Pyreaux

It’s easy to throw stones at the speed of change but look at the trajectory. Its more diverse than ever before. You seem to be arguing that a successful professional career is a disqualification for apostleship. As a complainer, if he were not, you’d likely complain they lacked the competence to run a global organization. Your issue isn't with the resume, but apparently with the fact that the calling happened at all. You keep using 'orthodoxy' as a dirty word. Since when is it prejudiced or extreme for a religious university to expect its faculty to be aligned with its sponsoring religion? You’re framing a basic institutional standard as a 'loyalty oath' to make it sound more sinister. Every organization, secular or religious, seeks leaders who are aligned with their core mission. Of course it looks 'corporate' to you, you’ve already discarded the possibility that God is involved. You'll always start with the premise that any choice the Church makes is inherently uninspired. It renders your opinions compromised by a circular logic trap.

Ah, so your Exit strategy is to frame my defense of the Church as an attack on abuse victims so you can exit the dialogue on your high horse? No, it's a Straw Man Fallacy that I think no one deserves compensation. The Church actually provides more help to victims through its Counseling Assistance Program than many other institutions, often paying for years of therapy regardless of legal "technicalities." Protecting the Church's legal integrity is what ensures those funds remain available for actual victims. You claim you never demanded the Church waive its defenses, but your entire argument contradicts this. You called the Help Line protocols "dishonest", a "shell game", "Stone Age" or "amateurish," you are clearly demanding that the organization stop using it. You can't have it both ways, you can't attack the legal shield while claiming you aren't asking the Church to drop it.

Yet by demanding the Church waive its defenses, that is exactly what would happen. Every dollar paid out to a claim based on a "flawed memory" (like the Oyler case potentially would have been) is a dollar taken away from members. Anyone wise realize that there are people who would dismantle the Church for profit if they could only find a crack in its legal armor. Your "Christlike" argument relied on your subjective human judgment that Church should waive its "technicalities" whenever a victim is "deserving", according to you. An institution cannot function on your subjective feelings. Who decides who is "deserving" in ex-mormondum? The loudest? The person with the saddest story? The Church following universal legal principles like attorney-client privilege and reporting laws is the only way to be fair and consistent to everyone, rather than playing favorites based on public pressure. In the Beau Oyler case, the sort of "justice" you wanted was based on a false premise. The Church used the system to correct the record, the Church wasn't being "un-Christlike"; it was being truthful. By standing up for the documented truth, the Church actually serves the cause of justice better than those who would blindly support any accusation.

Your "technicality" in the legal system is also called Due Process. Following the law, including laws regarding privilege, is a form of integrity. It ensures that the Church isn't acting as a vigilante organization, but as a law-abiding entity. Funny how critics who invoke "Christlike" behavior define it as radical, transparent advocacy for the individual victim at any cost. Never at the "Christlike" mandate from a broader, more complex perspective that considers the protection of the many, the sanctity of the law, and the actual results. As seen in the Beau Oyler case, your so-called "justice" is often sought by people whose memories or motives are flawed. If the Church didn't have its sophisticated record-keeping, it would be defenseless against every false or exaggerated claim. The church has a duty to protect the pockets of tithe payers from predatory or misinformed lawsuits, that in of itself is a "Christlike" act of stewardship. Allowing the Church to be looted because it was too naive to keep professional records would be stupid. But we're smart, and the system actually results in more reporting in many cases. By having a Help Line staffed by professionals, the Church ensures that a local Bishop doesn't make a legal mistake that actually lets a criminal go free. The Help Line's purpose is to ensure that the reporting is done correctly, legally, and in a way that will stand up in court. This is arguably more "Christlike" than a disorganized system that might botch a criminal investigation. Compassion without order is chaos. Sorry the Church refuses to be bullied by critics into abandoning the very protections that allow it to function as a global refuge for millions.

You think Rytting is lying because he called these "Help Line notes" when he knows they are actually "KM Legal Records?" In reality, I'd say Rytting is using that terminology as a way to keep the conversation in "church-speak" (which to a bishop's end there is no distinction) rather than "lawyer-speak" (there clearly is a distinction) which, as you note, provides a convenient "out." You find the lack of a manual "dishonest." From a legal perspective, no manual = no standard to be sued against. Having no written policy and relying on professional judgment alone, the Church makes it much harder for a plaintiff's attorney to prove the Church broke its own rules. I guess we actually agree on the mechanics. Records exist at the law firm, but not at the Family Services office. The disagreement is it's actually a complex system, and Rytting is just used a catch-all term for the records that survive.

The disagreement isn't really about the definition of a log, it’s about whether any "record" exists at all and who is being truthful about it. The answer is in determining how many sources of data comes out of a single Help Line call. This is how both Rytting and Van Komen can be telling the truth. The "Call Notes" (Clinical/Social Work) are the handwritten or typed notes a social worker takes to understand the situation. Van Komen said these are destroyed daily. The "Work Product" (Legal) are the notes the attorney takes. Under U.S. law, Attorney Work Product is a specific category of record created in anticipation of litigation. These are not destroyed daily; they are the "records" Rytting likely refers to. The "Privilege Log" as you noted, is just Metadata that says, "On Oct 12, Bishop X called Lawyer Y." It doesn't contain the conversation, but it proves the conversation happened. Your argument that if one says records exist and the other says they don't, someone is lying. But in a legal setting, they are often speaking about different buckets. Your point is that if the Church calls the 1-800 number a "Help Line," then anything kept from that call is a "Help Line record", Rytting is "lying" by using a broad term for a specific legal file. He is not. Obviously, the Church keeps records locked tight under attorney-client privilege. In the Oyler case, the Church voluntarily waived that privilege to defend itself. Rytting and Van Komen are applying a Litigation standard of honesty (being technically accurate within your specific department's silo). Family Services (the Help Line office) doesn't keep records. Kirton McConkie (the Law Firm) does. We didn't lie.

There is a distinct difference between lying and how a witness is instructed to speak in a deposition. To say "I don't know" if they aren't 100% certain of a specific fact, isn't seen as lying in the law, it's actually avoiding lying and perjury by not guessing or speaking for a department (like Legal) that they don't actually manage.

I read the snippet you've shared. It looks like a textbook example of a legal discovery battle. In the legal world, this is often a strategy called "I don't know" testimony. If a witness can be accused of a lie, a witness says "I don't know what you mean by 'qualified'" they provide a smaller target for the opposing lawyer. You are assuming the witness’s apparent lack of specific, written knowledge is proof the Church is disorganized or deceptive. It's possible there may not be a manual, but unwritten protocols. The policy could actually be very simple and has remained the same for 30 years.

Van Komen's testimony is actually very precise. In a legal deposition, you only answer for your own department. Van Komen isn't lying, and Rytting isn't either. They are simply on two different ends of the phone line. The deposition shows, from a legal defense perspective, it is highly organized. A Bishop calls the number. A social worker gives clinical advice. The notes are destroyed daily, so, there is nothing to subpoena. Then a lawyer gives legal advice. Those records are kept under Attorney-Client Privilege. If the Church is sued or accused of lying later, they unlock those privileged records to defend themselves. That is not a mess, it's a very sophisticated system. The Church is a brilliant multi-billion dollar global entity. We have proof they don't lose records, they just stored them in the legal department.

It seems like you're playing a very specific game of "gotcha" with the semantics. In the legal world, destroying informal notes while keeping a formal summary is high-level risk management, not incompetence. Your portrayal of the Church as disorganized to make Rytting look like a liar is completely deflated by the Beau Oyler case. If the Church was really keeping no records, they wouldn't have been able to produce a detailed timeline of calls from 2013 to publicly correct a former bishop. The records of the "Help Line" calls exist. The Church has clearly demonstrated they have a centralized way to retrieve the history of these calls when they need to defend themselves.

Do they delete everything? No. If they did, they would not have been able to refute Beau Oyler's claims with 11-year-old data. Rytting’s statement might actually be accurate. The Church’s recent actions (like the Beau Oyler rebuttal) prove that records do exist. How could Van Komen have meant they don't keep any records, while the Church Newsroom publishes details from a call 11 years ago? Van Komen was a director at Family Services (Clinical Records). He likely meant that the social workers do not keep a permanent clinical file on the caller. The calls are routed through Kirton McConkie (Legal Records). Lawyers almost always keep a log of calls and the advice given to maintain their own liability records and conflict of interest checks. Rytting works for Risk Management. Risk Management keeps its own files on potential or ongoing lawsuits. If a call to the help line results in a legal file being opened, that file exists independently of the "help line notes." The "raw notes", the scratchpad paper used during the call, might be destroyed daily to protect privacy, but an administrative summary is often entered into a database. This summary isn't a transcript, but it would include the date, the caller’s name, and the general outcome. Whatever way, Rytting must be right, and Notatbm must be wrong. If Rytting were truly blowing smoke and no records exist at all, the Church would have had no way to rebut Beau Oyler with specific dates and the names of the people he talked to. The Church clearly has a database or a log system, a legal or risk management log, just not the social worker's notepad.

Satanic ritual abuse and murder claims are being pushed by groups like "We Are The People Utah" generally allege that high-level members of the LDS Church are involved in a "Deep Church" or "Secret Combination" that facilitates human trafficking or ritualistic abuse. Despite high-profile claims, there has been no credible, admissible evidence presented in court or by law enforcement that supports the existence of an organized SRA ring within the LDS Church, let alone the hierarchy. Recap of Tim Ballard Tim Ballard coined the term "Deep Church" to describe a supposed shadow network within the LDS Church that is working to destroy him. This mirrors many such people that often use conspiracy rhetoric to deflect from their personal legal troubles by framing themselves as a martyr targeted by a corrupt establishment. Why Tim Ballard was actually excommunicated and sued has nothing to do with his SRA conspiracies and everything to do with personal conduct. The primary lawsuits against Ballard involve several women who allege he used a "couples ruse" (pretending to be married while undercover) to groom and sexually assault them. Plaintiffs allege Tim Ballard used LDS scripture and claims of being sanctioned by priesthood authority to coerce them into sexual acts, telling them it was necessary for their mission to save children. We Are The People Utah and Tim Ballard "We Are The People Utah" often provides a platform for guests who claim that the Church's opposition to Ballard is proof of a cover-up. For years, Ballard touted his close ties to the Church to build his brand as a fighter against evil forces. When the Church finally scrutinized his methods and distanced itself, supporters pivoted to claiming the Church was "captured" by those evil forces. This is a classic circular logic used in conspiracy theories: if the Church supports him, it must be a good institute; when it opposed him, it must be in on it. When in late 2025, the Salt Lake County District Attorney declined to file criminal charges, citing "insufficient admissible evidence", Tim Ballard used this as "proof" of innocence and a conspiracy against him. In reality, the DA explicitly stated that declining to charge "does not mean that we disbelieve or diminish a survivor's account." It simply means the "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard is incredibly high for events that occurred in foreign jurisdictions or private settings. The civil lawsuits, where the standard is the "preponderance of evidence", continues to move forward. We Are The People Utah and SRA The platform often ignores the specific, detailed testimony of women (many of them active LDS members) who have filed lawsuits against Tim Ballard. But frequently feature women who share "survivor" stories that center on Satanic ritual abuse, murder and repressed memories. These testimonies are gathered to be collectively used by the show to suggest a broader conspiracy involving religious and political leaders in Utah. Multiple episodes feature guests identified as "River," "Jessica," and "Jill" who claim to have survived generational ritual abuse. These guests often describe "confronting repressed memories" of childhood trauma and ritualistic violence involving politicians and religious figures. Some guests are affiliated with other platforms like the Deconstructing Darkness podcast, which focuses specifically on ritual trauma and the "healing" of repressed memories. Very similar to the women suing Ballard, these guests often speak about "spiritual manipulation" and "grooming". The women suing Tim Ballard, such as Celeste Borys and Amy Davis, allege recent, tangible incidents of sexual assault and harassment during "undercover" missions. Their claims are based on documented interactions, text messages, and employment history. However, the SRA testimonies featured often rely on recalled memories of events from decades ago. Satanic Panic and Alien Abductions Like the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s, there is a lack of physical evidence or law enforcement corroboration for organized ritual sacrifice in Utah. The "Universal Witness" argument is found in the psychological phenomenon of Sociocultural Priming and the malleability of human memory. When people argue that "everyone is reporting gray bug-eyed aliens, gray bug-eyed aliens must be real," they are often overlooking how the media and hypnotic "recovery" sessions is what actually creates that consistency after the fact. The "Grey Alien" (small, grey, large black eyes) was not a universal report until it was popularized by the media. People aren't reporting the same thing because they saw it; they are reporting the same thing because pop culture gave them the visual vocabulary to describe their unknown experience (for something like sleep paralysis). The use of hypnosis or "memory regression" is a major red flag. The brain is a meaning-making machine. When a therapist asks, "What do you see?" the brain will often fill in the blanks with culturally available imagery to satisfy the question. Leading questions like, "Was the light bright?" or "Did the figures have large eyes?", the witness incorporates those details into their "memory." Once the memory is "recovered," the person experiences it as a 100% real event. During sleep paralysis, the body is paralyzed but the brain is awake. This often triggers a threat-detection response in the amygdala, leading to hallucinations of a presence in the room. Jill Butt Jill before she was 19, she was pregnant for 5 and a half years, had 7 children, and they were all sacrificed in front of her. She says the conspiracy went "all the way up to the 15", Apostles. She has what she calls "body memories", she doesn't actually have childhood memories. She has bodily episodes where she, convulses and felt like she gave birth 7 times. Which is evidence to her that she had given birth 7 times. Being pregnant for 5.5 years and having 7 children by age 19 is physiologically impossible under normal human biology. To have 7 children in 5.5 years would require a near-constant state of pregnancy and birth with no recovery time. No record of medical visits or physical evidence of these pregnancies. The "explanation" is usually that they were "covered up" by the cult, but this doesn't account for the physical toll on a teenager's body that would be visible to everyone. Jill describes Somatic Flashbacks, physical sensations like the feeling of giving birth and interprets them as "proof" that the event happened. Psychology recognizes that trauma survivors can experience "body memories" where the body reacts to stress or triggers with physical pain. However, the body cannot store factual data. If a person is told by a therapist or a "survivor" community that their unexplained abdominal pain is "actually" a memory of a hidden birth, the brain begins to interpret that pain through that lens. Over time, the person becomes convinced the event happened because the feeling is real, even if the event never occurred. Claiming the conspiracy goes "all the way to the 15", for decades, the LDS Apostles have lived highly public lives with security, constant schedules, and public appearances. The logistics of them participating in secret ritual sacrifices of seven children from one individual without a single shred of forensic evidence (dna, locations, disposal of remains) makes the claim statistically and practically impossible.

If everyone is naturally a descendant of Noah, how is a remnant of his seed being found among all nations a specific sign or a task for the Lord to fulfill in the last days? The typical understanding is There is a distinction between a mere biological seed and the covenant seed. The "call" of Verse 51 says the Lord would "call upon the children of Noah." This implies a spiritual gathering. In the last days, Noah’s descendants are identified and reclaimed through the Gospel. In scriptural terms, a "remnant" often refers to a faithful group preserved for a specific purpose. The fulfillment in the last days involves finding those who are willing to keep the same oaths Enoch and Noah kept. The Two Covenants include the Everlasting Covenant of Peace that the earth won't be flooded again and Noah’s seed will remain. Then the promise that the Lord will return to "fulfill the oath". In Verse 60, He is coming back because the Seed of Noah and the City of Enoch (Zion) are meant to meet. The "how" is essentially the Gathering of Israel from every nation. Missionaries are "calling" upon the children of Noah in every nation. Offering the same "Only Begotten" (verse 50) framework to those descendants. It is a legal guarantee, an "unalterable decree," the Lord ensured that no matter how wicked the world became in the last days, not to wipe them out and start over, Noah's human race and specifically the line of the priesthood, would never be completely wiped out. But there are some speculative theories In the "Local Flood" Theory, it is suggested the Flood might have been a localized but catastrophic event. If the Flood was local, it follows that other groups of people, not present in Noah's immediate region, would have survived. Under this view, the "unalterable decree" that Noah’s seed would be found among all nations (Moses 7:52) is fulfilled as Noah’s descendants eventually migrated and intermarried with these other surviving populations. The Bible mentions groups like the Rephaim, Anakim and other "giants" appearing after the Flood. Or how one of the wives of Noah’s sons, traditionally Ham’s wife, Egyptus, is often the subject speculation regarding multiple lineages. Or that the term "Rephaim" refers to a spiritual or political class rather than a biological race. A class of "mighty men" (Hebrew: gibborim) who were aristocratic, violent, and highly influential. These groups represent a "counter-Zion", a civilization that stood in direct opposition to Enoch’s.

On January 16, news broke that the Church (via, Property Reserve Inc.) purchased 2,898 acres in the Texas Hill Country (Kyle, Texas). Local environmentalists and residents have protested the sale, fearing "unmanaged sprawl" and potential development into a high-density "Mormon hub" in a sensitive rural area. The historic Nance Ranch along the Blanco River is roughly four miles west of downtown Kyle. The purchase inherited a pre-existing agreement that could allow for up to 9,000 "living unit equivalents", essentially paving the way for a massive residential and commercial master-planned community. Kyle’s water master plan already includes a $37.6 million water line (tentatively set for 2030) specifically designed to serve this acreage. Here is why the current "Mormon Hub" narrative is mix of legitimate environmental concern and illogical alarmism. The "Mormon Hub" Fear Critics fear (or just propagandizing) the area will become a high-density, faith-centric enclave. This is ignoring the Church’s investment history. Property Reserve Inc. typically acts as a "buy and hold" investor. Historically, these investments are about financial diversification, not creating "Zion" in the suburbs, building 9,000 houses and waiting for only members to move in, a membership not already there. The Environmental Concern Makes Sense The protest from the Save Our Springs Alliance is grounded in actual infrastructure math. The land sits on a sensitive aquifer recharge zone. High-density "sprawl" here could jeopardize the regional water supply. Protesters argue the city bypassed public review (a 2020 lawsuit is still making its way through courts). I guess, they want to stop the precedent where the city and a massive institutional buyer can lock in development for 45 years without voter input. The irony of the situation is that many residents are protesting a religious organization for doing exactly what private equity firms have been doing in Texas for years. So, I think by framing it as a "Mormon Hub," critics can gain more media traction, but the real threat isn't us, it’s the pre-approved density that was legal long before the Church even wrote the check. Links Hoodline: Mormon Church Shakes Up 2,900 Acres Near Kyle’s Blanco River About the protest - Chron.com: LDS Church buys 3,000 acres in Texas Hill Country, drawing protests The legal fight - Save Our Springs Alliance: Knight v. City of Kyle (Recharge Zone Protection)

Improbable. They'd have go back separate meetings, but good luck getting the same attendance.

If you were a robot, are you so certain you would know it?

But, if you were a robot, would you honestly tell us?

Well, some of the 4 are juveniles. We'll see.

Come now, don't continue your heated political conversation here, or you'll get it locked too.

There was a series of property crimes targeting meetinghouses in the Salt Lake Valley. Fremont Avenue Failed Rock Siege At a meetinghouse on Fremont Avenue in Salt Lake City, vandals used heavy river rocks and masonry debris found near the site in a "siege" attempt. They first targeted the main entry doors, throwing large rocks in an attempt to shatter the reinforced glass. That failed, they moved to the side of the building and threw rocks at higher-level windows, successfully breaking several. Despite the broken glass, the vandals failed to gain entry to the building. However, the damage to the custom-tempered glass used in modern meetinghouses was estimated at several thousand dollars. The Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) and local analysts have looked closely at these cases. SLCPD Public Information Officer Brent Wilking noted that it is currently being treated as vandalism/criminal mischief rather than a hate crime. Its thought to be a failed attempt at burglary (looking for electronics or food) rather than religious hatred, especially since the vandals gave up once they realized they couldn't easily climb through the broken windows. Gephardt Daily - LDS Church meetinghouse vandalized in Salt Lake City West Valley City drive-by Rock Bandits The next building reported shattered windows on the side facing the street. Unlike the other, this one appeared to be a "drive-by" rock throwing, as the rocks were smaller and the damage was less concentrated on the entry points. West Valley City (WVC) police have monitored a rash of rock-related incidents involving multiple LDS Churches and cars in the three cities for nearly three weeks. Police said altogether, 11 LDS chapels and nearly 50 cars were hit. The take center along 1300 West in West Jordan was also hit. Unified Police Department said four people were arrested over the weekend in connection with the crimes. They are working with both the Sandy and West Jordan Police Departments on potentially bringing charges. Police have not yet released information regarding a possible motive or the identities of those involved. KSL - Police catch 'rock bandits' after LDS chapel vandalism around Salt Lake County The Magna Fire Extinguisher Dusting The "big" vandalism story in that specific region, it is the Magna meetinghouse (near West Valley). This was far more severe than the rock attacks. Vandals sprayed fire extinguishers throughout the building. The corrosive dust destroyed the organ, caked the hallways, and ruined the carpets. Bathrooms were damaged, including broken mirrors and sinks, classrooms, the chapel area and a piano were also damaged as the vandals apparently used whatever they could find to bash anything and break stuff. $60,000 in damages. Nothing was reported as stolen from the building. It being investigated by several agencies including the Metro Gang Unit because of the graffiti that was found inside. Detectives are also searching for any surveillance video from businesses or residents that may have recorded the vandal or vandal KSL - Vandals cause at least $60K in damage to Magna church In early January 2026, a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cedar Hills, Utah, was targeted in a significant act of vandalism. Reported by local news outlets KSL, Deseret News, and Mid-Utah Radio. Ceder Hill, Utah gets Tagged According to reports from the American Fork Police Department, which oversees Cedar Hills, the perpetrators entered the building around January 9–10, with police reports surfacing on January 12, 2026. Nearly every chair and couch in the foyer and common areas was either overturned or physically broken. Including bending the metal chairs. They didn't go in the chapel. "Scribbles" and graffiti were spray-painted across classroom tables and several chalkboards. The vandals targeted the building's infrastructure by ripping benches, hitting walls and using them to knock thermostats off the walls and destroying them. Lieutenant Josh Christensen of the American Fork Police estimated the cost of the damage to be at least $2,000, which is just a preliminary figure to repair surfaces and furniture. No arrests have been made. Police have been reviewing nearby residential surveillance footage to identify any suspicious vehicles or individuals in the area during the Friday night timeframe. The incident follows a broader trend of vandalism against Church property in Utah, police have not yet categorized the Cedar Hills incident as a hate crime, as no specific derogatory messages were left behind, only "scribbles". No photos are available, it seems due to the investigation. Mid-Utah Radio, "Police: LDS Cedar Hills meetinghouse vandalized," January 12, 2026. American Fork Police Department, Case File 2026-CH-0042 (January incident report). My Commentary on Culpability The FBI have noted a "clustering" effect or serial nature of these crimes. Because the Church Arson Prevention Act gives federal authorities jurisdiction over the "intentional defacement or destruction of religious real property," the FBI tracks whether these clusters are coordinated by a group or are simply unorganized "copycat" crimes. Among the theories put forward by security analysts, like at ASIS International and The Family Research Council, drawn from other local incidents noted that local vandals often use "talking points" found in online forums. Church vandalism often spikes in direct correlation with "hot-button" online trends. In several incidents across the Salt Lake Valley and the Pacific Northwest, meetinghouses and temples have been tagged with phrases like "Tax the Rich," "Billion Dollar Cult," or "Build Housing, Not Temples." These phrases are not from news sources; they are direct talking points from social media platforms like X and Reddit about its financial holdings. The "Predators Welcome" Spree in Sandy and Draper, Utah, regarded the Church’s internal abuse reporting. The 2022 Supreme Court Rowe v. Wade decision, LDS buildings were targeted with "Jane's Revenge" slogans, a name and talking point that originated entirely in online spaces. It tells investigators that certain perpetrators are likely someone deeply immersed in specific online communities. The "Permission Structure" is a psychological term used to describe how constant negative online discourse regarding the Church’s financial holdings or the abuse help line controversy can lower the moral barrier for criminal acts. So, Vandals may not see their actions as "hate crimes" but as a form of social justice or activism. They believe they are punching up against a powerful institution. The buildings are assets, not churches, where the vandals explicitly leave online talking points as their manifesto. While most online posters enjoy plausible deniability, they are more culpable than many realize. When influencer demonizes a group, they don't give a direct order, they "load the gun" by making violence feel statistically inevitable. This stochastic terrorism remains legally insulated because they never provide a specific time, place, or person for the attack. They essentially benefit from indirect incitement. "Disinformation loads the gun, but hate speech pulls the trigger" (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

That’s not how the Unit Banking System works. You're partially right about the bank, but wrong about the check. The clerk doesn't just "choose a category", the software literally locks the funds in the category. In the LCR system, Tithing and Fast Offerings are in completely different universes. It cannot co-mingle because the local ward doesn't actually hold the money. Salt Lake only release it when the software confirms it's for the right category. I absolutely know. While the Church does not release full, line-item audited financial statements to the public to know 100%. I know because it would be dumb. Like a Bishop and a Clerk (unpaid volunteers with day jobs) would actively conspire to commit accounting fraud, know how to bypass the software locks, and lie to a stake auditor, all just to move money from a "charity" bucket to a "building" bucket, to pay for a party? Yeah, right. I know the Church built rigorous, software-locked barriers to prevent co-mingling. The computer literally won't let a clerk pull Fast Offering money for a Ward Party. If a ward’s Fast Offering balance is low, the system doesn't just dip into the Youth Budget or the Tithing funds. The Bishop actually has to request a "transfer" or "replenishment" from the Stake, which draws from the Stake’s surplus Fast Offerings. Every six months, an outside auditor from another ward sits down and cross-references every single receipt with the specific category used. If Fast Offering money was used to buy a basketball hoop for the gym, the Bishop gets flagged for a policy violation. The Church maintains a "Waterproof Bulkhead" policy. Fast Offerings are never sent to the general investment arm (Ensign Peak). They stay in the Welfare and Humanitarian Services stream. Even at the highest levels of the Church, these are reported as separate lines in the financial summaries. The Church employs a massive department of professional auditors whose sole job is to ensure funds aren't co-mingled. Because co-mingling restricted funds (like Fast Offerings) with unrestricted funds (like Tithing) is an accounting nightmare that can jeopardize tax-exempt status in many countries. Also, because the Church Auditing Department is staffed by credentialed professionals (CPAs) whose careers depend on their licenses. If they signed off on co-mingled funds, shifting "restricted" humanitarian money into "unrestricted" business or building accounts, they would be violating the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants code of ethics. Why risk losing their licenses to help a wealthy organization save a few dollars? It's a terrible trade. Intentionally co-mingling welfare funds would be providing the government with a kill switch for their tax-exempt status. Just like at the ward level, the top level uses a "Council" system. No single person, not even the Prophet, has the checkbook in their desk. The people deciding where the money goes are physically and departmentally separate from the people who actually move the money and the people who audit the moves. To co-mingle at this level, you would need a conspiracy involving dozens of high-level professionals and leaders. There is also a very specific personality type drawn to Church employment, these are people who will all have a psychological barrier to borrowing from the Poor Fund to pay for a Temple. Ensign Peak whistleblowers prove that even at the highest levels of the investment arm, people talk. I may not know 100%, I do know there are hundreds of IT developers, database managers, and senior accountants who build and maintain the software that tracks these specific dollars, that know. In a group of 1,000 professional accountants, the odds that zero of them would leak a document showing Charity Funds used for Shopping Mall are basically zero. Cynicism is not always intelligence when you think everything is a deep conspiracy and you ignore the much more boring reality.

One of the few sources of blood that is caffeine free? *Researching* Oh no, I was joking! But it looks it might really be why... There are 2 theories on the internet. The most grounded explanation involves Epstein’s obsession with eugenics and life extension. Epstein reportedly consulted with scientists about young blood transfusions (parabiosis) to slow aging. A 2025 study published in Haematologica found that caffeine can actually degrade the quality of stored red blood cells, making transfusions less effective. Because members traditionally avoid coffee and tea, they represent one of the largest demographics of "clean" donors with low caffeine and nicotine metabolites in their systems. To a billionaire obsessed with biological optimization, "Mormon blood" would be seen as a premium, high-purity product. The other theory is Blood Atonement. There is no evidence in the millions of pages of documents that blood was used for blood rituals. But it seems Blood Atonement remains a favorite among for conspiracy theorists. When Epstein's name, linked to high-level "elite" debauchery got mentioned alongside "Mormonism," internet forums quickly latched on to it, suggesting a ritualistic connection that the evidence doesn't support. *Finding some good sources* Haematologica in September 2025. Researchers analyzed over 13,000 donors and found that caffeine isn't a harmless stimulant; it actually alters the biology of red blood cells (RBCs). Caffeine inhibits specific enzymes (G6PD) that protect blood cells from oxidative stress. This makes the blood fragile during the 42 days it sits in a blood bank. When people received transfusions with high caffeine levels, their hemoglobin didn't rise as much as it should have. The cells were breaking down (hemolysis) faster. https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/study-reveals-caffeine-may-undermine-blood-transfusion-effectiveness The desire of LDS Control Groups. In medical research, if you want to study the effects of a substance that 75–80% of the population uses (like caffeine), you need a clean control group. The LDS population is one of the only large, reliable demographics in the Western world where you can find "pristine" blood samples at scale. https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu/religion-context/case-studies/technology/mormons-genetics-digitized-data

The Bishop is instructed to use these only for things like food, housing, medical bills, and essential utilities for those in need. When you donate a Fast Offering, that money is technically available for your local Bishop to help people in your own ward area first. If a wealthy ward collects more than it needs, the surplus isn't "co-mingled" with the building fund. Instead, it is sent to the Stake, then to Church Headquarters, to be redistributed to wards in poorer areas, or used for global humanitarian aid. The "Legal Disclaimer" is mostly a legal safeguard to prevent lawsuits if a specific fund is overfilled and the money needs to be shifted. No matter how much, Church leaders and the General Handbook emphasize that they do not co-mingle Fast Offerings with general funds in practice. It is kept a distinct "welfare" resource, it won't be used to pay the electric bill.

If I recall, unlike the US Social Security, the Church funds don't co-mingle. Fast Offerings can't be used for anything else.

It's from their "neighbor", and signed? I never seen the church use QR codes, though I'm not well up to date on everything done now days.