keithr@tekecs.UUCP (Keith Rowell) (08/27/86)
Here's an interesting book for Mormon watchers and Mormons alike:
Heinerman, John and Anson Shupe. The Mormon Corporate Empire.
Beacon Press, 1985. HB $19.95 (Your local library may have a
copy. I bought one because I have some Mormon friends.)
From the dust jacket: "...*The Mormon Corporate Empire* is the
most comprehensive, detailed look at the Mormon Church ever
published. Presenting reliable and exhautive estimates of the
Church's financial holdings...[The authors] demonstrate that the
ideology behind the Saints' quest for temporal power derives
from theological dogma. Mormons' belief in a near-future
Millenium, after which all temporal and spiritual authority will
devolve on them, is the motivating force behind the Church's
acquisition of wealth and power and its conservative political
agenda."
"John Heinerman..., a Mormon himself, is
directory of the Anthropological Research Center in Salt Lake
City. Anson Shupe is professor of sociology and associate
director of the Center for Social Research at the University of
Texas at Arlington. He is co-author of *Strange Gods: The
Greate American Cult Scare*..."
I would especially appreciate any intelligent comment from
Mormons who read the book. Should I be as worried as I think I
should be? This is not another Fundamentalist hate tract aimed
at the "occult" teachings of the Mormons. As far as I can tell,
this book is written by a concerned, intelligent Mormon and a
professional religion watchdog. Is this right?
What am I to make of a statement like this?
"A high-ranking member in the Department of Defense" has said in an
anonymous interview "I think that the Prophet Joseph Smith was right about
the Church saving the Constitution. I believe every word of it. But I just
don't know how the Lord will bring this about. Will He use good priesthood
brethern [such as the general] in high places in the military and government
to give direction and counsel to our present leaders? Or will He give the
prophet [currently, Ezra Benson; my insertion] a revelation for us to move
ahead and take command in some sense?...I think that doors have already been
opened and we've been the men the Lord has selected to walk through those
doors...[ellipsis the authors' not mine] You put together the political,
military, and ecclesiastical into a group of men and you've got super-human
leaders." (p. 177-178)
Apparently, for serious Mormons, Mormonism comes first, the
Constitution of the U.S. second. This is fine if Mormons stay
out of positions of political and economic power. But, this is
true less and less especially under the Reagan administration.
When spiritual world ideas drive the temporal world -- look
out! Spiritual world ideas are too often cast in the mold of
mythological thinking as opposed to rational thinking. Woe unto
all of us if those gain power whose thought and action is
founded in mythological thinking! (See Ernst Cassirer, The Myth
of the State, Yale University Press, 1946, about the creation of
the mythologically-based thought world that has culminated in
phenomena like Nazism.)
To pique your interest, here are some chapter and section
headings.
1. The Emerging Kingdom of the Saints
2. From Telegraph to Satellite
3. LDS, Incorporated.
4. Political and Miliary Power of the Latter-day Saints
Mormonism and Caesar
Mormon Political Clout
Mormons and the Moral Majority
Mormon Think Tanks
The CIA/FBI Connection
Mormons and the U.S. Military
Politics and Para-Patriotism
5. The Darker Side of Mormonism
The Myth of Mormon Welfare
Church Authority and Censorship
Beyond Detente: Mormons Penetrate Communism
Mormons and Minorities
LDS, Inc., in Court
6. Religious Liberty and the Kingdom of God
Here are some interesting estimates and facts from the book:
Bonneville International, the media arm of the Church,
owns 12 commercial radio stations: KSL-AM in Salt Lake City,
KIRO-AM/KSEA-FM in Seattle, WRFM-FM in New York City, KBIG-FM in
LA, WCLR-FM in Chicago, KOIT-AM/KOIT-FM in San Francisco, etc.
(p. 48)
The Church owns KSL-TV television station in Salt Lake City and
KIRO-TV in Seattle. Also, KBYU-TV educational TV at BYU. (p. 47)
The Church investments in electronic communications equipment
dwarf Robert Schuller's, Jerry Falwell's, Oral Roberts', and
Jimmy Swaggert's. In 1981, the Church set up the world's largest
television network, which is used mostly to connect ward and stake
meeting houses to the Church headquarters in Salt Lake City.
Church members see the satellite network as a preparation for the
coming endtimes of catastrophe. They will be able to notify 3
million members in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico within an hour
with the network. A Mormon owned satellite is already in the
works! (p. 44, 55-57)
"Today only about one-third of Mormons pay at least a full tithe
(10 percent of annual income before taxes) to the Church." (p.
102)
BYU, the largest privately owned university in America, has
probably the most successful donation program going in America
and almost two thirds of the funds that flow into BYU come
from non-Mormons! (p. 105-106)
Total estimated stocks and bonds investments 1982-1983 were
$953,600,000. Estimated earned income from these investments
was $82,782,200. The Church is heavily invested in public
utilities and the usual blue chip stocks. But during the Reagan Recession
it shifted large amounts of assets into more liquid money-market
mutual funds, short term notes, etc. (p. 115)
Estimated total income from all sources (tithing, donations,
earned income) in 1983 were $2,000,000,000. (2 billion) (p. 116)
At 928,600 total agribusiness acres, the Church is the
"single largest ranching enterprise in the United States." (The
next largest is the King Ranch in Texas.) Total agribusiness
assets (mostly land) are worth $2,183,938,000. (p. 120)
The Church owns about 30,000 acres of commercial properties,
mostly in Utah. The church is the largest private
property owner in Utah. Some property is owned in LA, Phoenix,
Boston, Honolulu, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Seoul, and Sydney.
Estimated value of these commercial properties (1983):
$757,382,000. (p. 121-122)
The Church owns Beneficial Life Insurance Company. Estimated
market value of all insurance holdings: $118,500,000. (p.
123-124)
Total assets of the Church in 1983 were $7,895,433,000.
$7.071 billion were held in lands and buildings. These included
meeting houses, other religious buildings, temples, education
facilities (BYU), agribusiness holdings, commercial real estate
and industrial parks, historical properties. (p. 125)
Another recent book you may be interested in is:
Gottlieb, Robert and Peter Wiley. America's Saints: The Rise of
Mormon Power. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1984, 1986. PB $5.95
(Your local library may have a copy.)