Posted on 09/15/2009 6:59:13 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
Tipping its hat to the power of the Internet, Deseret Management Corp. is creating a new business unit to manage the Web sites and other operations of digital-media properties owned by the LDS Church, including DeseretNews.com.
Deseret Digital Media will take over the online sites of Deseret Book, Deseret News , KSL television and KSL NewsRadio. The sites are deseretbook.com, deseretnews.com, ldschurchnews.com, mormontimes.com and ksl.com.
The creation of Deseret Digital Media "is driven by a belief that we can be more effective in growing our Internet businesses if we set them up in a separate division," Mark Willes, president and CEO of Deseret Management Corp., said Thursday.
Willes also announced the formation of the KSL Broadcast Division, which will be created from Bonneville International Corp. Bonneville had owned and operated KSL-TV and KSL NewsRadio, as well as 28 radio stations in eight U.S. markets.
The broadcast division will focus only on KSL-TV and KSL News Radio; Bonneville will continue to manage the other radio stations in markets outside Utah.
Willes is a former publisher of the Los Angeles Times and former CEO of its parent company, Times Mirror Co. In February, the LDS Church First Presidency asked Willes to take over leadership of Deseret Management, the for-profit company that oversees commercial businesses attached to the church, including the Deseret News and KSL.
(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
It is interesting that the LDS Church is apparently a corporation that owns all kinds of commercial operating sub-interests.
Can’t see why they should not, since their founding “prophet” claimed both Authorship and Proprietorship of the book of mormom. It was a commercial enterprise from the get go. He even tried to sell the copyright to the book of mormon but got no takers.
To see title page of the original book of mormon.
http://www.inephi.com/1.htm
They pay taxes on the commercial operations.
“They pay taxes on the commercial operations.
Yea, one would hope they don’t cheat on taxes.
More importantly, why do they have money making
enterprises? Don’t they portray themselves as
a religion?

This is the byte...
They do that, too. They have one of the best charitable organizations.
State amounts and where does the money go?
During the Great Depression they came up with a number of enterprises to employee the unemployed ~ plus they formalized the practice of keeping a year or two's supplies on hand "just in case", and that created commercial activity among Mormons.
Ding ding ding we have a winner!
Of Chairty and tithing in the lds official publication “the ensign” July 2009
would rather lose the water source to my house than lose the living water offered by the Savior. I would rather have no food on our table than be without the Bread of Life. I would prefer to endure the darkness and discomfort of no electricity than to forfeit the Light of Christ in my life. I would rather abide with my children in a tent than relinquish my privilege of entering the house of the Lord.”
From same letter
“He commands us to pay tithing on our increase so that He may shower down blessings from heaven”
seems to conflict with
James 1:27 (NIV)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Also tithing was replaced in New Testament
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV)
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Not a Mormon, but...how do you know they aren't doing both?
Matter of fact, don't ALL resources for "feeding and caring of orphans" originate from enterprise at some level?
The “feeding and caring for orphans and windows” should come from worship in the form of tithes, offerings and alms. Its doesn’t happen from spending tithes to build business and buildings.
The feeding of the widows and the children and the out of work and the infirmed, etc... all comes from separate offerings that are kept in the locale where they are donated and are used only for the poor.
People even offer their time at canneries where much of the food is processed and packaged (fruits, veggies, jams, sauces, etc..... and then there is dry packing). There are people who take orders and go every week to pick up food for the needy and deliver it. There are those who spend time canning and packaging for the local food banks (canneries are used a lot for local relief agencies). Oh... and they are open to people of other faiths as well.
Members of congregations are set up in teams with members that they keep in touch with, so that the needs of those people are known and can be met. Not a perfect system (not perfect people), but pretty good.
There are those who help one another clean houses of those who need help, move people in and out, prepare meals for those who are in need.
Then there are those who volunteer as employment specialists, who teach job-seeking skills to those who are in need of work. They network to find openings and work to see if improved education is in order.
Then there is the revolving education fund, mostly in other countries to lift people out of poverty by helping them to have the skills through education to get gainful employment. They are in turn to pay back the money in order to have it available to lift another person out of poverty.
Then there were the chainsaw brigades that went to help clean up after Katrina. I know a man who took a week off of work to cut fallen trees 3 states away.
Then there are the buildings that were used as shelters during hurricanes and wildfires and other disasters. And there are the tens of thousands of handmade quilts going to war-torn countries.
They were among the first to take food and clothing into Germany after WWII. They sent large amounts of relief items after the tsunami.
From 1985 to 2008, the Church has shipped 61,308 tons of food and 132,028 tons of other supplies to more than 150 countries. In 2008, the Church provided assistance in response to the Sichuan, China earthquake, the famine in Ethiopia, the Myanmar cyclone, the hurricanes in Cuba, Haiti and the United States, and 118 other disasters.
I think it probably was a good thing that they came out in force for Prop 8 in CA and also in AZ (and possibly FL, but not as sure about that one).
And then there was all that money raised for famine victims in Ethiopia. More than any other group and all in a day.
And if you have been to Hawaii, there is that cool Polynesian Cultural Center that helps to preserve the culture of the island peoples.
How about the project in Equador, teaching people microfarming techniques and nutrition.
How about the 180,000 people who have benefited from the vision treatment program since 2003. They provided care to people in 12 countries last year including Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ghana, Madagascar, Myanmar, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, and Vietnam.
How about the 300,000+ wheelchairs provided since 2001. Last year over 50,000 wheelchairs were provided in 46 countries.
Then there is the crisis pregnancy services, adoption services, family counseling services, job training for the mentally and physically challenged.
Since 2002, the Church has helped five million people in over 4,500 communities obtain access to clean water sources. In 2008, clean water projects were done in 26 countries, including Armenia, Cameroon, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Fiji, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Thailand, Uganda, and Vanuatu.
How about the neonatal resuscitation training. Over 80,000 people have been trained in countries where it is needed the most. Last year training was provided in 30 countries, including Albania, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, and Venezuela.
The Mormons are quiet enough about the service that they give, that there are those who have no clue how much they give.
I think there are a few people on this forum with their panties in a bunch about the Mormons and don't like how they do things.
Well... maybe those people need to figure out who their real enemies are and stop picking on decent people and a generous organization.
And know what? Instead of complaining about what the Mormons have, maybe one ought see that it might be a REAL NICE THING to have some friends who have some resources and have spent time learning how to be self sufficient.
So if the world goes south... I hope everyone here has a good Mormon friend.
The truth is not welcome on Freerepublic.
The truth is not welcome on Freerepublic.
Some, like Warren Buffett, who thinks the highest and best use of his fortune is to kill babies, are justly criticized.
Other's aren't.
Yet, you are able to list what they do. Thanks.
Could you say that agin?
My first double-post. Sorry.
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