(REVIEW) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a group known as Mormons) has its own, often overlooked, film industry within the subculture of Christian Films. While evangelicals and Catholics have produced such movies as “Fireproof,” “I Can Only Imagine” and “God’s Not Dead,” Mormons have “The Best Two Years” and “The Other Side of Heaven.”
Read MoreA former employee of a $100 billion investment fund owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave an interview on national TV program “60 Minutes” about his experience working at the Salt Lake City-based Ensign Peak Advisors Inc. and what drove him to file a whistleblower complaint with the IRS and other government entities.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Revelations regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ finances have raised questions concerning the ethics of a religious organization amassing such a large amount of wealth, and how it is balanced with charitable giving. But headlines often overlook the long and surprising history of the modern church’s financial success — as well as the continued anxiety surrounding its economic reserves.
Read MoreThe Securities and Exchange Commission announced Ensign Peak Advisers Inc. and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints agreed to pay $5 million in penalties to settle charges against the investment fund operating inside the nonprofit entity of the church.
Read MoreThis week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the religion angles in this weekend’s Super Bowl. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Read MoreAfter years of persecution culminating in the assassination of its founder, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints migrated from Illinois to Utah in the mid-nineteenth century. Since then, the churchhas helped build the state into a religious and economic stronghold with Salt Lake City as its crown jewel. Now, the crown jewel is in peril.
Read More“Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey” tells the story of Warren Jeffs’ rise in the FLDS church after the death of his father Rulon and the way women were treated as property under the practice of polygamy. ReligionUnplugged.com talked to Rachel Dretzin about the series and why she focused on the heart-wrenching stories of women who left the church.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Temples in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormon church, have long been a site of curiosity, suspicion and admiration. They are where the faith’s most sacred rites or “ordinances” are performed, so church members were traditionally taught not to discuss some of them publicly.
Read More(REVIEW) “Under The Banner of Heaven” wants to be both a thrilling true crime drama and a faith-shaking takedown of the religious right, but so far its treatment of the topic is too shallow and too un-self-aware to challenge anyone who doesn’t already agree with it.
Read MoreIn response to reporting by ReligionUnplugged.com and The Washington Post in 2019, a prominent former LDS Church member filed a federal lawsuit last week against the LDS Church seeking to regain more than $5 million in tithing he gave the church. The 2019 reports exposed that the LDS Church had amassed a $100 billion secret investment firm and used member tithes without their knowledge. The IRS has not confirmed whether it is investigating the church.
Read More(REVIEW) New true crime series “Murder Among the Mormons” tells the story of 1985 Salt Lake City bombings connected to the LDS Church.
Read MoreEnsign Peak Advisors, the investment firm connected to the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints, started filing a quarterly 13F form on Feb. 14, 2010, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates publicly traded companies and other financial firms. Its initial filing revealed EPA had $38 billion in stocks and mutual funds at the end of 2019, including $1.5 billion in Apple and Microsoft. The firm had nearly $1 billion worth of shares in Amazon and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, as well.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Both Mormons and white evangelicals lean heavily right-wing in American politics. But while Mormons look like white evangelicals in terms of partisanship and ideology, they don’t vote in lockstep. And one of those reasons may be policy, specifically on gun control, abortion and immigration.
Read MoreWhile the latest statistics from the LDS Church show a slight growth in membership worldwide, much of the growth is coming from abroad. Polarization and inflexibility prevent growth more than controversy, religious scholars say.
Read MoreThe Mormon church has combined and updated its handbook, a portion of which had previously remained off-limits for lay members. Several changes relate to LGBTQ members, while the church remains firm in its support for only traditional marriage.
Read More(OPINION) For the first time, the authoritative Mormon rules guidebook will be available to the public. It will be a historic breakthrough.
Read MoreThe whistleblower distanced himself from the public exposure of the case by his twin brother. After pointing reporters to its frequently asked questions about finances on Monday, The LDS Church published a statement on Tuesday and then posted three short videos to YouTube on Friday. And past and present members of the LDS Church discussed the allegations widely online as the story spread through traditional and social media.
Read More“The weird thing here, as you point out, is that it's a nonprofit, a supporting organization or an integrated auxiliary that is the investment fund. The problem with that, and the weird thing about that is that, generally speaking, to be tax exempt, you have to primarily pursue some particular tax-exempt purpose.”
Read MoreThe 74-page document filed with the IRS and obtained by Religion Unplugged shows that Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc. saw owned assets under management grow to more than $100 billion from $10 billion in the past 22 years, fueled by a mix of investment strategy and tithe money from church members. The complaint may be the most important look at LDS finances in decades, a window into one of the wealthiest religious organizations in the United States and world.
Read More
