Laurent Belsie (middle)
How does he know what religion people are who file for bankruptcy?
Posted on 02/12/2010 4:18:46 PM PST by Colofornian
From the article: In mid-decade, when Utah was tops in bankruptcies, various commentators pinned the blame on Mormon religious and cultural practices, such as tithing, creating large families, buying homes at a young age, and as one critic put it: "the pressure in Mormonism to be, or at least appear, financially successful as proof the Lord is blessing them." Indeed, Mormons in 2004 had a bankruptcy rate that was approaching twice that of the national average.
From the article: Mormons in 2004 had a bankruptcy rate that was approaching twice that of the national average. But a 2007 study by two Harvard Law School graduates found that rates among non-Mormons in Utah were even higher, suggesting that religion, if anything, was restraining bankruptcies.
How much higher? If it's only slightly higher, that's not exactly a glowing report, either.
How incredibly sad. At my church we talk about being debt free and living within your means.
My heart breaks for these people.
Laurent Belsie (middle)
How does he know what religion people are who file for bankruptcy?
I don't know why people insist on inserting the generic word "cool" into so many sentences. I have absolutely no idea what "cool" is supposed to mean in the above sentence from the article. Couldn't the author have simply said "They're nice, wonderful people"?
I’m not Mormon, but I have been learning from and dealing with them as I build my long term food storage. Something they know a lot about. They promote personal responsibility and self reliance, they also welcome the opportunity to help others. If you are hungry or need help, they will not turn you away weather or not you are a member. They get a bad rap because they are all about providing help with the intent of making you self reliant long term. Liberals are all about making you a permanent ward of the state. All I can say is that I would much rather have Mormons for neighbors then almost any other group of people I can think of, well except for maybe NAVY seals.
He’s implying they are rubes. Crap for writing.
How would they know what religion anyone is?
Something stupid about this article and the writer is just 8th grade silly with 5th grade utopia writing.
I have to assume that it means that there are a lot of coffee shops in Utah where people are using their Macs...
As a Mormon, I've never encountered any such pressure to "appear financially successful." This is a nonsense statement made from someone who doesn't know much of anything about the LDS Church. In fact, the messaging from the church leadership is just the opposite--live within your means and stay out of debt. This is a consistent, constant message. I can promise you the claim that we're pressured to "look successful" is laughably false and the polar opposite from the truth.
On the other hand I would agree that people who marry young and think they need a house beyond their means is likely a cause of mortgage problems in Utah. People in such a situation should rent until they're able to afford a home of their own. But there's nothing in anything the church teaches that should make them think they need to own a home. That's their own internal misjudgment.
But let's face it, the problem of people living outside their ability to support it is a national problem, not just a Mormon problem, and at the crux of the national foreclosure crisis. Other states like California, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan and Florida have had much more of a foreclosure problem then Utah. I think the need to connect this issue to religious practice is gratuitous. There's really little connection between the two. And if one really wanted to build a silly argument upon a silly arugment you could say that not being a Mormon was a bigger cause of foreclosure than being once since the states with the highest foreclosures are not predominantly Mormon--just like within Utah non-Mormons are those with the highest foreclosure rates. But again, this is an absurdity just like the initial premise.
Utah at one point appeared to be a burgeoning high tech center. But the job market there has really taken a dive which as you say is probably the real cause of foreclosure problems, not simply because the state is predominantly Mormon. The teachings of the church aren't to "look successful" as the article ludicriously claims, but rather to live within your means. Idaho is a largely Mormon state but with much lower foreclosure numbers.
Unless you happened to be over the age of 8 at Mountain Meadows in 1857.
The "weather" turned deadly there, didn't it?
Can't speak about Navy SEALS as I've had no dealings with them, but I can guarantee you that a fair chunk of Army Rangers are Mormon.
Since I have Navy Seals in my family and one not of them is lds, do have a source for that?
The LDS Church also teaches its members to avoid debt, and to keep a full year’s worth of food stored. Unfortunately, it also encourages members to marry very young and start having babies right away and have lots of them, and jsut “trust Heavenly Father” to provide a way to pay for it all. The result is a lot of families living on the edge financially, both young couples who hadn’t amassed enough savings and earning ability to really support a family, and their parents who started out the same way, and as a result have meager savings and a large brood of adult offspring over which any financial assistance they can provide must be split.
If you are hungry or need help, they will not turn you away weather or not you are a member
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Not necessarily true. The LDS help their own first and almost always only. And even then there are exceptions, I have know SEVERAL people who were MEMBERS who were turned away by LDS because they were not ‘worthy’ enough.
The problem I have with food storage is, in theory it is a great idea, but in reality it promotes hoarding, and ends up with a lot of food storage being wasted or thrown out because it was not rotated fast enough.
And don’t expect them to share if there is ever a need for it. A few may, but I was told,, when I was LDS that food storage was for my own family only.
Let see, lots of kids without any thought of the cost, one income family, and the idea that wealth is a sign of ‘living righteously’. Not surprised.
The ‘rabbit hutches’ at BYU (married student housing) had a high bankruptcy rate when I was there in the early 1990’s when the economy was good.
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