Posted on 04/28/2012 11:50:39 AM PDT by Kaslin
Edited on 04/28/2012 1:37:33 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Bill Maher on Friday evening once again displayed a level of ignorance and intolerance that should completely disqualify him as a political commentator.
On HBO's Real Time, the vulgar anti-theist said Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney doesn't give to charity. "All his charitable donations are to Mormons. He gives to his cult. That’s not a charity. They're not poor people" (video follows with transcript and commentary, serious vulgarity warning):
http://www.mrctv.org/embed/112327
S.E. CUPP: Let's make the distinguish though, just real quick, between Mitt Romney the person and Mitt Romney the politician, because Mitt Romney the person has donated millions of dollars to poor people.
BILL MAHER: To Mormons.
CUPP: To poor people.
MAHER: Not poor people. No, no, no. Wait, wait, I gotta call El Toro Poo Poo on that one.
CUPP: Yes.
MAHER: All his charitable donations are to Mormons. He gives to his cult.
CUPP: So what?
MAHER: So what? That’s not a charity. That’s not a charity.
CUPP: So we can’t help certain poor people.
MAHER: They're not poor people.
CUPP: Yes, they are.
MAHER: Name one poor Mormon. Alright, I’ve got to move on.
Now watch one of the most shameless liberal shills in the nation - someone completely comfortable with lying on television without batting an eye to promote his agenda! - actually disagree with Maher and agree with Cupp:
PAUL BEGALA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST AND CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The church does do a lot of good. The church does a lot of good for a lot of poor people.MAHER: That is some serious El Toro Poo Poo. That is some El Toro Poo Poo.
CUPP: So we're judging charity now based on religion?
MAHER: I don't really think you should judge charity. I dont think giving to opera is charity either, or giving to Cornell which has plenty of Uncouth Sexual Reference money and never needs any
CUPP (Who also went to Cornell University): Plenty of our money.
Now watch another liberal expose Maher as being a selfish, greedy millionaire:
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN, NEW YORK TIMES: Are you a giver?MAHER: Never.
SORKIN: Never. Okay.
MAHER: Why should I be? They have a giant endowment - as does President Obama.
Yes, they have a giant endowment because people give money to them. That's how you get an endowment.
But Maher as usual was demonstrating that his ignorance on a variety of subjects knows no bounds.
Observe Romney's charitable giving as reported by the Christian Science Monitor in January:
While Romney is not thought of as a great philanthropist, his rate of giving is considered high. For example, in 2010 he gave $2.9 million or 14 percent of his income to charity. A typical person gives 2 to 3 percent of their income. And people who made $10 million or more typically gave 6.5 percent to charity, according to Roberton Williams of the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center in Washington.
“Romney’s rate is very high,” says Mr. Williams.
Part of the reason for the high rate of giving is Romney’s contributions to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon church. According to the church, members are expected to tithe 10 percent of their income. In Romney’s case, in 2010 he gave $1.5 million, closer to 7 percent of his adjusted gross income. In 2011, he gave $2.6 million, or 12.4 percent of his income.
But Romney and his wife also gave a considerable amount of money – some $1.5 million in 2010 and $500,000 in 2011 – to other charities, mainly through the Tyler Charitable Foundation, apparently named for a street Romney and his wife lived on in Belmont, Mass. In 2010, the foundation had more than $10 million in assets.
In 2010, the largest beneficiaries of the Tyler Charitable Foundation included the Mormon Church ($145,000), the Friends of George W. Bush Library ($100,000), and the Center for Treatment of Pediatric MS ($75,000). However, the foundation also made contributions to organizations including the US Equestrian Team Foundation ($10,000), Harvard Business School ($10,000), and Homes for Our Troops ($20,000).
As is plainly evident, Romney doesn't only give to the Mormon Church as Maher ignorantly claimed. But even if he had, like most churches, Latter-day Saint Charities gives substantially to the poor:
Latter-day Saint Charities helps people become self-reliant and improve their quality of life through initiatives such as clean water, health, and food production. Latter-day Saint Charities also relieves suffering by providing life sustaining support during emergencies...100 percent of all donations go to help those in need. No administrative costs are deducted by LDS Philanthropies or our affiliated charities
LDS Charities actually has six charitable categories:
Click on any of those links and you'll find tremendous services for the poor.
Mormon.org elaborates:
Much of what is done in the Church is to bless and help those who are not Mormon. The Mormon Church has donated more than $1 billion in cash and material assistance to 167 different countries in need of humanitarian aid since it started keeping track in 1985. Many of these countries have few to no Mormons, but are also non-Christian. More than 53,000 Mormon missionaries serve through the world today. All of their service is to help those who are not Mormon. Joseph Smith himself taught that we are "to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tear of the orphan, to comfort the afflicted, whether in this church, or in any other, or in no church at all."
As such, Maher was 100 percent wrong - AGAIN!
“And they do it without fanfare, and media cameras around pronouncing how good! and Caring! they are.”
You are entirely wrong. Everything the Mormons do is about converting persons to Mormonism. The example you mentioned above is one. There ARE strings attached.
Now do other religious (even true Christian) bodies give to woo in converts. Yes, of course. However, the Mormons are even more sinister in the way they do it.
So many times I have seen persons unwittingly sucked into Mormonism because they needed charity. The Mormons were ready to give it.....but the missionaries coming by were part of the deal. There is NO altrulism in Mormonism...just suck more fools in to go to hell with them.
Maher, is only wrong in the sense that he doesn’t understand that giving to a “tax exempt” religious body is “charity” under the law. However, he is right to call Mormons a cult. Although, it isn’t because he has orthodox beliefs...he hates ALL religious bodies.
Stop DEFENDING ROMNEY ON FREE REPUBLIC! This is a Romney free zone. Ask Jim Robinson, the owner.
“And no, I am not a Mormon.”
Then why are you posting MORMON PROPOGANDA on this forum?
Stop posting anything pro-Romney. This is a Romney free zone.
Let me see. I don't any thing but family and friends.
“and that unless they become Mormons they are going to Hell...”
why didn’t we hear from you decrying the religious bigotry on the Freepathon thread? ever hear: she who is without sin let her cast the first stone, or something to that effect, right Nana?
“What is it with all this Mormon bashing?”
because there is a certain group of Freepers whose only mission is to attack mormons. one could say that they have set themselves up as judges of men. myself, i would rather leave that to our Father in Heaven. i believe there are good people among all faiths.
“What utter BS. If you think you can back that up, post some sources for the statement. FYI, members are told many times when applying for aid to contact the government agencies first.”
and the sources for your “utter BS” statement suggesting otherwise? more religious intolerance exemplified by another Freeper. please enlighten us on your religious affiliation and what it does for others, and don’t forget to provide verifiable sources for their help to the poor. i’m sure others will want to check your church out for their good works as opposed to the supposed same of the mormon church.
I have my problems with Mitt, but having his charitable contributions mocked by a guy whose favorite charity is stanky hookers is just pure comedy.
Not even close
If you're such an examplar of religious tolerance, then why don't you tolerate what greyfoxx says religiously?
Answer? (When self-refuters like yourself come on threads, preaching tolerance and practicing intolerance, it's usually because these posters are dual-faced hypocrites...so what are we to embrace...the supposed tolerance you preach; or your post example here of religious intolerance?)
I do so wish they'd make a LIST of the things that are
1. Ignorant and...
2. Intolerant.
What's a poor, unknowing soul to LOOK for in these writings?
Maybe he was trying out for a Living Prophet® gig!
(Refer to #5...)
In conclusion let us summarize this grand key, these Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet, for our salvation depends on them.
1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
4. The prophet will never lead the church astray.
5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.
6. The prophet does not have to say Thus Saith the Lord, to give us scripture.
7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.
8. The prophet is not limited by mens reasoning.
9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
10. The prophet may advise on civic matters.
11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidencythe highest quorum in the Church.
14. The prophet and the presidencythe living prophet and the First Presidencyfollow them and be blessedreject them and suffer.
I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captainhow close do our lives harmonize with the Lords anointedthe living ProphetPresident of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency.
Ezra Taft Benson
(Address given Tuesday, February 26, 1980 at Brigham Young University)
I just HATE when that happens!!
No; SIR!
We are NOT attacking MORMONs!
Any place that a MORMON has the nerve to start spouting any of their HERESY will turn in to a BASH.
Bold
ANTIs
Spotlighting
Heresy
Sorry...this is a completely ludicrous statement.
This is ludicrous from a sheer budgeting and Mormon numbers' angle.
Of the 14 million Mormons, up to almost 9 million of them are either jack Mormons or are not your "weekly" Mormons. That takes the reality that 1.7% of the U.S. is Mormon -- and knocking that down to about .75% of the U.S. who are active Mormons...and are oft more overwhelmed than your avg. religious person due to the lay callings, temple rituals, genealogical research, and larger families that make up active Lds clans.
Of those 14 million Mormons, about 1.75 million are in Utah. (Utah has over 2.8 million pop; and 62.2% are Lds) So I would say almost 1/5th of active Mormons are based in Utah. They have marginal coverage in many states...and 21 canneries in the Eastern United States. Outside of Utah, Lds, Inc. has 73 canneries in the U.S....that's an average of less than 1.5 cannery per state (minus Utah). Source: http://www.providentliving.org/location/map/0,12566,2026-1-4,00.html
There's no way -- with the $ that the feds throw @ programs -- that a scattered Mormon approach averaging 1.5 canneries per state can even come close to matching the feds, especially when you take a closer look @ the locations of these canneries and see that many are missing from obvious key urban areas all over...
Oh, sure, you can easily conclude that the Mormons get more bang for the buck...are more efficient...and may even -- per cannery -- do better than the average fed-funded food kitchen...but so what? You're indicating privately-run programs beat out a fed bureaucracy probably every time?
Duh. If that's what you meant to say, to win the weekend Captain Obvious award.
They largely focus on stocking Lds families' pantries; as church leaders encourage them to keep a 2-year supply of food.
Indeed, the poor wind up benefitting -- because of the waterfall of always restocking according to can dates.
But that waterfall charity is home based; not Lds canneries...Obviously some Lds canneries food makes it directly to the poor...but that's not what these were designed to do.
Mormon propaganda? Pro-Romney? There are 14 million Mormons in the world. What do you have against Mormons?
Sources and funds for humanitarian work
All of these initiatives require manpower and while there are some full-time employees in administrative and clerical functions, there are also thousands of volunteer humanitarian missionaries. In emergency situations, local members and full-time missionaries who would normally devote their time to proselyting will participate in relief efforts, but in many of these more permanent initiatives the LDS Church uses Senior Missionary couples.
These couples are retired members of the LDS Church who devote six months to two years of their time to go anywhere in the world, typically at their own expense, to participate in these projects. Because of this volunteer force, the LDS Church is able to use 100 percent of money and goods donated in helping those in need. These missionaries often serve in activities related to their former profession. Doctors and nurses will serve medical missions either in the Neonatal Resuscitation programs or special missions to countries in need of dentists, eye doctors, surgeons and so forth. People with agricultural or engineering backgrounds will serve on the clean water initiative or else help farmers in developing countries.
Other members who are still working and raising families frequently donate time, money, and in-kind donations to help in these ventures. Members can volunteer at local canneries and farms to help produce food for the needy. They can volunteer to create the medical kits needed for doctors and new mothers in developing nations and many help make blankets for needy families. Many of these local initiatives are organized by the Relief Society. This volunteer force allows the LDS Church to reduce operating expenses and serve more people with their resources.
From 1985 - 2009, $327.6 million in cash and $884.6 million in commodities of aid was given throughout 178 countries
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