Comments on: Why do Mormon (LDS) facilities look so good?

By: Postlude to “Why do Mormon (LDS) facilties look so good?” « Cool Solutions Group

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:39:58 +0000

[...] on August 27th I posted a blog entitled “Why do Mormon (LDS) facilities look so good?” I was very surprised at the number of people that opened and read the blog…about 3 times my [...]

By: B.S. (not the kind you're thinking of)

B.S. (not the kind you're thinking of) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:16:25 +0000

Great insights into the Mormon church. I would never have expected that comments on Mormon facilities would lead into such a great discussion. I look forward to reading future blogs.

By: Lana

Lana — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:25:59 +0000

This article made me smile. I am a youth leader in the LDS church and this Saturday is our turn to do the weekly cleaning of the church building. The youth will clean the bathrooms, vacuum the floors, wash the windows, empty the trash and when it is all finished…we will have donuts!

By: Lynne

Lynne — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:06:10 +0000

I appreciate the kind words about how we members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints choose to maintain our facilities.

First I do have issues with some of the comments. First of all the principals of tithing are biblical principals that can be found in the King James Version of the Holy Bible. It is not a principal that is foreign to all brands of Christianity. Second we do not believe that we “gain or lose” Heavenly Fathers favor by what we do. James 2:14-18 teaches us that because we have faith in God and Jesus Christ we do good things. For faith with out works is dead. Verse 18 says Yea, a man say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. We were given a new commandment “To love one another” that my friends is why not one member of our leadership is paid from local Bishops all the way to the First Presidency. We don’t have to come up with salaries to pay these men. Our tithes and offerings go towards the maintenance and upkeep church properties. These tithes and offerings are all voluntary there is NO mandate that we give tithes and offerings other than the biblical teachings.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:36:20 +0000

Good points Tim. A little monthly preventive maintenance will save churches money in the long run on major repairs allowing them to spend that money on outreach and other ministry needs. If one can’t afford to give back monetarily through tithing to the church, volunteer it makes a difference.

By: Christy

Christy — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 01:20:32 +0000

Great article. Very refreshing to hear the positive comments about our facilities, appearance and work ethic. Instead of the press crushing us for our conservative Christian values and beliefs! Our buildings do bare Jesus Christ’s name and I am honored that other sects would compliment our standards!

By: Jon

Jon — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:20:30 +0000

Mormons view their meetinghouses as literal houses of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Therefore they are maintained and kept as to be worthy of Him and His presence. If you’ve ever been to a Mormon temple you would see that the cleanliness standard goes even a step higher. I’ve been inside many and those most sacred places are immaculate 24/7. It’s amazing to me that these facilities are maintained mostly by local church members, all voluntarily.

By: Leisl

Leisl — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:26:19 +0000

ALSO…10% paid by LDS members is called tithing and is paid voluntarily by those who wish to enjoy all of the blessings of obedience to that Law of God. Not every member of the LDS faith pays tithing by choice and is not kicked out.
The members also take turns cleaning the inside of the church buildings without pay. It’s just part of shared responsibilities of membership. These buildings bear the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and should be worthy of that sacred name upon them by being as neat, clean, orderly and well-kept as possible.

By: Troy

Troy — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:22:46 +0000

As to the “deep pockets” Mormon clergy are not paid. Congregation members devote their time and talents to the Church including clergy, teachers, secretaries etc… Imagine not having to come up with payroll every month. That would leave a considerable amount in the budget for buildings and grounds.

And a comment about this: “Mormon theology is works-oriented (earning/losing God’s favor by what you do), so it makes sense that this thinking would extend to their facilities.”

It isn’t as much about “doing” for Mormons as it is about “becoming”. Doing right things leads to being good. Add that to Grace and you become who God intends you to become.

By: TIm

TIm — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:42:17 +0000

The following was a post on this blog from one of the Linked-In groups

“I believe that they are passionate people and understand that first perceptions set the stage for introduction and belonging AND they have a great work ethic!”