I saw no discussion of this today on RfM, and am wondering if any of you here can lend more information about this:


EDIT: Meanwhile, I did find this, which includes the letter:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kiwimormon/

EDIT: I also didn't realize that the letter which is now being circulated was dated 2013.

There's big flak in literal paradise (New Zealand) over the LDS church's big real estate development project to turn the old Church College of New Zealand into a housing development for the wealthy. I lack a lot of the details because I am at work, and have no access to Facebook and other places were several members have posted this info.

The salient point is that the property was originally built up by native Maoris, who put their labour and sweat into the original project to build them a school, only to see it razed and then made into a for-profit venture that completely excludes them. This has caused a lot of furor. Exasperated, the LDS church has sent a very provocative letter (a copy of which is also posted on Facebook) around to the various bishops and stake presidents demanding that the locals agree with the church's vision, and sign the letter saying they are in agreement. There is obviously an "or else...," but I'm not sure if the "or else" would indicate that they don't get a temple recommend if they refuse to go along with the project and sign their names. This is a hardball technique I've never seen the church use before. With such an unprecedented letter, exasperated Salt Lake leaders are quite literally telling the locals, "Goddammit, you brown people, fall in line behind the church, or else."



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2017 08:31AM by cludgie.

I am certain Gina Colvin will have a comment or two about this.


Gatorman

She was the first to post it to Facebook. Is she on RfM as well?

Just being cynical here, but you can bet that, as was the case with the re-building of the Nauvoo temple, certain wealthy church members were tipped off beforehand to the investment potential.

Disgusting? Yes. Surprising? No Business as usual for the Mormon Corporation and the little men getting their jollies playing grown up games.

Ask not what your church can do for you. Ask what you can do for your church.

From the letter:

"I wish the Hamilton City Council to give unconditional support to the Church's plans in Temple View."

That's what church leaders want stake presidents to get their members to say and agree to.
Unconditional support.
No questions, no discussion, no debate -- unconditional surrender to the money-grubbing plans of old white guys tens of thousands of miles away.

Asshats.

From the link:

"Some people opposing the Trust Board have been threatened with church discipline, some people have lost homes and jobs. Families have been divided, and a community has been upended. Sure the Trust Board has offered sweetners, like a brand new multi-stake centre, but it’s also been caught coercing and manipulating folks to get what they want.

Resource consent from the local council is required for the development, and to get this the Trust Board had to show it had support from members of the church. So they held ‘firesides’ in the region in which they lead people to believe that the development was indeed God’s work. They concluded this fireside by asking that people sign council submissions that emphatically gave their support to the church"

And finally this (which really says it all):

"This long and complicated case is strewn with story after story of ecclesiastical abuse, nepotism, financial waste, social engineering, community displacement, and the absolute determination of the church, at whatever cost, to turn what has been a largely Māori Mormon community into a White upper-middle-class satellite suburb of Hamilton"

Welcome to LD$, Inc.

News of this will, hopefully, cause the church to fall down even faster. They need to be on their knees to the common members--particularly the nonwhites they used to call Lamanites. Jesus was for the common human being.