In today’s episode we will provide an overview of several LDS church apologetic non-profits, and discuss recent concerns about dishonesty, mean-spiritedness, and the incitement of violence by some people associated with these Mormon apologist non-profits. The Mormon apologetic non-profits that we will be discussing today include: the More Good Foundation, the Mormon Interpreter Foundation, Book of Mormon Central, and FAIRMormon.
Below are the tax returns from each of these organizations.
More Good Foundation Annual Tax Returns
MG-2005
MG-2006
MG-2007
MG-2008
MG-2009
MG-2010
MG-2011
MG-2012
MG-2013
MG-2014
MG-2015
MG-2016
MG-2017
MG-2018
Daniel Peterson’s Interpreter Foundation Tax Returns
Interpreter_2012
Interpreter_2013
Interpreter_2014
Interpreter_2015
Interpreter 2016
Interpreter_2017
Interpreter_2018
Interpreter_2019
Book of Mormon Foundation Tax Returns
FAIRMormon Tax Returns
Fair_2016
Fair_2017
Fair_2018
Fair_2019
Open Stories Foundation Financial information can be found here.
21 Responses
John, the work you do is extremely important necessary, not only for those of the Mormon faith who suffer through a faith crisis but for those of us who want to learn true Mormon history as was recently expounded by Matt Harris whose podcast was amazing.
I am sorry you have felt a need to defend your position through the last podcast, “Non-profits, Mormon Apologetics, and Violence.” Please be assured that you are loved and admired and that you fill a role, a divine roll as far as I am concerned, to support those damaged by their involvement in the Mormon faith.
Please know how very grateful I personally feel towards you for your devotion to the Cause for which you are so.passionate. No one could question your honourable motives and desire to serve those who need your support through the difficulties imposed through Mormon church involvement.
I feel so bad that you felt threatened to the point of feeling a need to contact the FBI. You are loved and admired John. What you do is so necessary! Please hang in there. You are a good man; a great man..
God bless that this difficulty will pass and that you and your family will return to feeling safe and secure. Your plea to the church hierarchy at the end of the podcast was powerful. Thank you for the stand you are taking.
John,
Is it possible to donate to Mormon Stories or your foundation anonymously so you can keep the podcast going? Please reply to my email address. Thanks.
John, I have been listening to you for years and what you have expressed in this episode rings 100% true with the person I have come to know. There have been moments when I felt that you were too kind toward the institution. I have been impressed that you continue to meet and interview active members. You are important to those seeking the truth. My TBM father used to make this spin on the last and 13th Article of Faith; “If there is anything ‘honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men’, there are people who will spend their time, money, and even their own soul to break it down.” Certainly, he meant it with the slant toward mormon persecution. Having left the church in my distant past, Dad’s words ring true when looking at how mormon apologetics are defending their stance with attacks, unhinged vitriol, hate climate, and violence. They have NO interest in having a rational and informative conversation -a skill you have honed over the years. They may not see it now, but they are creating their own demise. It will not make them stronger. They expose their weakness and lash out instead of looking inward where they would see their own decay.
Blessings to you, your family, and your truth colleagues. Be safe, continue your passion for open, authentic and brave discussion, because you have a positive impact in our world.
I just started to watch these YouTube Videos. Are they really supported by the Church? Much of their accusations are not true. Sure seems like the opposite of missionary work. It’s scaring me off and I’m a member!
These tactics are making the church look more and more like Scientology
Agreed, Mike!!
Oh John….
Im so very sorry that you have been so viciously attacked in this way. Pretty much everything you have done and produced has been above reproach, and where opinions differ or mistakes have been made, you’re intentions have only ever been, without question, for the best good of others.
In Canada , there are specific laws against these kinds of crimes under the category called ” hate crimes ” What you exposed would be immediately dealt with here, no kidding around.
It sickens me that the Mormon church has stooped to these blatant bullying tactics directly and/or indirectly. They hire these sarcastic, lying entities to do their dirty work for them! And it appears to intend to incite dangerous consequences, never mind the fear and anxiety.
It’s too bad that the Mormon church does not recognize, even to themselves, the net good you do their organization. In the end , your platform has saved many from a worse fate that would have reflected badly on the church, just to mention one thing, among many.
Let me end by saying that you and Mormon Stories played a critical part in me being able to see the full truth of what I had been a part of . I would not have been open to hear it in some other way. You were a caring Mormon talking to other mormons, and I took safety in that.
Thank you and God bless you and your family. I will pray for you.
Thank you Angie!!!! <3
John present the information keep it all upfront. The detractors will fall apart into their lies. Its hard not to be angry but dont let it get to you. Truth pays off takes time.
I am seriously disturbed that you, John, are attacked enough to feel the need to have to explain your financial situation in so much detail. While I think it’s awesome to be transparent I’m not sure why people are so caught up in this topic about you.
Why the hell should you provide a service for free or little? Why shouldn’t you be able to make lots and lots of money for all the hard work, time, talent, information, help etc. that you provide? What are all these people doing for free with their lives? Omg. This is so irrational and ridiculous.
Please John- you deserve to make loads of money for helping people deal with the lies that our church told. You deserve to be compensated greatly for helping, informing and entertaining all of us. And we should all be grateful to pay for your services.
I know I am ranting. And possibly others have already made this argument. I didn’t read all the comments. Just upset after hearing the podcast about this.
Thank you John and Mormon Stories! No need to apologize 😇
John I know you had a lot to tell in the post, you went easy on them.
“you break up families” – what about the post-mormon parenting counseling you’ve done? And how many couples have you sat down with and helped in a mixed-faith marriage? Likely did it so much there’s a video / web page on it. Of the hundreds of church programs I’ve never heard of a mixed-faith sunday school class or the like. To the contrary, the president himself promoted splitting families, imho – if your partner hasn’t kept their covenants “The Savior will heal your broken heart. The heavens will open as you seek to know how to move forward. You do not need to wander or wonder.”
Seems clear the church is shooting themselves in the foot. There isn’t much to stand on, desperate people do desperate things. But when there’s threats of violence?! When will the bad old days of brigham young just go away?!
Lots of support coming your way.
I would argue that “old Churches” are certainly not free from the critique that they obscure information from their members. I was raised Catholic. The Catholic Church –with it’s extensive (private) settlements for horrific, horrific abuse — deserves to be thrown into the mix as an organization that does all it can to keep its members in the dark for its own self preservation. What is that saying? Sunshine is the greatest disinfectant? All these groups should live in the sunshine. If it caused them to wilt, so be it.
I’m so disgusted by these rude, crude, disrespectful and dishonest videos. This is not the same church I was dedicated to for 45 years. It shocks me that they condone this trash. As a former bishopric member, I asked members if they have been honest in all their dealings with their fellowman. The church needs to ask the same of itself right now. One phone call from the quorum of the 12 or First Presidency and those videos would be removed. Light the world Church, make the call.
John. You seem surprised by the dishonesty of the Church and its apologists. There is nothing new in this. The founder of the Church was a convicted con man and a documented liar. The LDS Church long ago concluded that deception is acceptable so long as it advances the position and standing of the Church. See for example the original disclaimer on polygamy . These official offerings are often called by some “lying for the Lord” though the church denies that couplet. Nonetheless it’s pretty descriptive of what they are willing to do when their truth claims are challenged.
John, I am sure by now that you know that some Mormons will do anything in or outside of the law to discredit you and others who take issue with the church and its questionable history and conduct. What I am sure you understand that their principle attack will usually be ad hominem because it’s much harder to defend by disputing negative facts. As they say “facts are stubborn things”
As to the safety issue, I am sure you have heard of the Danites. (my name sake ancestor was one, as well as an ordained bodyguard to Joseph Smith) These men were sanctioned to threaten violence to members who were seen not towing the line. I don’t think anything of the like is formally sanctioned today but you know how powerful informal structure can be so this should be of no surprise to you. I suggest you write the General Authorities and point to these threats of violence. It will be interesting to see if they will say or do anything to stop this crap. (As I write this I hear you say you will ask them to stop the threats) Put your concerns in writing and document the threats as well as you can.
Be safe sir.
Kraku & co. revel in self-congratulations of alleged /Dynamisms/ within their clever memes.
Well, maybe so. But is dynamism a marker of the ultimate good? Or is it measured and careful investigation of truth? They smirk at what they see as jeremy’s & john’s geekiness or bespectacled nitpicketiness. But such is just argument by slogan & cliche. When hannah arendt coined “banality of evil,” she wasn’t referencing subjecting mythos to reason. She was referencing TURNING OFF REASON in blind service to authority. She wasn’t referring to researches first finding their way into print by means of brodie’s typewriter. She was referring to otherwise-fairly-ordinary ms. chynoweth’s rationale for shooting apostolic united brethren patriarch allred, in obedience to mad revelations she accepted as divine, given to the one she accepted as her heavenly & earthly authority.
[Per mormonstories], journalist lynn packer happened on details w rgd the war stories & whatnot of elder paul h. dunn. BYU ‘s communications dept. told him publishing such wouldn’t do the church, school, department, nor packer any good, advising he leave unchallenged whether dunn [quoting packer’s sunstone piece] “discover[ed], sho[]t lock off POW camp”; “[was] lone survivor as eleven infantrymen race[d] against death”; “survive[d] in foxhole as tank r[an] over it”; “survive[d] grenade explosion at his feet; gun[ned] down samurai sword-wielding enemy soldier”; “save[d] Japanese prisoner from being butchered by American soldiers”; “land[ed] at the Philippines with a ‘special cadre’ two days before MacArthur’s famed ‘return'”; “[met] famous war correspondent Ernie Pyle hours before Pyle’s death”; “wrestle[d] dynamite pack off a child kamikaze infiltrator just before its mother hits the plunger”; “survive[d] banzai attacks on Okinawa”; .or “over the course of the war, kill[ed] thirty-five enemy soldiers.” No, examination of authority’s assertions aren’t banalities. What’s banal is cowering deference to the same!
Mormon Stories is such a valuable tool in educating those who are questioning. Thank you so much for your groundbreaking work.
It has now been a week since I listened to this episode of Mormon Stories. I would be interested to learn if your appeal to Church leadership, that they use their influence to issue a cease and desist order to Fair Mormon to stop these untruthful and dangerous attacks on you, have had the desired effect?
More w rgd banality of evil.
A quote from of eugene england’s Dialogues with Myself (Signature Books, 2013, chapt. 2):
////////////[mountain meadows’s scapegoat, john d lee]: “God knows my suffering was great …. I knew that I was acting a cruel part and doing a damnable deed. Yet MY FAITH IN THE GODLINESS OF MY LEADERS was such that it FORCED ME TO THINK THAT I WAS NOT SUFFICIENTLY SPIRITUAL TO ACT THE IMPORTANT PART I WAS COMMANDED TO PERFORM. My hesitation was only momentary. Then feeling that duty compelled obedience to orders, I LAID ASIDE MY WEAKNESS AND HUMANITY and became an instrument in the hands of my superiors and leaders.”////////////
>>>>>”The ECHOES OF[adolf]EICHMAN are so strong they almost drown out the unintentionally ironic phrasing of the paradox we are discussing: Lee felt it was his ‘weakness and humanity’—his human compassion—that he must give up to be obedient. The struggle had not been easy or simple; after the council meeting a few days before, at which the final plans for the massacre had been made, Lee tells us,
//////////// I … went away to myself, and bowed myself in prayer before God, and asked Him to overrule the decision of the Council. I shed many bitter tears, and my tortured soul was wrung nearly from the body by my great suffering. I will here say, calling upon Heaven, angels, and the spirits of just men to witness what I say, that if I could then have had a thousand worlds to command, I would have given them freely to save that company from death.////////////
I heard the name Kwaku come up on this podcast. He’s the same apologist who also held a pandemic party near BYU and had a complete disregard for anyone’s safety or well being. Apart from safety, he seemed to have no appreciation for the economic and reputational damage he caused to the owner of the venue for the party. Watch the story from KUTV and look for Kwaku’s callous response about halfway through. This is yet another example of why it is so important that people develop their own moral compass and don’t rely on others with questionable character for the truth. https://kutv.com/news/local/venue-owner-says-no-more-parties-after-viral-video-of-hundreds-without-masks-or-distancing
Adding onto my last comment, thought I would also share the Salt Lake Tribune’s coverage of Kwaku’s party. His statements after the party are just unconscionable, especially considering the spike in COVID cases that resulted. https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/09/20/how-two-somethings-their/
These videos should not simply disappear as if nothing occurred. There should be some major public apologies from all involved, including “the LDS Church for supporting these groups.
Is Kwaku the multimedia LDS supported Danite of the 21st Century?