejudice of all kinds, and focus on important interests that we have in common.

Simply stated, we strive to build bridges of cooperation rather than walls of segregation.

As recorded in the Book of Mormon, which we esteem as a scriptural companion to the Holy Bible, the Savior invites “all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he [denies] none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; . . . all are alike unto God” (see 2 Nephi 26:33).

May I repeat that last phrase: “All are alike unto God.” You who are gathered here in this room strive to make this heavenly truth an earthly reality. I commend you for it. And yet we all realize that, as a society and as a country, we have not yet achieved the harmony and mutual respect that would allow every man and woman and every boy and girl to become the very best version of themselves.”
(President Russell M. Nelson, “NAACP Convention Remarks By President Russell M. Nelson”, LdS Church Newsroom) 

This missed opportunity to do what the Southern Baptist Convention;  States of Virginia and Florida, as well as the US Congress; and several Roman Catholic clerics, have already done: Issue a formal, public apology for past institutional racism, was exacerbated by the fact that in May 2018, well-known Mormon Critic, Jonathan Streeter had exposed the crying need for a formal, public apology by the LdS Church via a well-known satirical fake apology on May 18, 2108 (see “No, the Mormon church did not apologize for having a history of racism; hoaxer says he meant fake message to spark discussion”).

That satirical apology was met with healing weeping and joy before the hoax was exposed.  And Mr. Streeter, very correctly, apologized for the disappointment and wound reopening that it unintentionally caused. But, still, the takeaway was still clear: The need for a public, formal apology from the LdS Church for its past racism remains so that healing can begin. Mr. Streeter made just this point in his follow-up video to the event:

June 1, 2020 President Nelson issues a Social Media statement denouncing racism in the wake of the infamous police brutality murder of George Floyd on May 25. 2020 and the subsequent violent riots that followed in its wake. Without any trace of irony or admission of culpability for the LdS Church’s past institutional racism, the statement contains these words, “The Creator of us all calls on each of us to abandon attitudes of prejudice against any group of God’s children. Any of us who has prejudice toward another race needs to repent!” (Russell M. Nelson, “President Nelson Shares Social Post about Racism and Calls for Respect for Human Dignity”, LdS Church Newsroom) 

June 8, 2020 President Nelson and several high-ranking NAACP officials issue a joint statement denouncing racism, calling for its end, and calling for a greater age of racial peace and harmony. Yet again, there was no formal, public apology from President Nelson for past LdS Church racism.

The need for such an apology certainly hasn’t been lost on the NAACP as this Salt Lake Tribune article later reported on the very same day:

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ century-long ban barring blacks from its all-male priesthood and from its temples kept the Utah-based faith at odds with the NAACP well after the ban ended in 1978.

Now, 42 years after that prohibition was lifted, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization and the church have become increasingly friendly, but their emerging partnership has not borne the fruits that some NAACP leaders had hoped.

While he supports the sentiments expressed in Monday’s article, Wil Colom, special counsel to the NAACP president, said the group “hasn’t seen very much” progress on joint projects.

The LDS Church has united with the historic black activists, the Medium piece said, to explore “ways to work together to improve self-reliance and upward mobility for inner-city and minority families.”

Indeed, the two organizations have collaborated on a handful of employment and education initiatives. But those were “minor efforts,” Colom said. They “do not befit the stature and magnitude of what the LDS Church can do and should do.”

The NAACP is “looking forward to the church doing more to undo the 150 years of damage they did by how they treated African Americans in the church,” Colom said, and by their “endorsement of how African Americans were treated throughout the country, including segregation and Jim Crow laws.”
(Peggy Fletcher Stack and David Noyce, “Despite joining President Nelson in call to end racism, NAACP would like to see the LDS Church do more”, Salt Lake Tribune, June 8, 2020) 

So when President Nelson has a golden opportunity to issue a formal, public apology so that both sides can bring some closure to the past and start the process of healing begin – as other institutions with racist pasts have done – what does he do, again, again, again, again, and again? Answer: Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

And there it is, here we are only 3-years into his presidency and President Russell M. Nelson has already exacted a stunningly broad and long swatch of destruction in his wake, hasn’t he? If you’re a critic of the LdS Church, it’s really quite impressive, isn’t it? It’s wonderful. And if you’re a True Believing Latter-day Saint, it’s really quite concerning, isn’t it? It’s sobering. Perhaps, Victor Hugo had it right after all …

About the Authors: 
“Team PFAAS” is the nickname for the “Preaching From An Asbestos Suit” social media groups on Facebook and MeWe. These are coaching and support groups for Biblical Christians who feel called to the Mormon Mission field in general and Internet Evangelism to Mormons in particular. These groups were using as a group sourcing resource for this article as well as a point of accountability for the compiling, final author of this series, Fred W. Anson. 

Fred W. Anson is the founder and publishing editor of the Beggar’s Bread website, which features a rich potpourri of articles on Christianity with a recurring emphasis on Mormon studies. Fred is also the administrator of several Internet discussion groups and communities, including several Mormon-centric groups, including two Facebook Support Groups for Ex-Mormons (Ex-Mormon Christians, and Ex-Mormon Christians Manhood Quorum). Raised in the Nazarene Church, Fred later became an Atheist but then returned to the Christian faith during the Jesus Movement in 1976. 

(click here to read Part One of this two-part series)