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GA Salary information
The following dispatches were posted at RfM today by "TheDrive": --- OK. The wonderful topic of GA salaries, or as they call them: a modest living allowance. I have a relative who is a GA. During my exit from the church he flew out to meet with me with the specific purpose of saving my eternal salvation and during our conversation we discussed the hallowed living allowance. Here is what I remember from our conversation as well as research I have conducted on my own. The 70's receive the equivelant of 70% of the average of their previous 5 years earnings. This allows them to maintain the same standard of living that they are used to while working in their career field. They also receive perks such as business class travel which can be upgraded to first class due to their frequent flier status on various airlines. Also, they are encouraged to write books or have their journals/thoughts published and they are paid a premium in royalties for book sales. The 12 Apostles receive, on the average, of $240,000-$360,000 per year, according to seniority, in "living allowances". They receive the same perks as the 70 including business class travel. In addition they have individual expense accounts that are paid for by church funds. They are not held accountable for what they charge on their cards and some of the bretheren are frugal and treat the funds as they should while others feel it is their "reward" and spend like a drunken sailor on leave. The Prophet can, at his choice, live in the church-owned condominium in downtown SLC. He also receives $480,000 as a living expense. He travels by private aircraft provided by Huntsman Chemical Company and while he is away from SLC is given preferential accomodations in Marriott hotel properties- Presidential Suite or similar. He also has a church paid security staff, and VIP treatment wherever he travels. All of the leadership have free health care paid by the church, their children and grandchildren qualify for a free education from BYU, and many get sweet deals on cars, travel, furniture, construction, etc., from companies who do business with the church. They chalk it up to the cost of doing business with the Morg. Now onto the topic of tithing. I read an article a while back that documented the following. 85% of all tithing revenues go toward the operation of church education. BYU, BYU Hawaii, the MTC, Institutes, and Seminary fall into this category. Between 8% and 10% goes into the actual running of the church. The church has vast commercial interests that support the majority of it's building, farming, and like business operations. What really turned me off was when I read about BYU-Hawaii and how the tithing funds supported 4,000 students on Oahu. The President of BYU-Hawaii was quite proud of that fact and appreciated the members of the church supporting his campus. That was one of those things that caused my shelf to break and let to the loss of my testimony. I had never heard about tithing funds going toward BYU and I was angry about it. I hope this helps answer some of your husband's questions. I trust my sources and will not disclose how I uncovered what I have learned. But I feel my numbers are pretty solid and if needed I can back them up- but only if I am subpeoned. I'm sure my friends in the COB would want me to fall on my sword before I betray their confidences. --- Here is one source that states 70%. I read somewhere else it was 85%. Either way it's still a lot of money being funneled to support a small segment of the overall church population. http://www.sandiegoaccountantsguide.com/library/Brigham-Young-University.php --- **One more BYU source- From the Hinkster himself** Gordon B. Hinckley was First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this devotional address was given at Brigham Young University on 16 October 1990. "I remember many years ago, when Ernest L. Wilkinson was president, we had an important discussion in our board meeting. For some years prior to that, the university had vigorously recruited students, with General Authorities at stake conferences being a part of that effort. Then, suddenly, there were more applicants than could be accommodated, and there was much discussion concerning enrollment ceilings. There was talk about who should be eligible to come and what should be the qualifying factors. That meeting was conducted by President Harold B. Lee, who was then serving as a counselor in the First Presidency. As the discussion went on, I remember saying, "The basic question we face now and will continue to face is simply this, 'Who will the Church educate, and who will it turn away?''' The question was faced then, and it has troubled us ever since. We discussed it during the administration of President Wilkinson. We repeated that discussion during the administration of President Oaks. It was a recurring subject during the administration of President Holland. Now, in past months, during the administration of President Lee, we have spent hours talking about this same question. The problem will continue, and I fear a clear-cut answer will elude us in the future as it has in the past. In fact, the problem grows more serious through the years simply because the Church is growing. There is an ever-increasing number of young people who desire to come to this great and unique university. In terms of character and in terms of faithfulness in the Church, they are qualified. Their parents and ecclesiastical leaders are confident that they have the ability to handle the work. They may not have done exceptionally well in high school, but this does not necessarily mean that they do not have the potential to make it at the university level. Many and pathetic are the letters we receive. A stake president recently wrote concerning a young man who had been denied admission. He had done reasonably well in high school, but apparently not well enough. His parents have been faithful and active in the Church. They have been full-tithe payers throughout their lives. They have sent their children on missions. They have done everything the Church has asked them to do. If the major portion of the costs of operating BYU come from the tithing funds of the Church, then why are not the children of longtime faithful tithe payers eligible to attend as long as they meet reasonable qualifications? In his letter, the stake president continued, "Is it our objective to turn out of this school an elitist group, snobbish about their intellectual superiority?" These are difficult questions to answer. There is an injustice. This is the single most expensive entity funded by the tithes of the Church. Should not all who are honest and generous in their tithing be eligible for its benefits?" http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=7061 more