Should Paying Tithing Really Be Considered An Act Of Charity?

[Tsuzuki]

Yes, it is.

The Church is offering eternal life to all of mankind. What better charity is there?

How much money does it cost for the Church to offer eternal life to all mankind?

[JAHS]

That is not accurate - we know that non-Mormons may enter the Celestial Kingdom and they will have never paid tithing.

 

The commandment is to pay tithing - the person's heart, their motivations, etc. or another issue.  To get the most benefit out of any action is to have one's heart in the right place - doing the right thing for the right reasons.

 

To tell the truth, I could not care one iota what some obnoxious twit whose objective is to tear down the LDS Church thinks, says, etc.  What is a fact is that each individual chooses how much to pay in tithing and in other contributions.  If there are some individuals who cannot understand this then it is a personal problem they must work through and has nothing to do with members or anyone else.

 

"That is not accurate - we know that non-Mormons may enter the Celestial Kingdom and they will have never paid tithing"

 

I am speaking of those who hear and accept the gospel and join the church in this life as a result of the missionary work that is supported by our tithes.  Eternal life is life with God in the highest degree of the Celestial kingdom. For that to happen one must enter the Temple, and for that to happen one must pay tithing.

What you say might be true if the non-Mormons never had the chance to hear and accept the gospel in this life but do so in the next life. 

[The Nehor]

How much money does it cost for the Church to offer eternal life to all mankind?

Quite a bit. You have to build chapels to worship God in and receive the sacrament. You need temples to receive the highest ordinances. You need transmission equipment to transmit the words of the prophets. You need missionaries to spread the word. You also of course need an organizational structure to make sure all of this keeps working.

[thesometimesaint]

That is not accurate - we know that non-Mormons may enter the Celestial Kingdom and they will have never paid tithing.

 

The commandment is to pay tithing - the person's heart, their motivations, etc. or another issue.  To get the most benefit out of any action is to have one's heart in the right place - doing the right thing for the right reasons.

 

To tell the truth, I could not care one iota what some obnoxious twit whose objective is to tear down the LDS Church thinks, says, etc.  What is a fact is that each individual chooses how much to pay in tithing and in other contributions.  If there are some individuals who cannot understand this then it is a personal problem they must work through and has nothing to do with members or anyone else.

 

There neither are nor will there be non-Mormons in the Celestial Kingdom. ALL must accept the Church as representatives of God. ALL of us will be judged for how we acted in the flesh while living with God in the Spirit. That includes the paying of tithes and offerings.

 

Thankfully we'll also be judged by the intents of our hearts.

Edited October 8, 2014 by thesometimesaint

[california boy]

Paying tithing is not an act of charity.  HOW someone pays tithing may be an act of charity. If you think charity is some kind of scale where you get extra points when you pay tithing, then in my opinion you have the wrong idea of what charity is.  It is possible for someoen to pay tithing all his life and never learn what charity is.

[JLHPROF]

How many people though pay it thinking, "I'll get some back?"  That never even crosses my mind when I'm paying it.  So when I am paying it doesn't feel less of a sacrifice.  Actually, thinking about it,  I don't even feel a sacrifice anymore after so many years of doing it.  It's just second nature to me. It's been that way even when things were pretty meager at our house. Does that mean I should be paying more?

 

Perhaps it means you are ready for the restoration of the law of consecration.  Congratulations! 

 

Lecture on Faith 6:7.

[Nevo]

I don't think paying tithing counts as almsgiving. I think they're different things. So I'm with Huntsman on that one. Paying tithing is certainly giving to a good cause (the best cause, in my estimation), but there are many, many good causes that aren't listed on the tithing slip. I think we have an obligation to help the needy over and above paying a full tithe and fast offering.

[rockpond]

Off topic but... I love how the graphic in the original post highlights the "Mor-Cor" and the Bible Belt.  It demonstrates what people of faith do.

[JAHS]

I don't think paying tithing counts as almsgiving. I think they're different things. So I'm with Huntsman on that one. Paying tithing is certainly giving to a good cause (the best cause, in my estimation), but there are many, many good causes that aren't listed on the tithing slip. I think we have an obligation to help the needy over and above paying a full tithe and fast offering.

 

I tend to agree with this statement and I think this is what the outside world and critics are thinking when they claim that our tithing is not really charity. To those outside the church charity is housing and feeding the poor; or supporting soup kitchens, the Red Cross, United Way, Salvation Army, Goodwill, American Cancer Society; etc.

Of course Fast offerings and humanitarian aid listed on our tithing slips would qualify, although I know there are critics that would claim that those funds benefit mostly other Mormons.

[Thinking]

I don't think that paying tithing is an act of charity, but my opinion doesn't really matter. The IRS says that it is, and so I will continue to take that deduction for my wife's tithing.

[carbon dioxide]

Tithing really is not charity but if the government offers me a tax deduction for it by calling it charity, I am going to take advantage of it and call it charity.

[The Nehor]

If the Masons count as a charity the LDS Church definitely does.

[Jeanne]

Tithing is not charity unless you know it goes to charity.  I wish now that I had given my 10% to cancer research, or to my local shelters.

[jcake]

 I'm with Huntsman, tithing is a very important thing for those who want to have the church go forward.  It pays for chapels, temples, BYU, the seminary program, etc.  It doesn't take care of the need we have to help the poor, and provide for the needy.  Certainly,the scriptures teach us that we are to help those in need, and bless others with that which we have been blessed.   Tithing is a charitable contribution for tax  purposes. The IRS counts donations to museums, theater groups, and other such things as charity, as well.   

[Storm Rider]

There neither are nor will there be non-Mormons in the Celestial Kingdom. ALL must accept the Church as representatives of God. ALL of us will be judged for how we acted in the flesh while living with God in the Spirit. That includes the paying of tithes and offerings.

 

Thankfully we'll also be judged by the intents of our hearts.

 

NOPE; not accurate.  It may be semantics, but if so it is a big one.

 

The Church is a telestial organization and has nothing to do with heaven.  It is through this organization that the servants of God officiate in sacred ordinances, but for those that die without hearing of Christ or the Church its value is limited.  Whether it be now or during the Millennium all ordinances will be completed for each member of the human family.

 

The intent of our heart and our actual works is all that can be judged regardless of church affiliation.  

[Alan]

The scriptures describe tithing as a law.

Obedience to a law ought not be considered charity in my view.

 

Then again, the survey would not be able to differentiate.

[Mola Ram Suda Ram]

The scriptures describe tithing as a law.

Obedience to a law ought not be considered charity in my view.

 

Then again, the survey would not be able to differentiate.

What about obedience to a commandment? Could that be considered charity? I mean we are specifically called upon to have charity for it is the pure love of Christ. Is it some how less if it is required?

[JLHPROF]

I don't think that paying tithing is an act of charity, but my opinion doesn't really matter. The IRS says that it is, and so I will continue to take that deduction for my wife's tithing.

 

As I said before, I refuse to take the tax deduction for tithing.  The IRS may consider it charity but I don't.  I consider it a sacrificial offering.

 

Charity is something given to your fellow man, not to God.  Tithing is given to God, although it is often used to help our fellow man that is not a requirement.  It can be used for any purpose God/his representatives require in the building of his kingdom.

Fast offerings are specifically charity (to help our fellow man).

[thesometimesaint]

Tithing is not charity unless you know it goes to charity.  I wish now that I had given my 10% to cancer research, or to my local shelters.

 

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there maybe meat in my house.

Malachi 3:10

[Alan]

Mola Ram Suda Ram,

Laws and commandments are not the same thing.

We may be commanded to obey the law but we don't have to be. The law is the law.

[Flyonthewall]

I believe the church is a charitable organization because it does help people both spiritually and temporally. I don't see it mattering whether your tithing goes directly to humanitarian efforts or to support the infrastructure that does the humanitarian efforts.

[JAHS]

I believe the church is a charitable organization because it does help people both spiritually and temporally. I don't see it mattering whether your tithing goes directly to humanitarian efforts or to support the infrastructure that does the humanitarian efforts.

I think this is the main reason why Tithing could be considered a charitable contribution by the US government, the Church, and me. Without the tithing supported organization the humanitarian aid could not be effectively distributed throughout the world.