I’ve been criticized in the past for suggesting that the LDS church’s City Creek Mall project was going over its estimated budget, which was supposed to be between $750 million and $1.5 billion. Some had speculated that the costs could soar as high as $8 billion. As of today, KSL (the church-owned television station here in Utah) reports that the church has spent $5 billion.
Of course, the project isn’t entirely finished, but it seems we have a solid number at last.
Runtu's Rincón 
This is so weird, because in any other state you don’t have the church owning and operating such huge business interests. It’s like I have an automatic disconnect to it, because I’ve never been exposed to it.
The church owns and operates a lot of for-profit business in different states:
Deseret Ranch
Hunting reserves
Real estate and other development in Hawaii
Radio and TV stations in 4 states
There’s a lot more, but that’s a good introduction.
They owned up to $5 million it said on the news, yet in the first blog from you about this disgraceful use of money for a church claiming to love the Lord and his children, you wrote $3 billion. Was that a mistake or is there an explanation?
It was a typo. I saw the mistake and fixed it. It should have been “$5 billion.”
[…] sensitive topic than a scientific discussion of DNA, for example. The faithful are trying to defend the mall, but it’s kinda […]
$5 billion widow’s mites would feed a lot of hungry people, provide shelter to the homeless, educate those who thirst for knowledge, and provide medical services to those who suffer.
I think it is shameful that the LDS Church used such signficant resources to build a commercial enterprises, even if those monies weren’t derived from tithing.
I get frustrated when LDS Church defend their actions by arguing that the monies weren’t donated. Instead, their focus should have been on the better uses of the money – whereever and however derived.
One more comment. The article says that Bishop David Burton could shed tears about the realization of such a vision? These people consider themselves Christians?