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Interpreter Foundation Funding Source


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Stuff like this tends to be speculated about and controversial.  Even though I don't find it controversial, I love watching others controverse, so here goes:

Got this email yesterday:

image.png.c658e0be328a4316ebcb1b1add728336.png

Anyone got any problems with that?  Meet me out back.  Better take some buddies with you, because I may go down, but I guarantee I'll take three of you with me.  :)

 

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I can't imagine someone having a concern about you donating through Amazon purchases to the Interpreter.  The only concerns I've had about donations have been with respect to having church leaders endorse or encourage donations from its members to these organizations.  I don't think the church should be in the business of endorsing organizations that are legally separate from itself and then at the same time disavowing the activity of those organizations if anything they do is problematic.  This is a tactic that I think is somewhat dishonest, but to be perfectly frank its a tactic that is not unique to large institutions like the church or governments who do this to try and have plausible deniability.  

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5 hours ago, hope_for_things said:

I can't imagine someone having a concern about you donating through Amazon purchases to the Interpreter.  The only concerns I've had about donations have been with respect to having church leaders endorse or encourage donations from its members to these organizations.  I don't think the church should be in the business of endorsing organizations that are legally separate from itself and then at the same time disavowing the activity of those organizations if anything they do is problematic.  This is a tactic that I think is somewhat dishonest, but to be perfectly frank its a tactic that is not unique to large institutions like the church or governments who do this to try and have plausible deniability.  

Are you saying that church leaders are encouraging members to donate to the Interpreter?

 

 

Edited by ksfisher
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6 hours ago, hope_for_things said:

I can't imagine someone having a concern about you donating through Amazon purchases to the Interpreter.  The only concerns I've had about donations have been with respect to having church leaders endorse or encourage donations from its members to these organizations.  I don't think the church should be in the business of endorsing organizations that are legally separate from itself and then at the same time disavowing the activity of those organizations if anything they do is problematic.  This is a tactic that I think is somewhat dishonest, but to be perfectly frank its a tactic that is not unique to large institutions like the church or governments who do this to try and have plausible deniability.  

I do not think the Church is dishonest, even "somewhat dishonest," as you posted. I have only heard of one type of soliciting donations, that was for Friends Of Scouting, in which, I admit, I never did like to hear over the pulpit. Although I don't claim to be an expert in what the Church asks for in soliciting donations.

Recently, the instruction in conducting Sacrament meetings is to no longer bring up secular topics, they can be brought up but should not be done so in sacrament meetings. 

Edited by Anijen
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1 hour ago, ksfisher said:

Are you saying that church leaders are encouraging members to donate to the Interpreter?

 

 

Yes, I think some are.  Not in GC or in any official sense.  It might also be just local leaders that encourage this or well intentioned upper leaders.  I don't know if there is a clear policy on the topic.  Obviously they wouldn't want to advertise that.  The church does recommend the Interpreter as one of their safe resources now, so that is something, and I've heard of other anecdotal evidences along the way that cause me to hold this opinion.  

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19 minutes ago, Anijen said:

I do not think the Church is dishonest, even "somewhat dishonest," as you posted. I have only heard of one type of soliciting donations, that was for Friends Of Scouting, in which, I admit, I never did like to hear over the pulpit. Although I don't claim to be an expert in what the Church asks for in soliciting donations.

Recently, the instruction in conducting Sacrament meetings is to no longer bring up secular topics, they can be brought up but should not be done so in sacrament meetings. 

Consider that "the church" is not a single consciousness, but a collection of all the people involved in the group, so it is only as honest as all of its individually flawed humans that are members are honest.  

I have a question, can you refer me to the Sacrament meeting instruction you're referencing?  I haven't heard about that before and I'd like to know more.  Thanks

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1 hour ago, Anijen said:

I do not think the Church is dishonest, even "somewhat dishonest," as you posted. I have only heard of one type of soliciting donations, that was for Friends Of Scouting, in which, I admit, I never did like to hear over the pulpit. Although I don't claim to be an expert in what the Church asks for in soliciting donations.

Recently, the instruction in conducting Sacrament meetings is to no longer bring up secular topics, they can be brought up but should not be done so in sacrament meetings. 

I didn’t like some of the ways donations to FOS were pushed, but the Church’s joined-at-the-hip relationship with Scouting justified the appeals, IMO. The relationship with Interpreter is not the same.

Edited by Bernard Gui
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2 hours ago, hope_for_things said:

My opinion, based on my observations and discussions with people.  I don't want to get into this again.  We clearly have a difference of perspective on this topic.  

I think asking for donations would be something relatively easy to define (does someone say "give money or time to....").

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9 hours ago, LoudmouthMormon said:

Stuff like this tends to be speculated about and controversial.  Even though I don't find it controversial, I love watching others controverse, so here goes:

Got this email yesterday:

image.png.c658e0be328a4316ebcb1b1add728336.png

Anyone got any problems with that?  Meet me out back.  Better take some buddies with you, because I may go down, but I guarantee I'll take three of you with me.  :)

 

What's controversial about it?

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28 minutes ago, churchistrue said:

At least year's FM conference, didn't Elder Pearson thank FairMormon, BOM Central, and The Interpreter and encourage people to support them? 

He was there in an official capacity representing the Church if I understood correctly.  I was asking for evidence of this claim, though mostly had in mind local leaders...I would be very curious to hear about this.

Quote

Not in GC or in any official sense.  It might also be just local leaders that encourage this or well intentioned upper leaders.

"Support" is not equivalent to "donate".  I am not trying to wiggle out of claims of encouraging donation to causes.  I am just curious if anyone is actually doing it rather than using the vaguer term "support" which leaves open interpretation.

(I am not anti leadership asking members to donate to good causes, btw, and I consider Interpreter a good cause along with FM of course).

Edited by Calm
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23 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

Counterpoint to the idea that they do a lot of fundraising support: If the Brethren were asking for funds for these organizations on anything more then a personal level they would be flush with cash.

And FM at least is not flush even with all the content produced by unpaid volunteers (bookstore manager is paid for bookstore work, not sure about tech help for the website, was volunteer but vague memory about moving towards paid as it gets more and more complicated and time consuming...but that might have been talk of the future...still one to two people at most and not for apologetic work).  Our book sales used to be what we survived on plus donations coming from FM members ourselves...not paying attention to that stuff right now though.

Edited by Calm
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13 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

Counterpoint to the idea that they do a lot of fundraising support: If the Brethren were asking for funds for these organizations on anything more then a personal level they would be flush with cash.

I might see if we saw an uptick in donations postPearson.

We have seen a couple of people 'borrowing' our video and adding their site to the list of the three named organizations, justifying it by claiming they fall into the same category (though at least one wouldn't have claimed kinship in any other way I am guessing), so I bet many see the suggestion by Elder Pearson to be about money since they use it to ask for donations.

We might as well, lol, but since it was our conference and he named us, I feel we have a right to.

But we can always use volunteers as money is useless if you don't have the people to produce the projects and if you have the people, you can get a lot done for a little, so I define "support" as "volunteering" as much as "donating" in my head, but mostly I think of it as "stop thinking we are blowing it because of "apologizing for the Church"*** and start thinking FM members are cool"

***so many don't understand that "apologetics" is not saying "sorry"

Edited by Calm
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