Sky Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 In light of tithing settlement coming up, the First Presidency recently sent a letter to be read in all wards and branches regarding tithes and offerings. See hereAnd, here is the oft quoted scripture relating to the Law of Tithing:Malachi 3: 10“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”I would like to hear your thoughts about and experiences with paying tithing. How have your lives been blessed for paying it? If it has been a hardship, how have you overcome it? Dissenting viewpoints are welcome, but please keep it civil.
CV75 Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 In light of tithing settlement coming up, the First Presidency recently sent a letter to be read in all wards and branches regarding tithes and offerings. See hereAnd, here is the oft quoted scripture relating to the Law of Tithing:Malachi 3: 10“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”I would like to hear your thoughts about and experiences with paying tithing. How have your lives been blessed for paying it? If it has been a hardship, how have you overcome it? Dissenting viewpoints are welcome, but please keep it civil.As a convert since 1975, I have paid it faithfully, never lapsing or "catching up". It is a privilege to pay it. Despite fluctuations in income and employment level, I have always had enough to support my family (a temporal blessing) and have found myself becoming more generous over the years, not only in fast and other offerings to the Church, but to others general (a spiritual blessing). I believe it is a component in understanding the ways of the Lord.
cinepro Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 (edited) Over the years, it's been interesting to see the different attitudes members have about the blessings of tithing. Some firmly believe that the "blessings" include material wealth, employment, possessions etc, while others consider the blessings more spiritual in nature. I'll leave it to you to guess which of the beliefs are typically held by the wealthier members...As for me, I use the following method when assessing the blessings that come from Tithing:1. Look at my life and find some positive things whether material or spiritual.2. Attribute those positive things to having paid a full tithe.I wonder what the recession of the last 4 years has done to the Church's books. Even if people are paying their 10%, it's 10% of a smaller number. And if people have stopped paying tithing altogether, then that could be a huge decrease in money coming in, with a commensurate increase in the demand for welfare resources. Edited November 30, 2011 by cinepro
Senator Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 (edited) I'm having a hard time creating correspondense between paying of tithes and blessings in my life. I feel greatly blessed in my life, but I have no way of knowing how tithing has contributed to that. I guess I could not pay it for a while and see what happens, but if there is a correlation, is it worth the risk of loosing the blessed state just to satisfy curiosity. Nah! Edited November 30, 2011 by Senator
Sky Posted November 30, 2011 Author Posted November 30, 2011 I'm having a hard time creating correspondense between paying of tithes and blessings in my life. I feel greatly blessed in my life, but I have no way of knowing how tithing has contributed to that. I guess I could not pay it for a while and see what happens, but if there is a correlation, is it worth the risk of loosing the blessed state just to satisfy curiosity. Nah!Okay, I’m half kidding and half serious when I mention this.Two words: fire insurance.D&C 64: 23“Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.”As an additional note, I believe it was Brigham Young who said that the man who faithfully pays his tithes would never apostatize from the Church (I can’t find the quote). I’ve also heard it said that tithing is not so much a matter of money as it is a matter of faith.
Senator Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 Okay, I’m half kidding and half serious when I mention this.Two words: fire insurance.D&C 64: 23“Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.” I wonder if the use of the word 'tithe' in this verse has a metaphorical meaning?
KevinG Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 The comments on that article are awful.I lean towards temporal and spiritual gifts. We have received material support when we needed it and given it when we could.
Sky Posted November 30, 2011 Author Posted November 30, 2011 (edited) The comments on that article are awful.I assume you are referring to the reader comments on the Salt Lake Tribune website. Not a very hospitable place for believing Mormons, is it!? And the same thing happens with almost every LDS related article, but the Tribune doesn't do anything about it. But that's another topic altogether - I have strong feelings about this. Edited November 30, 2011 by Sky
Popular Post ksfisher Posted November 30, 2011 Popular Post Posted November 30, 2011 Every Sunday when I go to church I receive blessings from paying tithing. The lights are on, there are chairs in the classrooms, no for sale sign out in front of the church. We have a clean well kept chapel to partake of the sacrament in. These seem like blessings enough to me, I'm not looking for much more. 5
KevinG Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 I assume you are referring to the reader comments on the Salt Lake Tribune website. Not a very hospitable place for believing Mormons, is it!? Yup. Nope.
cinepro Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 Every Sunday when I go to church I receive blessings from paying tithing. The lights are on, there are chairs in the classrooms, no for sale sign out in front of the church. We have a clean well kept chapel to partake of the sacrament in. These seem like blessings enough to me, I'm not looking for much more.Don't mind if I file this one away for future use...
ksfisher Posted December 1, 2011 Posted December 1, 2011 Don't mind if I file this one away for future use... No problem. But if you ever use it in a book just make sure to send me 10% of the earnings. 1
Sky Posted December 1, 2011 Author Posted December 1, 2011 Here is a timely article about tithing from this month’s Ensign. The stories of these people all seem to share a common chord: they somehow always had enough money (the arithmetic notwithstanding), or their necessities were always met, and they always had food on their tables as a direct result from paying their tithing.
thesometimesaint Posted December 1, 2011 Posted December 1, 2011 (edited) sky:While the financial blessings are nice, I'm not going to turn them down. It is the Spiritual one that mean the most to me.I've never had to go hungry, even in lean times. I've always have a warm bed, and a hot shower waiting for me at the end of a day.The Spirit I feel at church and in the Temple. The gifts of the Spirit, the eternal promises with my wife are what I most desire.I am well blessed. Edited December 1, 2011 by thesometimesaint
Senator Posted December 1, 2011 Posted December 1, 2011 Every Sunday when I go to church I receive blessings from paying tithing. The lights are on, there are chairs in the classrooms, no for sale sign out in front of the church. We have a clean well kept chapel to partake of the sacrament in. These seem like blessings enough to me, I'm not looking for much more.Of course we're not all the same when it comes to the 'need' for going to church, or having chapels.
Saints Alive Posted December 1, 2011 Posted December 1, 2011 (edited) I think this is the most definite statement on titing the church has made and I agree with it 100%“For your guidance in this matter, please be advised that we have uniformly replied that the simplest statement we know of is that statement of the Lord himself that the members of the Church should pay one-tenth of all their interest annually, which is understood to mean income. No one is justified in making any other statement than this. We feel that every member of the Church should be entitled to make his own decision as to what he thinks he owes the Lord, and to make payment accordingly.”- the First Presidency March 19, 1970 http://lds.org/ensign/1974/04/i-have-a-question?lang=eng Edited December 1, 2011 by Saints Alive
cinepro Posted December 1, 2011 Posted December 1, 2011 Utah isn't as bad off as Nevada, CA or Arizona, but it was recently reported that 20% of mortgage debtors in the state are "underwater" ,or owe more on their house than it is worth.Assuming that some of these debtors are LDS, how does this relate to the payment of tithing? And how does the decision to walk away or stay-and-pay relate to tithing? Do the "blessings of tithing" apply to one situation more than the other?
Sky Posted December 1, 2011 Author Posted December 1, 2011 Just in case anybody wondered, I’m not arguing against paying tithing. I actually have a personal testimony of the Law of Tithing, and one blessing that I see is that it can help people to be better stewards over their finances.
thesometimesaint Posted December 1, 2011 Posted December 1, 2011 cinepro:The obligation of tithing is to the Lord, make your own judgement accordingly.
KevinG Posted December 1, 2011 Posted December 1, 2011 Utah isn't as bad off as Nevada, CA or Arizona, but it was recently reported that 20% of mortgage debtors in the state are "underwater" ,or owe more on their house than it is worth.Assuming that some of these debtors are LDS, how does this relate to the payment of tithing? And how does the decision to walk away or stay-and-pay relate to tithing? Do the "blessings of tithing" apply to one situation more than the other?Losses that can not be borne by a family are addressed with through individual need to draw upon Fast Offering assistance. Tithing is not a savings plan.
William Schryver Posted December 1, 2011 Posted December 1, 2011 Over the years, it's been interesting to see the different attitudes members have about the blessings of tithing. Some firmly believe that the "blessings" include material wealth, employment, possessions etc, while others consider the blessings more spiritual in nature. I'll leave it to you to guess which of the beliefs are typically held by the wealthier members...As for me, I use the following method when assessing the blessings that come from Tithing:1. Look at my life and find some positive things whether material or spiritual.2. Attribute those positive things to having paid a full tithe.I wonder what the recession of the last 4 years has done to the Church's books. Even if people are paying their 10%, it's 10% of a smaller number. And if people have stopped paying tithing altogether, then that could be a huge decrease in money coming in, with a commensurate increase in the demand for welfare resources.CynicPro strikes again!As regards tithing, it has been my observation that it is, perhaps more than anything else, the most reliable indicator of faithfulness.
cinepro Posted December 1, 2011 Posted December 1, 2011 (edited) As regards tithing, it has been my observation that it is, perhaps more than anything else, the most reliable indicator of faithfulness.As a full-tithe payer, I agree. Edited December 1, 2011 by cinepro
William Schryver Posted December 1, 2011 Posted December 1, 2011 (edited) As a full-tithe payer, I agree.I've known more than one fifth-columnist with a TBM wife who paid tithing. Mark Hoffman was also a full tithe payer. It was essential to maintain his cover. Edited December 1, 2011 by William Schryver
saemo Posted December 1, 2011 Posted December 1, 2011 OT question (serious).....what's the difference between a tithe and an offering?
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