Utah billionaire leaves Mormon church, donates $600,000 to LGBTQ group

  • Unknown Member

    Member
    December 26, 2021 at 11:12 am

    Who Is Businessman Jeff T. Green?

    Utah’s Richest Man Leaves Mormon Church, Donates To LGBTQ Rights Group

    Billionaire from Utah, who is among the richest natives of the state, announced Monday that he will be officially leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon church.

    Jeff T. Green, 44, explained that he no longer agrees with the way the church is running its finances and advocacies. He has also called out the church over corruption issues. “I believe the Mormon Church has hindered global progress in women’s rights, civil rights and racial equality, and L.G.B.T.Q.+ rights,”

    he wrote in a letter to the church President Russell M. Nelson and reported by the Salt Lake Tribune.

    Green is a tech businessman, who started his career as the co-founder of “AdECN,” a demand-side advertising platform.

    The company was acquired by Microsoft in 2007. Green then spent two years at Microsoft.

    In 2009, Green co-founded the digital advertising platform The Trade Desk, a publicly traded company based in Ventura, California.

    Green is the chairman and CEO of The Trade Desk, which has a market capitalization of about $45 billion. Green has an estimated net worth between $4.6 billion and $5.2 billion.

    Green had unofficially left the Mormon church about a decade ago, when he first began questioning the church’s teachings. He would later review his exact issues with their practices and take exception to them.

    Green explained his reasons for leaving the Mormon church in the letter. “Although I have deep love for many Mormons and gratitude for many things that have come into my life through Mormonism, I have not considered myself a member for many years, and I’d like to make clear to you and others that I am not a member,” Green wrote.

    “While I left the Mormon church more than a decade ago — not believing, attending, or practicing — I have not officially requested the removal of my records, until now.”

    Jeff T. Green, believed to be the richest Utah native, says The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is “not honest about its history, its finances, and its advocacy”

    so he is resigning his membership. https://t.co/x3yMeMxAOw

    — David Noyce (@sltribnoyce) December 20, 2021
    A top concern that Green has with the church is its handling of finances. The church has an investment fund that is paid for by contributions from its members.

    As of Sept. 30, it holds $48 billion worth in stocks, according to SEC filings.

    “This money comes from people, often poor, who wholeheartedly believe you represent the will of Jesus,” Green wrote.

    “They give, expecting the blessings of heaven.

    “While most members are good people trying to do right, I believe the church is actively and currently doing harm in the world.”

    Along with the resignation, Green has decided to donate $600,000 to Equality Utah, an LGBTQ advocacy group.

    The Mormon church believes that acting on “same-sex attraction” is a sin, according to their website.

    In 2001, Green earned a Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, which has a student body that is about 98% Mormon. He also earned a marketing communications degree from USC in Los Angeles.

    Green resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Newbury Park. He is divorced with three children

    https://www.ibtimes.com/who-businessman-jeff-t-green-utahs-richest-man-leaves-mormon-church-donates-lgbtq-3362578

  • HikerSkier

    Member
    December 26, 2021 at 5:45 pm

    Good for him. For an anti-gay religion, they seem to have produced more than their share of gay offspring. From my own dating experience, ex-mormon men were welcome, as most were above average in the looks department, and didn’t drink or smoke.

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