Just like all or most of the other religious organizations, they collect tithes which they have no authority to do and pay the preachers, in salary or benefits.
Wolves in sheeps clothing.
Although the criticism of the LDS church for paid clergy seems petty on its face it is actually a valid question. The LDS church claims that none of it leaders are paid. Then they are paid under the table in a way that just seems suspicious, like they don’t want someone to know about it. Then they make up lies about the Christian church by saying that since those people are paid clergy it is a sign that they were hired by the devil himself.
Christians don’t actually care if someone is getting paid but it is really bad form to get pay and then call it volunteer work.
What do you think tithes are for?
The reason the OT people tithed was so that the priests did not have to worry about the daily expenses.
The Bible says a laborer is worthy of his hire/wages.
Now if you want to debate the amount of those wages, fine...but the Bible is enough for me on the topic...vs. your lack of authority on this subject.
RE: The Mormons...the Lds church can pay their leaders whatever they want...
But...(1) they encourage their leaders to hide the matter in their leadership manuals...so that other Mormons don't find out about it; and (2) Mormons brag to the world that their leaders are "unpaid" -- which obviously isn't so when you add all the stipends, living expenses, etc.
And hasn't been "so" for quite some time...
#1: See ex-Lds Szonian's post citing www.signaturebooks.com: Post #93 with quotes relating to:
Salaries Ordered for the Quorum of the Twelve
* "By 1904 set salaries were back again for stake presidents, who were allowed $300 per year. . .
* Retirement Allowances for Stake Presidents and Bishops
* Systematic Payouts for General Authorities at the Expense of the Rank-and-File Members
* Massive Personal Wealth for Brigham Young and His Counselors
* General Conference Announcement of General Authority Payments
* Fixed Salaries Established for General Authorities
* Guilt Aside, General Authority Salaries Continued to be Authorized
* Salary Levels of Mormon Top Leadership Determined by Power and Seniority Rankings
* General Authorities Complain That They Aren't Getting Enough
(This was regarding 19th century Lds church patriarchs)
"For several decades only the patriarch had a set compensation, while other general authorities depended on haphazard donations from the rank-and-file or ad hoc appropriations from general church funds. In 1835 the Presiding Patriarch was authorized a salary of $10 a week, plus expenses. . . .
"Both the Presiding Patriarch and local stake patriarchs charged a fee. In the 1840s the fee was $1 per patriarchal blessing at Nauvoo; by the end of the nineteenth century it had increased to $2 per blessing. . . . Joseph Smith, Sr., gave patriarchal blessings without payment of a fee, but would not record them. . . . 'Uncle' John Smith commented that he 'lived very Poor ever Since we Left Kirtland Ohio' in January 1838 until January 1844. Then his nephew Joseph Smith ordained him a patriarch 'through which office I Obtained a Comfortable Living.' . . .
"Financial incentive is another explanation for the fact that individual Mormons received more than one patriarchal blessing in the nineteenth century, often at the invitation of the patriarch. In October 1877 John Taylor criticized the monetary motivation of some stake patriarchs. He said they were using their patriarchal office as 'a mere means of obtaining a livelihood, and to obtain more business they had been traveling from door to door and underbidding each other in the price of blessings.' . . .
"In addition, patriarchs received fees for giving unrecorded blessings of healing to the sick. In fact, Apostle Francis M. Lyman commended Patriarch Elias Blackburn for 'doing a great deal of good among the sick, without receiving very much pay for his services.' . . .
"Patriarchal blessing fees ended in 1902, although patriarchs were allowed to accept unsolicited donations. . . . Not until 1943 did church authorities prohibit patriarchs from accepting gratuities for giving blessings. . . ." _____