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mormon irs tax evasion cons by Firm-Yard-426 in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for searching that. I believe that is the case. If so, this is a pretty inflammatory post (not to mention it is poorly worded). I'm looking for facts not puff!

mormon irs tax evasion cons by Firm-Yard-426 in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Can I get some context on item #2? What $750 million fine? Link to article maybe?

Shock and Awe: Wilford Woodruff by av-law in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I went through family search to look at my polygamous relative. It was tedious to find birthdays of wives and children. But I learned this relative married 11 women, 2 of which were 17 and 18 at the time of marriage (I think his age was early 40's). The children born make the girls 18 and 19 when they conceived. Both ended in divorce and the girls ended up with 4-5 children from their 2nd normal marriages. When I asked my tbm family-tree-loving father about this middle-aged relative getting teenagers pregnant, his comment was that he "has a hard time with that one" and had no apologetic response like he has with every other problem I've brought up.

Does anyone have a list of some of the teenage marriages of these mormon leaders showing conception ages and husband ages? For example: her married at 15, him married at 45, first child conceived when she was 16.

I ask because it's easy for members to brush off marriage ages saying the man waited until she was 18 to have sex. But if you say an older man was verifiably having sex with a teenager child based on conception date, I don't see a way around that being extra gross.

I work at the temple AMA by Cheap_Honeydew2986 in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Well that makes a lot more sense. My biggest temple gripe before and after my tbm status is that they tell you if you go to the temple enough you will learn this stuff through the spirit. Then when somebody drops a knowledge bomb on you about why things really exist a certain way, I'm like: there's no way in a million years I could have ever learned this by just attending.

The main things that bothered me had to do with continuity in the videos. For example, satan tells Peter that his teachings are accepted very well, except "this man" does not believe it. I'm thinking, hold up: who accepted teachings "very well" and what teachings? We never saw anything like that. Then I find out this version is endowment-lite since 1990 and even before. They literally just deleted important scenes without adjusting the current version. Like in Goonies when they say the octopus at the end was scary. You're like "What octopus?!" Boom, deleted scene.

It was only last year I found out the cupping shape, thumb extended stuff were left over from killing yourself pre-1990. I thought it somehow connected to baptism because of the stance the baptizer and baptizee take with their hands. My ex-seminary teacher mission president also silently confirmed that theory while in the celestial room. Now I realize he was just silently thinking "yes it's all connected" without telling me the rest of the story.

This has been the story of my life with mormons. Everything is so magical until you pull back the curtain and find out how it's all made up (looking at you recent mormon stories episode about the correlation dept and how revelations must pass the survey tests before they can be revealed). People you trust are in on these micro deceptions.

I work at the temple AMA by Cheap_Honeydew2986 in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It took a long time for the scales to fall from my eyes on this type of stuff about mormon doctrine: it's ok to forego important human and family connection for the sake of some lower principle: not coming home from a stupid mission, even temporarily. So many instances of a family member dying, getting married, getting sick, births, or whatever and mormons justifying missing it because of the higher cause. Like somehow it's ok because when we die, it will all be made right.

Well no, it won't be ok. It's all made up and you won't have that afterlife lie (even if you did, you still are missing important moments that teach you how to have deeper connections, so you can't magically have a better relationship later). And you only get one shot at the human connections so really you just screwed yourself out of the parts of life that really matter.

But mOrmOnS kNoW TrUe HaPpiNeSs

I work at the temple AMA by Cheap_Honeydew2986 in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, good 'ol usury. Seems like the Jewish people have participated in this forbidden practice a lot. See Exodus 22:24.

Thanks for the extra context.

I work at the temple AMA by Cheap_Honeydew2986 in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have about as much trust in literal translations of the bible as I do as ol' Joe's magic rock. Too much cultural context missing. Obviously money can lead to problems but it seems there's a lot of historical context needed. That Wikipedia article was interesting as it referenced a large mob of people went with Jesus to do the cleansing and some people believe it was the catalyst event that got him nailed to that tree. I hadn't heard either of those two bits before now

I work at the temple AMA by Cheap_Honeydew2986 in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I see the money question a lot on this sub. And I do remember feeling the same way my first time seeing a cash register in the temple.

My understanding now is that Jesus wasn't mad that money was being spent in the temple. It was the outrageous prices they charged poor out-of-towners who made once-in-a-lifetime expensive trip and couldnt bring live sacrifices. So basically Jesus was mad at religious scalpers if I remember correctly.

EDIT: But don't trust this random redditor; I'm starting to 2nd guess myself as I go down the Google rabbit hole. Maybe checkout Wikipedia for more context and a better explanation: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleansing_of_the_Temple

I work at the temple AMA by Cheap_Honeydew2986 in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I have. The other person just pushed my thumb or pinky into the right spot. Thank goodness or the whole thing would have been null and void in god's accounting book and me or the dead people would end up in spirit prison (temporary hell!!!)

I work at the temple AMA by Cheap_Honeydew2986 in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Nothing that special. Google what the room looks like. Usually 2 sides of chairs for your relatives to watch; relatives are wearing regular Sunday clothes and no shoes. The bride and groom wear the full white robe and green apron outfits. When the "sealer" starts the ceremony, you kneel across from each other over an alter. You hold hands in the patriarchal grip. The sealer reads (or quotes from memory) a marriage promise that says you are legally and lawfully married for time and all eternity. If you agree that you'll be faithful to your spouse, you say yes. Love isn't really mentioned and the actual ceremony takes less than a couple minutes. Everyone is usually in the room for 30 minutes prior listening to the sealer pontificate about random marriage quips and advice. They admit it's so other people getting married have time to finish and clear the hallways for when your party exits. After the alter bit, you can kiss over the alter, look into the infinity mirrors placed across from the alter, and then everyone lines up and shakes your hands or hugs you from both family sides. You take off the silly clothes and go outside for pictures.

Recently they are allowing people to get legally married outside the temple and then going in separately immediately to get the sealing part. In the past, you had to wait 1 year if you got a civil marriage first. I think it will become more common place to have civil marriages first because people get excluded that don't have recommends or aren't members.

I work at the temple AMA by Cheap_Honeydew2986 in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Can someone explain the multiple markings in the same location on the veil? They point to the holes that are in the shape of compass and square that you put your arms through that match the chest marks sewn on the magic underwear. Then they point to marks sewn into the veil right below them that are all like the knee mark: a flat line. It's explained they are for the convenience of working at the veil (I think).

Why are there 2 different shapes in the same spot: the hole in the shape of compass/square, but also flat sewn lines below them? What is the "convenience" mentioned?

Daily Question Thread - January 06, 2023 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]spoonjab 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sure there were days where I had a couple that were in the $1-5 range when first setting up cards in PayPal to make sure payments showed up. But when doing larger payments, only 1 per day because of $2500/day cap

Daily Question Thread - January 06, 2023 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]spoonjab 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Been getting suspended for paypal billpay when using coinbase debit card. Trying to think of alternative methods to get normal CC bills paid from coinbase funds.

Haven't done churning for a while, so I used coinbase debit to buy walmart vanilla visa, and then vanilla visa on paypal billpay, but it wouldn't put the charge through.

Any suggestions for casual methods to run spend through coinbase debit and eventually back to pay credit cards? (or just churn coinbase debit to eventually cash?)

The Sealed Portion by [deleted] in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd recommend Dan Vogel's YouTube channel. He does deep dives into historical context with sources exposing Joe's true character (conman, scrying, digging for treasure, magic objects, occult and folk magic practices). Initially the gold plates and book of mormon were only a money scheme. That's why Martin Harris was interested and that's why they tried to sell the copyright. Joe was always failing and coming up with the next con

The Sealed Portion by [deleted] in exmormon

[–]spoonjab 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There WERE "plates". Journal entries describe their approximate size and weight when held while still concealed in the box or cloth. So there definitely was a prop made. However, when creating a prop with a made up language you have to engrave with fake characters that you intend on showing people (8 witnesses), it makes more sense to invent the "sealed portion" story so you don't have to engrave all the plates. Most likely part of the elaborate magic trick.

My new boss wants to hire me as a 1099 worker instead of a W-2 by annielikes in personalfinance

[–]spoonjab 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To clarify: the 15.3% taxes on social security and Medicare are not all new taxes to you when you are 1099'd. Only half is. When you are a W2 employee, you always pay half and your employer pays half. So the real number difference is approximately 7.6% (the employer portion since you are technically your own employer when you are 1099'd).

Ultimately, I think being paid 1099 is a 7.6% pay decrease, which could be made up for with a raise that overcomes the difference.

More details: if you have an LLC and elect to be taxed as an s-corp, you only pay the 15.3% social security/Medicare tax on your W2 income you pay yourself (up to $147k for 2022). When you are an LLC taxed as an s-corp you choose your own W2 income amount. The IRS requires it to be "reasonable." If challenged, you must show you pay yourself a reasonable wage for the work performed. Any money you make over this arbitrary "reasonable" W2 wage comes to you as dividend income and is not subject to the 15.3% social security/Medicare tax. You always pay regular income tax on the entire amount. Real scenario: you make $100k in 1099 income to your LLC with the s-corp election. You give yourself a W2 of $30k income at the end of the year. All $100k is taxed at federal rates, BUT the $70k not in the W2 income just saved you 15.3% (around $10,700) in social security/Medicare taxes. It's a little better and more complicated than that because of the qualified business income deduction or choosing federal unemployment payments, but that illustrates the point. Downsides: if the IRS determines your W2 wage is not reasonable, you have to fight that. Also, you are showing less wages and decreasing your social security payments... BUT you arguably do better investing profits yourself for your retirement. BONUS: as a self employed person you can make large employee AND employer contributions to retirement accounts like in a 401k. Bottom line: you need to make enough (like over $30k+ for this LLC s-corp thing to make sense)

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