We, the undersigned, demand that the LDS Church refunds the tithing we have paid.
To receive God's blessings, Church members give one-tenth of their income to the Lord through His Church. Church members give their tithing donations to local leaders. These local leaders transmit tithing funds directly to the headquarters of the Church, where a council determines specific ways to use the sacred funds. Generally, tithing funds are always used for the Lord's purposes—to build and maintain temples and meetinghouses, to sustain missionary work, to educate Church members, and to carry on the work of the Lord throughout the world.
I believe, as I do, that most members consider the payment of tithes to be a double blessing. By paying tithing, Church members show their gratitude to God for their blessings and also help further the work of the Lord in the earth.
For people like us, who don't make a lot of money, paying tithing isn't really as easy as we thought it would be, but it used to give us joy and spiritual comfort. However, the Church defrauded its members by using tithing funds for non-charitable purposes, such as in building the City Creek Center shopping complex in Salt Lake City. The Church was using an array of shell companies to hide its vast wealth and has not publicly disclosed its financial statements in the United States since 1959. Even employees of Ensign Peak Advisors, the Church's enigmatic investment fund, don't know the total assets or what the fund is intended for. We are getting frustrated with the Church.
Therefore, the undersigned demand the following:
1. The LDS Church refunds the tithing we have paid.
2. Bishop publicly clarifies where the tithing funds went and apologizes.
3. The LDS Church publicly discloses Annual financial statements.
