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UC one of the things that Mormons are taught to distain is a "paid clergy" What that means for most churches is far less than your church president..

The last church I attended the "preacher" was a post man and took no salary..the church before that the full time pastor had a wife and 5 daughters and a grand salary of $25,000 a year..He left a job that paid him over $100,000 to come to the ministry..he was available 24/7 to his people

Most Christian Pastors work a full time job and their wives work..they get a token salary ..(Pastor Jerry that posts here is a bi vocational pastor )

They do not have people to do work on their homes or have jets to fly on or the money to charter a plane...UC any of us can go out of our way not to look wealthy..but it is my guess that your President is not starving..does he have a full time job? Where does his income come from..or may only the wealthy aspire to be a prophet and president..is is a position that a poor guy could never hold?

I have no problem with paying a Pastor..as the bible tells us a "workman is worthy of his hire"...

Most of the outlandish wealth you see (other then the charlatons) Was self generated by books or tapes ..not paid for by tithes

UC one of the things that Mormons are taught to distain is a "paid clergy" What that means for most churches is far less than your church president.

Since you have NO IDEA what you're talking about...NONE!...I think you ought to get off this schtick. You just sound mean and ugly.

ONE MINISTER of one of the Chri$tian megachurches in the Houston area makes many times the allowance Pres. Hinckley gets for living expenses.

Billy Graham and his entourage consume a hundred times more in one year than do all the LDS general authorities put together, in terms of expenses for their lavish theatrical productions they call "crusades."

You and your "Chri$tian" ilk are hypocrites of the worst stripe, and you WILL pay for it one day, if you do not repent.

The ONLY people who are paid in the LDS church are the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Area presidents (who oversee the mission presidents, etc), some of the seventies (I think the First Quorum, I will have to find out to be factual.) That is probably 100- people (the figure may be low), who run a church of 11 million. The bishops, stake presidents, regional presidents, and ALL callings in the church are not paid, we are volunteers. That includes cleaning the churches weekly (no janitors), cleaning the temples (pretty much volunteer, except for the yearly cleaning when the temple is closed and repairs are made, carpets cleaned, etc.) I know for a fact that those who are called to the general presidencies (such as Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society) are not paid. As to the reason the few leaders are paid, is because they devote their time to the Lord and to running a worldwide church. Like Illbay said a few posts ago, there is no extra frippery for these men. They are very aware that they will be held accountable on how they have spent their money.

One personal note. When my father was called as a mission president, he had just retired. He was given a certain amount of money for his duties, and there was a home provided for he and my mother to live in (known as the mission president's home.) My dad had a budget for gasoline when he went on the mission's business to visit the missionaries he was in charge of to see how they were doing. When we went down to visit my parents in Chile, any family or sightseeing trips he and my mom took were paid for out of their own pockets. Oh, and a car was provided for the mission president. My father was very aware of the money angle, as were the other mission presidents, and are very careful to spend the money appropriately that is provided by the church.

And believe you me, most of us LDS people do not aspire to become an apostle or whatever. There might be a few, but there isn't a system where one works his way up the hierarchy of the church. We are called of the Lord to serve him and to serve others in our wards, stakes, etc.

And you are comparing apples to oranges. A pastor in your church is comparable to a bishop in my ward (oversees about 400 people, depending on the location.) The bishop is not paid in our church. You are comparing your pastor who has one congregation to a prophet, or apostles, or an area president who are over many wards and stakes.

I know that President Hinckley came from very humble circumstances. President Monson was raised by a widowed mother. Elder Russell Nelson was a heart surgeon. Elder Dallin H Oaks was a lawyer. Elder Boyd K Packer worked for the Church Educational System (like my dad did,the salary was nothing to shout about at all.) Men and women are called from all walks of life, it is their worthiness and willingness to serve the Lord with all their hearts, might, mind, and souls that determines their callings in the LDS church. Not their social status or how much money they are worth.