Wealthy Mormon Publicly Leaves the LDS Church

[Daniel2]

Haven't seen a thread on this topic yet, but it's shown up across a few of my social media and news feeds.

Different sources contain different nuggets/sources commenting about both Mr. Green and The Church, so I'll quote a few:

The New York Times report has some interesting commentary from Kathleen Flake, a professor of Mormon Studies about the political nature of such a public announcement:

Quote

Billionaire Makes Public Break From Mormon Church

Jeff T. Green, the chief executive of a technology firm, said he was leaving because of the church’s wealth and stance on social issues such as gay rights. 

“I believe the Mormon Church has hindered global progress in women’s rights, civil rights and racial equality, and L.G.B.T.Q.+ rights,” said Jeff T. Green, the chief executive of The Trade Desk, an advertising technology firm.

By Amanda Holpuch

Dec. 21, 2021

A billionaire from Utah, Jeff T. Green, said he was resigning this week from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in an unusually high-profile rebuke of the church’s wealth and position on social issues.

Mr. Green, who runs an advertising technology firm and is believed to be one of the wealthiest people from Utah, did not say what caused him to make such a public exit this week. But he said in a letter to Russell M. Nelson, the church’s president, that he was concerned about the church’s history, finances and advocacy.

“While most members are good people trying to do right, I believe the church is actively and currently doing harm in the world,” he wrote in the letter, which was reported Monday by The Salt Lake Tribune.

In the letter, a copy of which was dated Dec. 23, he said he had stopped believing in the church’s teachings more than a decade ago and had spent several years reflecting on his issues with it. “I believe the Mormon Church has hindered global progress in women’s rights, civil rights and racial equality, and L.G.B.T.Q.+ rights,” he wrote.

The church’s press office did not respond to a request for comment.

In the letter, Mr. Green, 44, asked for his records to be removed from the church and for his only other contact from the organization to be a letter confirming that he was no longer a member. One of his friends and 11 of his family members were also resigning, he said.

Kathleen Flake, a professor of Mormon studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, said this sort of formal exit from the church was similar to a renunciation of citizenship. To return to the church, a person would have to be rebaptized.

“Renouncing it is a political act; it’s a way of making a political statement, not just a religious statement,” she said.

She said it was unlikely that the church, which has more than 16 million members, would respond.

“I think they care, but I don’t think they are surprised by such public statements,” Professor Flake, a church member, said. “They’ve simply had too much experience with it to think that they will escape this kind of public engagement with their moral standards.”

Mr. Green, who now lives in Southern California, was also critical of the church’s wealth, which includes an investment fund paid for with contributions by members. The fund had $48 billion worth of stocks as of Sep. 30, according to SEC filings.

“This money comes from people, often poor, who wholeheartedly believe you represent the will of Jesus,” Mr. Green wrote. “They give, expecting the blessings of heaven.”

The management of the fund has come under scrutiny in recent years after a former manager accused the church of misleading members about the use of the funds. Church officials told The Wall Street Journal last year that the money was to be used during possible economic downturns.

In September, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by a prominent former member, James Huntsman, that accused the church of using the money for commercial purposes.

Mr. Green, the chief executive of the firm The Trade Desk, is worth $5.2 billion, according to Forbes. In November, he pledged to give away more than 90 percent of his wealth before or at his death.

This week Mr. Green also announced he was donating $600,000 to Equality Utah, a group that advocates L.G.B.T.Q. rights in the state.

He told The Tribune that almost half the money would go to a scholarship fund for students in Utah, including those who “may need or want” to leave Brigham Young University, which is sponsored by the church and has an honor code that prohibits same-sex “romantic behavior.”

 

 

The Associated Press' take includes a bit more context of The LDS Church's more recent activities supporting some initiatives in favor of LGBT civil rights, as well as mentioning Huntsman's failed lawsuit:

Quote

Mormon billionaire leaves faith, rebukes LGBTQ rights stance

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — An advertising-technology billionaire has formally resigned his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and rebuked the faith over social issues and LGBTQ rights in an unusual public move.

Jeff T. Green has pledged to donate 90% of his estimated $5 billion fortune, starting with a $600,000 donation to the LGBTQ-rights group Equality Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Green said in a Monday resignation letter to church President Russell M. Nelson that he hasn’t been active in the faith widely known as Mormon for more than a decade but wanted to make his departure official and remove his name from membership records.

“I believe the Mormon church has hindered global progress in women’s rights, civil rights and racial equality, and LGBTQ+ rights,” he wrote. Eleven family members and a friend formally resigned along with him.

The church didn’t immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment Tuesday, but in recent years has shown a willingness to engage on LGBTQ rights that is unusual for a conservative faith. It maintains its doctrinal opposition to same-sex marriage and intimacy, but the faith didn’t block a 2019 ban on so-called conversion therapy in Utah and in November high-ranking leader Dallin Oaks called for a recognition of both religious rights and LGBTQ rights.

Still, the church has taken positions over the years that have been deeply painful for many in the LGBTQ community. Green, for his part, said most church members “are good people trying to do right,” but he also worries about the faith’s transparency around its history and finances.

Green, 44, now lives in Southern California. He is the CEO and chairman of The Trade Desk, an advertising-technology firm he founded in 2009.

He also mentioned concerns about a $100 billion investment portfolio held by the faith. It was the subject of an Internal Revenue Service whistleblower complaint in 2019, from a former employee who charged the church had improperly built it up using member donations that are supposed to go to charitable causes.

Leaders have defended how the church uses and invests member donations, saying most is used for operational and humanitarian needs, but a portion is safeguarded to build a reserve for the future. The faith annually spends about $1 billion on humanitarian and welfare aid, leaders have said.

The church has also come under criticism for conservative social positions. Women do not hold the priesthood in the faith, and Black men could not until the 1970s.

In recent years, though, the faith has worked with the NAACP and donated nearly $10 million for initiatives to help Black Americans. It has also worked with Equality Utah to pass a state LGBTQ nondiscrimination law, with religious exemptions.

Another prominent onetime Latter-day Saint sued the faith this year, accusing it of fraud and seeking to recover millions of dollars in contributions. James Huntsman is a member of one of Utah’s most well-known families and brother of a former governor. The suit was later tossed out.

And the Daily Beast's article contains a few more tidbits from Green's letter to Nelson and a few more details about some of his 11 family members that likewise chose to leave the Faith:

Quote

Utah’s Richest Native Rips Mormon Church in Letter Announcing His Resignation as Member

“I believe the church is actively and currently doing harm in the world,” Jeff Green wrote, saying he’d be departing the faith “immediately” and taking 11 family members with him.

by AJ McDougall

Updated Dec. 21, 2021 10:46PM ET / Published Dec. 20, 2021 8:33PM ET 

Utah's wealthiest native son, who pledged last month to give away at least 90 percent of his wealth, has formally broken ties with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, excoriating the organization on its hoarded wealth and civil-rights record on his way out the door.

In an explosive 900-word letter sent Monday to LDS President Russell Nelson, Jeff T. Green lambasted the Mormon church, saying that while he believed most members were “good people trying to do right,” he also believed “the church is actively and currently doing harm in the world.”

“The church leadership is not honest about its history, its finances, and its advocacy,” Green, a former Mormon missionary and Brigham Young University graduate, added. “I believe the Mormon church has hindered global progress in women’s rights, civil rights and racial equality, and LGBTQ+ rights.”

Accordingly, Green’s next major donation will be $600,000 to Equality Utah. In his letter, Green noted pointedly that “almost half of the fund will go to a new scholarship program to help LGBTQ+ students in Utah,” including any who “may need or want to leave [Brigham Young University].”

Green, the 44-year-old CEO and chairman of advertising tech firm The Trade Desk, is worth an estimated $4.9 billion, according to the Forbes Billionaires List. He currently resides in Southern California, having informally left the Mormon church “more than a decade ago—not believing, attending, or practicing,” according to his letter, which he said marked his official and immediate withdrawal from the church.

“Although I have deep love for many Mormons and gratitude for many things that have come into my life through Mormonism, I have not considered myself a member for many years, and I’d like to make clear to you and others that I am not a member,” he wrote to Nelson.

Taking the church, Utah’s largest nonprofit, to task over its “more than $100 billion in assets,” Green demanded the organization do “more to help the world and its members.” Mormons, “often poor,” give to the Church “expecting the blessings of heaven,” he wrote.

“Instead, I think the church has exploited its members and their need for hope to build temples, build shopping malls, and cattle ranches… rather than alleviating human suffering in or out of the church.”

Green, a divorced dad to three children, is departing Mormonism along with 11 family members and a friend.

His sister, Jennifer Gaerte, told The Salt Lake Tribune, which first reported on Green’s letter, that she had “that picture-perfect Mormon family” until the death of her husband’s brother forced her “into survival mode.” With her grief-stricken partner not attending church, she said, the family was shunned, with other children even throwing rocks at her's.

Gaerte went to a church leader and asked him to release her from the Young Women, an LDS youth organization. He argued that if he released her, she would become an inactive member of the church. “If you won’t release me,” she reportedly replied, “I’ll release myself.”

A cousin of Green’s, Doug Whittemore, said that aspects of Mormonism gnawed at him despite his “wonderful” upbringing. “Something was not clicking for me intuitively,” Whittemore said. “It was pragmatic, but I could never buy into the [religious] concepts, and the teachings were about as far-fetched as you could believe.”

He chose not to serve a mission—a worldwide expedition to proselytize and recruit new members to the church—when he came of age, shocking his family. “A lot of them wouldn’t talk to me for years,” Whittemore, who now lives in Dallas, “and that still persists to this day.”

Green echoed Whittemore’s recollection of an idyllic childhood, and how crucial his faith had been to him growing up. “The most positive part of our childhood wasn’t the strong connection we had with our parents but to the community,” he told the Tribune. “I am deeply grateful to that community and its amazing people, including my ancestors who made great sacrifices in the name of God and the community.”

But Green reiterated in his letter that his mind was made up, adding, “After today, the only contact I want from the church is a single letter of confirmation to let me know that I am no longer listed as a member.”

 

It's worth noting that it's The Church's standard policy to refrain from commenting on such matters, which it views as private, so declining to comment on a story such as this isn't surprising.

Edited December 22, 2021 by Daniel2
fix quote formatting

[BRMC]

He left the Church 10 years ago, he just didn't pull his name off the rolls.   People leave or join the Church every day, it's interesting how they only highlight the loudest voices who leave.  Nobody from the Times contacted me when when I converted.

[katherine the great]

I personally think billionaires should not exist. It’s a little ironic to me to hear a billionaire criticize an organization for their finances. Still, it’s certainly his right to leave however he chooses and I can’t argue with some of his other reasons. 

[teddyaware]

4 hours ago, Daniel2 said:

Haven't seen a thread on this topic yet, but it's shown up across a few of my social media and news feeds.

Different sources contain different nuggets/sources commenting about both Mr. Green and The Church, so I'll quote a few:

The New York Times report has some interesting commentary from Kathleen Flake, a professor of Mormon Studies about the political nature of such a public announcement:

 

The Associated Press' take includes a bit more context of The LDS Church's more recent activities supporting some initiatives in favor of LGBT civil rights, as well as mentioning Huntsman's failed lawsuit:

And the Daily Beast's article contains a few more tidbits from Green's letter to Nelson and a few more details about some of his 11 family members that likewise chose to leave the Faith:

It's worth noting that it's The Church's standard policy to refrain from commenting on such matters, which it views as private, so declining to comment on a story such as this isn't surprising.

Another spiritual illiterate who fails to appreciate the fact that if the Church is going to fulfill the many prophecies concerning the establishment of the worldwide Zion of peace and safety in the midst of the turmoil of the last days, it’s going to require a tremendous amount of capital and resources.

Edited December 22, 2021 by teddyaware

[Calm]

Some conversation started here with Tacenda posting the info:

https://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/74118-the-lds-church-as-a-percentage-of-worldwide-christianity-competition-threat-or/?do=findComment&comment=1210069176

 

[Calm]

10 minutes ago, BRMC said:

He left the Church 10 years ago, he just didn't pull his name off the rolls.   People leave or join the Church every day, it's interesting how they only highlight the loudest voices who leave.  Nobody from the Times contacted me when when I converted.

Good chance he contacted the news himself…or his PR guy did.

[Scott Lloyd]

A nothing-burger. 

[Scott Lloyd]

14 minutes ago, Calm said:

Good chance he contacted the news himself…or his PR guy did.

If he’s a rich advertising guy, it goes without saying that he knows how to milk the media for publicity. 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Scott Lloyd

[bluebell]

2 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

A nothing-burger. 

I agree, which is why I find it so odd that I'm seeing this story picked up and shared by multiple news sources across the country.  

[Tacenda]

33 minutes ago, katherine the great said:

I personally think billionaires should not exist. It’s a little ironic to me to hear a billionaire criticize an organization for their finances. Still, it’s certainly his right to leave however he chooses and I can’t argue with some of his other reasons. 

I don't want to take this off the rails, but Elder Stevenson that owns iFIT is a billionaire, or close to it. He's been called as an apostle and he's given an exemption from the church to work there or be on the company's board unlike the others in the quorum. And just this past week or so, the company laid off 250 employees right before Christmas, with no severance pay according to an article and someone that says they worked there, and it's not the first time they laid off a bunch of people like that. 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Tacenda

[bluebell]

1 minute ago, Tacenda said:

I don't want to take this off the rails, but Elder Stevenson that owns iFIT is a billionaire, or close to it. He was called as an apostle this year and I guess he's been given an exemption from the church to work there or be on the company's board unlike the others in the quorum. And just this past week or so, the company laid off 250 employees right before Christmas, with no severance pay according to an article and someone that says they worked there, and it's not the first time they laid off a bunch of people like that. 

 

He was called as an apostle in 2015 by Pres. Monson, not this year.

 

[Tacenda]

3 minutes ago, bluebell said:

He was called as an apostle in 2015 by Pres. Monson, not this year.

 

I know, you didn't see my edit. But that's okay. I really did a dummy thing, by stating it, and really should have known. 

[bluebell]

6 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

I know, you didn't see my edit. But that's okay. I really did a dummy thing, by stating it, and really should have known. 

No worries.

[CV75]

I'm a billionaire but I'm afraid if I advertised my support for the Church, I'd have to tithe on it.

[JLHPROF]

39 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

I don't want to take this off the rails, but Elder Stevenson that owns iFIT is a billionaire, or close to it. He's been called as an apostle and he's given an exemption from the church to work there or be on the company's board unlike the others in the quorum. And just this past week or so, the company laid off 250 employees right before Christmas, with no severance pay according to an article and someone that says they worked there, and it's not the first time they laid off a bunch of people like that. 

Well, running the Church is like running a business these days.  I very much doubt you'll ever see a humble uneducated farmboy as an Apostle again.

They need to be CEOs almost as much as they need to be faithful to do the job.  God likes Masters degrees or equivalent for Apostles.

[JLHPROF]

50 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

If he’s a rich advertising guy, it goes without saying that he knows how to milk the media for publicity. 

How else to bring public attention to the giant donation he just made?

Pathetic really.

[california boy]

I saw an article in the Huffington Post this morning.

[bluebell]

48 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

I don't want to take this off the rails, but Elder Stevenson that owns iFIT is a billionaire, or close to it. He's been called as an apostle and he's given an exemption from the church to work there or be on the company's board unlike the others in the quorum. And just this past week or so, the company laid off 250 employees right before Christmas, with no severance pay according to an article and someone that says they worked there, and it's not the first time they laid off a bunch of people like that. 

 

From the article that I kind of read (it was behind a paywall so maybe someone with a tribune subscription can clarify), when the company went public with stock options it had the potential to maybe make Stevenson almost a billionaire.  

In other words, it didn't sound like they really had that much of an idea how much money he had and also didn't have that much of an idea how much money he might be able to make.

Beyond that, it's hard to say much more about how anyone spends their money, how much goes to charity, or anything like that, unless it's been disclosed somehow.  Also, being laid off from a job has to happen sometimes.  It really sucks.

[Scott Lloyd]

3 minutes ago, california boy said:

I saw an article in the Huffington Post this morning.

Not an original article. They just ran the AP wire story. 

[mfbukowski]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

I agree, which is why I find it so odd that I'm seeing this story picked up and shared by multiple news sources across the country.  

Just another ploy to defame the church, there's a lot of that going around.

[Duncan]

22 minutes ago, JLHPROF said:

How else to bring public attention to the giant donation he just made?

Pathetic really.

didn't he decline further comment? that doesn't sound pathetic

[BRMC]

5 minutes ago, Duncan said:

didn't he decline further comment? that doesn't sound pathetic

Decline further comment when?   After he gave enough interviews?

[california boy]

23 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Not an original article. They just ran the AP wire story. 

Biggest San Francisco paper also picked up the story.  Right now it is the 5th most popular story read.

[bluebell]

4 minutes ago, california boy said:

Biggest San Francisco paper also picked up the story.  Right now it is the 5th most popular story read.

Well that makes sense.  

[Duncan]

11 minutes ago, BRMC said:

Decline further comment when?   After he gave enough interviews?

I must have misread something somewhere! I'll keep looking though. It's his decision though if he wants to do interviews