LDS Inc. (Part 14)

HJG house — Heber J. Grant, called to serve as an apostle in 1882 and sustained as president of the Church in 1918, lived in this enormous palace from 1908 until his death in 1945.

Alfred W. McCune, a prominent Utah financier, railroad builder, mine operator, and industrialist, built what came to be known as the McCune Mansion in 1900. Just north of downtown Salt Lake City, the mansion was given to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1920 as a proposed private residence for the president of the Church. However, President Heber J. Grant felt that the building, with its elaborate interior, sculpture, and art, was too opulent for the president of the Church and determined that it should be used, instead, as a cultural center, the McCune School of Music and Art. (Thanks to Kelly Bingham for calling this to my attention.)

Howard W. Hunter's house — Howard W. Hunter (1907-1995) served as the fourteenth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for just nine months, from 1994-1995. He was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1959, served as the Quorum’s acting president from 1985 to 1988, and as president of the Twelve from 1988 until assuming the presidency of the Church in 1994. During almost that entire time, 1963-1994, he lived in this ostentatious moated castle. Upon becoming president, he moved into a Church-owned apartment.

Here’s a relevant piece from Paul Alan Cox:

“7 reasons I am grateful for the principle of tithing”

And here’s a good article by the always-worthwhile Boyd Matheson:

“Is the Church of Jesus Christ rich, or is it enriching?”

GBH home 1941-74 — Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008), who was called as a General Authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1958, became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1961, became a counselor in the First Presidency of the Church in 1985, and served as the fifteenth president of the Church from 1995 until his death in 2008 as a very active 97-year-old, occupied this enormous edifice from 1941 until 1974.

Here’s a nice piece by Dr. S. Hales Swift:

“Post-Mortem Analysis on this Year’s Exposé Stunt”

President Hinckley's last house. — In 1974, President Hinckley moved into this grand estate, which might be compared to London’s Buckingham Palace or to the Bavarian castle of Neuschwanstein. In 1985, he moved to a Church-owned apartment, where he resided until his death in 2008.

I have always very much admired the website “Get Religion,” which is run by the veteran journalist Terry Mattingly. I do not, however, admire this piece by Julia Duin, which seems to take the accusations made recently in the Washington Post at face value:

“Washington Post and ReligionUnplugged both land stories on Mormon $100 billion slush fund”

I wrote a brief note to Mr. Mattingly this morning. He responded, asking “What is the publication that has on the record statements that contradict the claims of the whistleblower, since what we have at this stage is claims?” And he wrote a second time, saying “Please understand that Julia is critiquing the coverage, not doing ground up coverage herself. Critique is what we do here. Also, everyone is presenting the whistleholder material as what it is — charges that will be investigated.”

If anybody wants to engage with Mr. Mattingly in response to his question and comments, please do so. (His contact information is available on the site.) I’m on the road today and have little disposable time. I hope that you will do it, if you do it, calmly, respectfully, and substantively. It’s a good site. They’re good people, and not enemies. We are, if anything, more allies than opponents.

Posted from Washington DC