The Bicentenial Conference and Utah's Welfare Check



Today is Good Friday 2020. We are in the midst of the COVID-19 Epidemic, The Nation and the world is virtually in lock down. Easter is in two days. The Bicentennial General Conference was last week. During this special unprecedented General Conference the Prophet asked the world of all faiths to fast on Good Friday to end the Pandemic and strengthen the economy, which I will be participating in.  I will be donating an extra fast today. But there was a huge missed opportunity at this Special Bicentennial General Conference.

The focus was supposed to be on the First Vision which happened 200 years ago in Palmyra New York, Not Utah. Evan during the COVID-19 epidemic they could have had leaders from the Northeast Area Teleconference talks for from Palmyra. It would show to the world and to Utah that The Church is not just a Utah Church. But they just held conference in some empty room in the same Salt Lake Conference Center they always hold General Conference.

New England, New York, Pennsylvania. This is where it all Started. This is where Conference should have been held, or at least partially held. Not just talk about it from 3000 miles away. They talk about the restoration, but they never talk about the Saints on the east coast today. They have forgotten us. Yet the Eastcoast Saints are Utah's Welfare check. We pay our tithing. A lot of the money logically goes where the members are, and yes to build temples and meeting houses and to support the Missionaries World wide, and to help third world countries with basic needs. Members are spread throughout the world but a higher concentration of members still reside in Utah, Idaho and Arizona. My tithing goes to help throughout the world but it goes to Utah first. Eastcoast Mormons are Utah's Welfare check. I wouldn't have a problem with this, except for one thing.

That is how Utah can afford to lean so far to the Right politically. Common thinking in Utah is "The Church takes care of the poor so the Government, (my taxes) shouldn't have to." Well isn't Utah lucky. It is because of Utah that we are in the mess we are in as a Nation. Trump's administration has continued to cut healthcare, food stamps and even the program to look out and prepare for infectious diseases months before COVID-19 was announced. Many Utahans don't support their Moderate Republican Senator Mitt Romney because he is too far to the left for them. I consider Mitt an Eastcoast Mormon. He has Pioneer stock but he grew up in Michigan and served as Governor to Massachusetts. He knows the struggles of life outside of the Utah Bubble.

If the Church of Jesus Christ is really a World Wide church, The church needs to give more attention and resources back to the East Coast, where it all started. At least my fast offerings go to support the local area before going to Utah at the end of the year. May we as a world recognize the need of people throughout the world.

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