SACRAMENTO, CA – On June 11th, the FPPC, in an unprecedented ruling against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, found the Salt Lake City based Church guilty on 13 counts of late campaign reporting. The Mormon Church was fined $5538 in an agreement worked out ending the 19 month long investigation. The Church was the primary backer of California’s Proposition 8, which ended gay marriage in California two years ago.
The Mormon Church initially admitted to spending only $2078 to pass Prop 8. When Fred Karger, founder of Californians Against Hate, filed his sworn complaint on November 13, 2008, he said they instantly attacked him.
The Mormon owned Salt Lake City Deseret News reported on November 14, 2008 that Church spokesman Scott Trotter said the allegations are “false” and the complaint — filed by Fred Karger of Californians Against Hate — has “many errors and misstatements.” Trotter said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “has fully complied with the reporting requirements of the California Political Reform Act. Claims that the Church has violated the act and failed to report political expenditures made by the church are false. The church has, in fact, filed four reports with California authorities; these reports are a matter of public record. A further report will be filed on or before its due date, Jan. 30, 2009,” Trotter said.
Don Eaton a spokesman for the Mormon Church said in an interview with KGO-TV (ABC San Francisco) "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put zero money in this.”
Three months later the Mormon Church filed an amended return in which they admitted to spending $190,000. Unfortunately, this was 3 months after the election, so 17 million California voters never were able to know the full extent of the Mormon involvement until well after the election.
The Mormon Church ran phone banks, sent out direct mail, had well designed web sites, produced 27 slick commercials, bussed people in from Utah and had lots of travel expenses by high ranking Church officials. They also raised approximately $30 million from Mormon families to pass Proposition 8.
The Mormon Church also was behind the creation of the infamous National Organization for Marriage (NOM) in 2007, and was the biggest contributor to pass Prop 8.
NOM continues to be one of the great mysteries of the world. I have been closely following them since they reared their ugly heads in California just three years ago.
NOM is currently under investigation in the state of Maine for possible money laundering, and failing to file the required campaign reports for that state’s Question 1 campaign. Question 1 took away gay marriage in Maine just last November.
NOM was also the largest contributor to that election by contributing $1.9 million to Yes on 1. They have steadfastly refused to identify any of their donors in spite of three federal court orders and a State Attorney General’s ruling demanding that they do so. It begs the question, whom are they working so hard to protect?
Comments
The LDS church was not by any measure the primary financial backer of prop 8, which by the way most Californians support and voted for. Actual cash donations were pretty much non existant. The Church did participate in the campaign on an orginizational level which did require money to be spent of course. Things like plane tickets, hotel rooms and such. And then there were some services performed on a voluntary basis not requiring money but still had to have a monetary value reported as if it cost money. These are known as "in kind" donations I believe. All together the total monetary value donated by the Church was less than one million dollars. Both the Catholic Church and The Knights of Columbus donated more.
Smear piece - yellow journalism. I could read better in the Enquirer.
SVB: The point is not whether the RCC/KOC donated more than the LDS church. Neither should have donated any. This is secular matter having nothing to do with religion. As far as "most Californians support" perhaps they would not have supported Prop-8 if funds coming from NOM were not paying for smear ads filled with lies. I hope the Feds pick up on this and revoke their IRS tax exempt status for their interference in politcal matters. The separation of church and state is critical in our Republic.
SVB: The point is not whether the RCC/KOC donated more than the LDS church. Neither should have donated any. This is secular matter having nothing to do with religion. As far as "most Californians support" perhaps they would not have supported Prop-8 if funds coming from NOM were not paying for smear ads filled with lies. I hope the Feds pick up on this and revoke their IRS tax exempt status for their interference in politcal matters. The separation of church and state is critical in our Republic.
Hahahahaha. Nice attempt at journalism Arlene. My 3 year old writes better than this with her crayons on my wall. Purely speculation, half truths, slander, and heresay. Go have your mommy help you read the facts and then maybe you can be a real reporter when you grow up.
Who really cares what the LDS church does? If they are the great evil in Prop 8, why then did over half the state vote "No" The LDS church does not have that many members to change the vote, they are just a target. If gays were real men they would stop crying at Prop 8. Gays have far more rights in this nation than they realize.
God fearing men and women who choose not to speak up until they are called upon to vote yes or no on a hot topic are spit upon by the masses because some cry baby doesn't get their way.
There are a lot of reports like this that distort the reality of the situation. The "13 counts" are really 13 days before the vote when the LDS Church did not file daily reports for "in kind" services. In fact, the Church did report all these in kind donations in a January filing, acknowledging they were not aware of the daily filing requirements. People are just trying to make a mountain our of a mole hill . . . and lousy reporting like this should be shown for what it is.
I wasn't aware that 7 million out of an estimated 37 million(30.6 mil if you remove the 6.4 who voted no)constitutes a majority
$5538? Are you kidding me? Their tax exempt status should be revoked for this.
Why just single out the LDS Church, why not go after the Catholic Church, the Baptist Church, The Pentalcostal Church, etc. I am sure that other Churches and Organizatons had a hand in defeating gay marriage. I smell a Witch hunt brewing here. They pick on the one religon, which is not mainstream, and make that "evil church" of why something was not passed by the voters. Get a clue from the Voters, they didn't want it in the 1st place, people.
I agree that the LDS Church's monetary contributions were really insignificant. Though, through the church's pressure, the members donated something like $20-$30 million which IS more than significant (and sad to spend that much money in taking away rights when you could have done some actual good with it).
The LDS Church's true wrong in the Prop 8 battle was all the misinformation that they spread.
Robmel asks: "Why just single out the LDS Church, why not go after the Catholic Church, the Baptist Church, The Pentalcostal Church, etc."
Because the LDS Church coerced its members (only 2% of the state's population) to raise more than half of the money used in the Prop 8 battle.
The article does not claim the Mormon church was the "primary financial backer", SVB.
This was a massive effort from out-of-staters to affect California state law, which representatives then lied about. The quote from Eaton doesn't suggest they simply were unaware of daily filing requirements, it suggests active deceit.
Suspending their tax-exempt status temporarily would be the most appropriate penalty.
And here we see the typical religious right mindless babble. The facts are that the LDS spent over $30 million to influence a vote that takes equal rights away from a segment of society. That is the very definition of bigotry. This is typical of a church who's founder was convicted of fraud and who's founder once wrote that the church would collapse if a black man ever served on their quorum. They are racist, misogynist, homophobic, vile human beings and everyone in America should be embarrassed that they exist in this country. Only Scientology can claim to be more insane than LDS.
The Mormon involvement matters because they are tax exempt. They can state any position on gay marriage that they want, but once they begin to gather money and involve themselves in a political campaign, they are using their tax exempt status (Which, why do we give the religious a free pass when it comes to public services funding? They use roads and fire and police.) as a political billy club. The same goes for the Catholics and Protestants, although the Mormons were at the forefront of this campaign. Their "coalition" was a quickly cobbled together illusion to give the appearance that the LDS church wasn't doing this on their own.
Tax the churches. Think for yourselves.
Lets, try this for size. Why are you not going after the Demographic in the state that voted overwhelming against prop 8. The Black vote. Because you can't. So someone has to be the scape goat for the proposition failing, and that is the LDS Church.
"If gays were real men they would stop crying at Prop 8. Gays have far more rights in this nation than they realize."
Ok Jamie, let's pass a law saying you can't get married and see how well you take it.
First it's "no" money, then a couple thousand, then five thousand, now almost 200 thousand. How much higher will the number climb.
The LDS supports fail to appreciate that they should not be spending any money, no wonder they are trying to hide it. Their tax exempt status should be revoked. of course there are plenty of other churches that break the law whose tax exempt status we should revoke as well.
It is important to remember not all Mormons were willing to follow LDS leadership on this misguided political endeavor. I'm surprised that more members aren't furious at their leadership for hanging them out to dry during this campaign. I can't tell you the number of fellow members I encountered who assured me that the church ITSELF was not contributing to the prop 8 campaign. Once the post-election late filings revealed that to be untrue, there was a switch in rhetoric to an emphasis on "non-monetary" and "in-kind" contributions. This strikes me as a distinction without a difference. I find it very troubling that some Mormons and Mormon leadership were willing to sacrifice their ethics and engage in deception to help get prop 8 passed. Once the approx. $190,000 in official LDS contributions were revealed in late January, I sent in my letter of resignation because I could no longer be associated with a dishonest organization. This latest news about the small fine reinforces my decision
Lets, try this for size. Why are you not going after the Demographic in the state that voted overwhelming against prop 8. The Black vote. Because you can't. So someone has to be the scape goat for the proposition failing, and that is the LDS Church.
It is important to remember that this isn't the first issue in which the mormons have been caught with their moral pants down. The Church of Morons has been unethical and immoral from the beginning. Read: Blood of the Prophets : Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows by Will Bagley. That book will give you insight into the strategy used by the mormon regime. The mormons seem to be decent people on the surface, its what they do behind your back that makes the difference.
Mormons stink!
The verdict is right but the punishment is pathetic. The LDS church aught to lose its tax exempt status for the next decade, not pay a pocket-change fine.
Yet another crooked, dishonest church.
All religions are cults. they use disinformation and lies to get low IQ followers. who built the mexican northern capital building in salt lake city in 1610. with rock only found in the mexico city area. the mexicans were there long before any religion. there was no one with any english name in the time period of the bible or book of mormon. we do not translate names the sound would stay the same. the letters for those sounds are less then 500 years old. on item ,name or situation of the bible or book of mormon exsisted during the time period it is to have been of. simple common sense proves all religons wrong.
As if more proof were required, Organized religion (Mormon church in this particular instance) = Institutionalized bigotry.
Oooh. I can't wait until the next pair of Mormons appear at my door.
"I'm sorry, your church was convicted in court for LYING! There is no way I can trust you are telling me the truth about anything!"
So, they are still tax-exempt how?
Almost every paragraph in this article contains lies and misinformation. I cannot believe people believe Arleen Garcia-Herbst.
Mormonism attracts people with a tenuous grip on reality and a deep inward focus. It reinforces and amplifies innate bigotry. Mormonism gained its grip on the uneducated fringe in the 19th century. A testament to how all religions, Scientology as the latest example, grow from backwater hysteria to mainstream acceptability. Mormonism in particular and religions in general are vectors for delusion. The latest in a long, and unending line. Humorless all.
Makes sense given the founder of the Mormon church was a crook.
Ok, ok, so we were caught lying on this small legal and financial matter. But our big story about a prophet with magic underwear who learned that a Jewish zombie visited America after he rose the dead --- now THAT one we're telling telling the truth!!!!!
It's a religion conceived by a convicted con man. They're just following their roots.
Religious adherents already pay taxes. Their churches also charge them, so it would be unfair for the government to tax the church. The irreligious seem to view organized religion like they do Microsoft, but it is a faulty comparison. And I'm so tired of the vitriolic language against the Mormons. California is part of their ethnic homeland, Deseret, and it's historically inaccurate to pretend that a bunch of 'outsiders' came to California to ruin the homosexual agenda.
dfg
Crime may not PAY, but at THOSE rates it sure doesn't COST you either! I can't see why EVERYBODY isn't rushing out to corrupt the system... okay fine, corrupt it MORE.
@Neil, homosexuals were in CA long before Mormons (and gay Mormons). ;) Besides, you call it "the homosexual agenda," I call it "Civil Rights." It's telling, because people like you seem to think homosexuals are forcing something on you. Yet, you guys are the ones stopping other people from getting married. So, you have to understand, you're playing the role of the oppressor here, not the victim.
The irreligious seem to view organized religion like they do Microsoft, but it is a faulty comparison.
Oops - hit send early.
@Neil: "The irreligious seem to view organized religion like they do Microsoft, but it is a faulty comparison."
What? I don't even know what that means. Maybe a better way to express what you're thinking is:
"The religious seem to view organized religion as though it's unlike Microsoft, but it is a faulty comparison."
It's a business, Neil. Plain and simple. It's just like Microsoft only they don't actually produce anything. If they make money - which, apparently they do - then they should pay taxes. Period. Seriously - explain why they're not the same.
@ Neil, from IRS web site (links are blocked; click on "Charities and Non-profits tab, search for lobbying):
"In general, no organization may qualify for section 501(c)(3) status if a substantial part of its activities is attempting to influence legislation (commonly known as lobbying). A 501(c)(3) organization may engage in some lobbying, but too much lobbying activity risks loss of tax-exempt status."
$30 million is absolutely a significant amount. Pretty straightforward, Neil. They should have to forfeit their tax-exempt status. Has nothing to do with being compared with Microsoft.
And, if $30M is _NOT_ a significant portion of their revenues, then why do they need that exemption in the first place.
Face it - they got off super lucky. LDS broke the law. They are criminals. But religion always gets treated as though it's important to the function of the country and so gets a pass.
Neil SEZ: "Religious adherents already pay taxes. Their churches also charge them, so it would be unfair for the government to tax the church."
Ok, Neil....then by your logic, WallMart customers already pay taxes. WallMart also charges them, so it would be unfair for the government to tax Wallmart.
Let me guess....you believe in the magic underwear story, right?
@Neil
Complete logic fail. That last sentence is so absurd that it could be a Poe.
@ Neil - Ethnic homeland? Are you really being serious, or have you conveniently forgotten about all the people that lived there before? But that's okay, isn't it, because they had red skin and you don't. And let's not forget, California and Utah not only belonged to the Native Americans first, but then the Spanish and then the Mexicans. Smith wasn't even the first pioneer out there, only the first leader to settle in that place and build large cities dedicated to the magic hat man.
Speaking of hats, I think that there was a lot more money than just $190,000 contributed by the LDS church. And if there was, I think all Mormons should be forced to eat their hats.
Why has this news not hit the large papers and media news outlets?
Another church spending money to sway a ballot... why do they still enjoy tax-free status again?
Oh, yeah, it's all the presumed 'good' they do, that's right, sure thing!
I wish that fine had 6 more Zeros behind it.
This is not reporting....this is opinion, poorly written by a bitter person. Please report the facts and let the readers sort out their own opinions. I am sick of the liberal media thinking for the masses.
Is there a chance that anybody who thinks this article is full of lies can point to a lie, and point to a source for that claim? If almost every paragraph has a lie, as Brian says, that's gotta be easy.
This is not reporting....this is opinion, poorly written by a bitter person. Please report the facts and let the readers sort out their own opinions. I am sick of the liberal media thinking for the masses.
This article reads like a tabloid. According to the FPPC website, the LDS church was fined because they "failed to timely report making late non-monetary contributions totaling $36,928 in connection with the November 4, 2008, General Election." The church admitted to and paid the fine for the mistake. Not a malicious crime by any stretch. As for NOM, a FEDERAL court ruled that contributers deserved to have their 1st ammendment rights protected and granted a STAY of enforcement regarding previous county court orders. Said Brian Brown, NOM Pres, "Americans who want to organize, to vote, and to donate to protect marriage are being singled out for harassment. No other 501(c)4 is obligated to disclose the names of donors and the demand by government officials in Maine that we expose our donors was an outrageous violation of all Americans constitutional rights". I agree.
Interesting report. NOM and the Mormons - what a fun group. Keep after them!
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