Quote:
Originally Posted by Archaea
Okay, sorry to sound a discouraging note, but why should the Church spend that much money to spruce up downtown SLC?
How does that benefit Church membership, especially outside Utah? We could use that much to set up a university in Latin America or to really jump start research at BYU.
Whether tithing or other monies are used is irrelevant. If it's not tithing, then tithing will be used for other purposes to which this largesse of "nontithing" could be otherwise used. The Church is not that wealthy that Two Billion is insignificant. Count me in as perhaps the only card carring member who doesn't think this is a great investment for the Church and its members at large.
I will never reside in Utah and what goes on at HQ doesn't benefit anybody I know.
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They are spending a ton of money, no question about it. But as the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money. View this as an investment for the church. They will be raking in huge amounts of rent for a long time. They will have real estate valued through the roof when it is over with and can eventually sell it off if needs be at an enormous profit. They will be selling condos as well.
The church is involved in lots of businesses (one of the largest being real estate). They own more land than the federal government owns in almost a dozen states. This is not out of the ordinary for the church.