Do Mormons Feel Pressured to Pay Tithing?

[Robert F. Smith]

10 minutes ago, CA Steve said:

I suppose if we wanted to find out how much pressure Mormons felt to pay their tithing,  one thing we could do is to remove the requirement to be a full tithe payer in order to obtain a temple recommend.

I suspect that tithing revenues would drop quite a bit.

Even at that, however, no one is checking your tax form to see whether you are paying a full tithe.  The temple recommend is issued solely on the trust in the word of the interviewee. As I told my bishop recently at tithing settlement:  "I love paying my club dues."  

[longview]

Even non-members and non-believers get blessings in many forms that far exceed their "earnings".

I greatly value the "opportunity" to acknowledge to my maker that EVERYTHING I have came from Him which I express by paying this "token" to the Kingdom of God on the Earth.  I am blessed if God will spare me a few of the disasters that normally come my way.  He helps me reduce or eliminate various "expenses" and enriches my life in so many ways without having to use "monetary devices".  Most importantly I can walk closer with my Father in Heaven.

[CA Steve]

1 hour ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Even at that, however, no one is checking your tax form to see whether you are paying a full tithe.  The temple recommend is issued solely on the trust in the word of the interviewee. As I told my bishop recently at tithing settlement:  "I love paying my club dues."  

I suspect there would be a variety of reactions. Some would plug along just as they always have, while others might start  admitting to the bishop that they really weren't full tithe payers, and I expect there would those who would simply re-prioritize how and when they they paid their tithing. This last group is where we would see the revenues fall.

IMO, we have really become a culture which links how important a particular commandment is, to whether or not it's observance is tied to a temple recommend. A clear indication to me that there is additional pressure to follow those rules over and above other rules.

For example, would you expect the number of LDS women who have more than one earring in an ear to decrease if doing so kept them out of the temple? I would.

Edited December 28, 2017 by CA Steve

[Robert F. Smith]

1 hour ago, CA Steve said:

I suspect there would be a variety of reactions. Some would plug along just as they always have, while others might start  admitting to the bishop that they really weren't full tithe payers, and I expect there would those who would simply re-prioritize how and when they they paid their tithing. This last group is where we would see the revenues fall.

IMO, we have really become a culture which links how important a particular commandment is, to whether or not it's observance is tied to a temple recommend. A clear indication to me that there is additional pressure to follow those rules over and above other rules.

For example, would you expect the number of LDS women who have more than one earring in an ear to decrease if doing so kept them out of the temple? I would.

Maybe so, but earrings are visible.  Whether one in fact pays tithing in full is not.  We are dependent solely on the word of the TR holder.  Why does the tithe-payer tell the truth?  And would such truthiness extend to the keeping of covenants, such as the one in which one promises all one has to the Lord and to the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God on Earth?  And, if there were a drop in contributions, would it be large or small?  

Also, would those admissions to the bishop of not being full tithe payers be from those not fully paying now, or would that reflect a future reduction in tithe-paying?  A lot of questions here about the fundamental honesty of members in general, and TR holders in particular.  I can recall a time when I was young that I didn't at all think that one had to go to the temple to be a good Mormon -- it was just one of those things which one could do or not, without any loss of face.  Seemed a bit odd in fact.

[Senator]

Ask Ananias and Sapphira

Edited December 28, 2017 by Senator

[bluebell]

2 hours ago, Senator said:

Ask Ananias and Sapphira

If I remember right, they got in trouble for lying, not not paying, right?

[rongo]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

If I remember right, they got in trouble for lying, not not paying, right?

Both. They lied about paying fully what they should have, but holding back. Not unlike those who don't pay a full tithing, but say that they do.  

[cinepro]

15 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Even at that, however, no one is checking your tax form to see whether you are paying a full tithe.  The temple recommend is issued solely on the trust in the word of the interviewee. As I told my bishop recently at tithing settlement:  "I love paying my club dues."  

I think you missed the point.

Historically, there were times when it wasn't required to pay a full tithe to enter the Temple.  So it isn't a "written-in-stone-thus-saith-the-Lord" type thing.  It's a policy.

So if we really want to find out how people feel about paying tithing and whether it's the link to being able to go to the Temple that helps encourage tithe-paying, the Church could simply remove that question from the TR interview.  Continue to teach it as a commandment, but you can still go and see your child or best friend get married in the Temple (or get married there yourself) even if you don't pay it.

But I'm guessing the Church knows what would happen.  And based on the Home Teaching stats in my ward, I can guess what would happen too.

[Robert F. Smith]

1 hour ago, cinepro said:

I think you missed the point.

Historically, there were times when it wasn't required to pay a full tithe to enter the Temple.  So it isn't a "written-in-stone-thus-saith-the-Lord" type thing.  It's a policy.

So if we really want to find out how people feel about paying tithing and whether it's the link to being able to go to the Temple that helps encourage tithe-paying, the Church could simply remove that question from the TR interview.  Continue to teach it as a commandment, but you can still go and see your child or best friend get married in the Temple (or get married there yourself) even if you don't pay it.

But I'm guessing the Church knows what would happen.  And based on the Home Teaching stats in my ward, I can guess what would happen too.

What you say here makes sense to me, and we could extend it to other policies, such as the prohibition on drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking, chewing tobacco, etc., all of which were acceptable at one time (both Jesus and Joseph Smith drank wine, etc., and wine was normally used in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper).  Certainly a great many more people could have access to the temple if such issues were no longer operational. So the numbers gaining access would certainly increase.

My point was, however, entirely valid, in that full tithe-paying is not something which anyone except the individual member would know.  It is entirely his personal honesty whether he tells the truth about tithe-paying.  Of course, I can recall a time when bishops would make assessments of each member (or  family) for building funds, based on their income, and those interviews were far more intrusive.  This also applied to interviews in which bishops sought to know about specific sexual practices among married couples (the First Presidency had to put the kibbosh on that).

LIkewise, it is no one's business but the individual member (and God) whether he is paying tithing as net or gross of his income or increase, and a bishop (and stake pres) will not ask.

In Jewish congregations, each of which must hire a rabbi and pay for bldg expenses, one is expected to make large contributions on a regular basis, but it is very much a matter of personal judgment not imposed by the rabbi.  Since that does not entail any sort of temple recommend (or the like), it is remarkable how generous the Jews are in making those payments and other charitable contributions to the community.  One would think, based on the notions you advance here, that such uncontrolled payments would diminish, but they don't.  In fact, Jewish communities are noteworthy not only for their largesse, but for the extraordinarily high level of education and professionalism characteristic of the Jewish community.  One has to ask, why is that the LDS community demonstrates a similar set of characteristics?  Is it because of the TR interview and tithing settlement?  Or is something else taking place?

[Meerkat]

10 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

What you say here makes sense to me, and we could extend it to other policies, such as the prohibition on drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking, chewing tobacco, etc., all of which were acceptable at one time (both Jesus and Joseph Smith drank wine, etc., and wine was normally used in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper).  Certainly a great many more people could have access to the temple if such issues were no longer operational. So the numbers gaining access would certainly increase.

My point was, however, entirely valid, in that full tithe-paying is not something which anyone except the individual member would know.  It is entirely his personal honesty whether he tells the truth about tithe-paying.  Of course, I can recall a time when bishops would make assessments of each member (or  family) for building funds, based on their income, and those interviews were far more intrusive.  This also applied to interviews in which bishops sought to know about specific sexual practices among married couples (the First Presidency had to put the kibbosh on that).

LIkewise, it is no one's business but the individual member (and God) whether he is paying tithing as net or gross of his income or increase, and a bishop (and stake pres) will not ask.

In Jewish congregations, each of which must hire a rabbi and pay for bldg expenses, one is expected to make large contributions on a regular basis, but it is very much a matter of personal judgment not imposed by the rabbi.  Since that does not entail any sort of temple recommend (or the like), it is remarkable how generous the Jews are in making those payments and other charitable contributions to the community.  One would think, based on the notions you advance here, that such uncontrolled payments would diminish, but they don't.  In fact, Jewish communities are noteworthy not only for their largesse, but for the extraordinarily high level of education and professionalism characteristic of the Jewish community.  One has to ask, why is that the LDS community demonstrates a similar set of characteristics?  Is it because of the TR interview and tithing settlement?  Or is something else taking place?

The blessings that come from obedience encourage further obedience.  Hence many Latter-day Saints (including many here) gladly pay tithes and offerings, live the Word of Wisdom, keep the Sabbath, study the Scriptures, follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost and have joy in their lives, in my opinion.  I believe that is a fact that cannot be disputed.  Latter-day Saints have a well deserved reputation for being faithful and happy people.  Tithing is but one reason why.

Edited December 29, 2017 by Meerkat

[rodheadlee]

22 hours ago, CA Steve said:

I suppose if we wanted to find out how much pressure Mormons felt to pay their tithing,  one thing we could do is to remove the requirement to be a full tithe payer in order to obtain a temple recommend.

 

I suspect that tithing revenues would drop quite a bit.

I think you would be wrong. I learned the principle tithing long before I was a Mormon. I don't have a temple recommend but I still enjoy paying my tithes. 

[CA Steve]

2 hours ago, rodheadlee said:

I think you would be wrong. I learned the principle tithing long before I was a Mormon. I don't have a temple recommend but I still enjoy paying my tithes. 

So are you saying everyone else in the church who currently pays tithing would react the same way you do?

My point wasn't that everyone would stop paying or lower the amount they paid but that some would. Do you disagree with that?

 

How about this. If doing  home teaching and visiting teaching faithfully every month became a requirement to get a TR, do you believe HT & VT would go up, stay the same or go down?

 

Look, there are all sorts of different levels of commitment to the church. Just because some people enjoy doing home teaching every month, or paying a full tithing or attending every hour of every meeting ever scheduled, and so on, doesn't mean everyone does. So while it is nice to claim how much one enjoys and benefits from observing a particular commandment(s)/policies, most people struggle with at least some of them. If we were to add or subtract the ability to enter the temple to those policies/commandments, obviously observance would change for those who normally struggle with that particular rule.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by CA Steve

[cinepro]

On another note, Church leaders seem to get pretty worried when the prospect of the tax-deduction for charitable contributions gets discussed.  I wonder if there is any correlation between the deductability of such contributions and the willingness of some people to make them in the same amount.

[Duncan]

Does it matter when you pay? my Dad was a financial clerk and has some funny stories but he said one person paid once a year, just cut a cheque to the Church. I guess they added up how much they owed and paid it all at once

[ksfisher]

3 minutes ago, cinepro said:

On another note, Church leaders seem to get pretty worried when the prospect of the tax-deduction for charitable contributions gets discussed.  I wonder if there is any correlation between the deductability of such contributions and the willingness of some people to make them in the same amount.

Many large donors to non-profit organizations make their donations based on the advice of tax professionals.  Any organization that relies of private and corporate donations to fund it's operations will likely see a decrease in giving from major donors when tax deductions are taken away. 

[ksfisher]

Just now, Duncan said:

Does it matter when you pay? my Dad was a financial clerk and has some funny stories but he said one person paid once a year, just cut a cheque to the Church. I guess they added up how much they owed and paid it all at once

I find it's much easier for me to pay tithing every time I get paid.  This is what is encouraged.  It is not, however, required.  Once a year works if you can do it.

[Amulek]

3 hours ago, Duncan said:

Does it matter when you pay? my Dad was a financial clerk and has some funny stories but he said one person paid once a year, just cut a cheque to the Church. I guess they added up how much they owed and paid it all at once

You can pay whenever you like. For most people, paying tithing when they receive their payroll is what makes the most sense.

However, say you happen to be a wealthy member of the church (e.g., Mitt Romney) whose wealth invested in various financial assets, maybe it makes more sense to pay quarterly, or whenever you receive your dividend disbursements, etc. In fact, I seem to remember Romney saying something about how he made estimated payments on his tithing because he wasn't sure what his actual 'increase' would be until sometime well into the following calendar year when his taxes were finalized.

[Calm]

3 hours ago, Duncan said:

Does it matter when you pay? my Dad was a financial clerk and has some funny stories but he said one person paid once a year, just cut a cheque to the Church. I guess they added up how much they owed and paid it all at once

My dad paid every other year to max tax benefits (essentially at the end of one year and at the beginning of the other), he never had a problem getting a recommend that I know of.

Edited December 29, 2017 by Calm

[cacheman]

On 12/27/2017 at 1:23 PM, smac97 said:

Do Mormons feel pressured to pay tithing?  Generally not, it seems.  See here:

I think that is partially it.  Here are three additional factors, IMO:

1. Another part, at least for members of the Church raised in it, is that paying tithing is "baked in" to being a Latter-day Saints.  Going to church, keeping the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity, receiving ordinances, participating in YW/YM activities, serving a mission, temple attendance.  Tithing is just another regular and normative form of religious observance.

2. Another factor could be the visible utilization of tithing funds.  I think most members are generally comfortable with the Church's stewardship of tithes.  We see the tithes being used for Church buildings, temples, educational and humanitarian efforts, and so on.  In contrast, we don't see General Authorities living in lavish mansions, driving fancy cars, or otherwise living the jetset life.  So there is a comfort level there.

3. Most interaction with "church leaders" is at the local level.  Members interact with bishops (and other ward leaders) on a regular basis, with stake leaders on a sporadic basis, and with area authorities ever once in a while.  The vast majority of leaders in the Church are unpaid volunteers.  So when a bishop or a RS president or an area authority or whoever encourages members to pay tithing, there is no actual or even apparent self-interest in play.  The bishop's motive for encouraging others to pay tithes are pure because the bishop gets paid the same amount regardless of whether a member tithes or not.

Yep.  Low pressure.  Tithing is not an end unto itself.  It is just one of many obligations of discipleship.  

My father has studied the history of religion in Europe quite extensively, and he has frequently commented on the disparate character of religion as a matter of citizenship/nationality/culture as compared to a matter of choice and conscience (the "American model," in Mason's words).

I wonder if "American individualism" plays a part here.  According to Pew Research: "Nearly six-in-ten in the U.S. (58%) believe allowing everyone to pursue their life’s goals without interference from the state is more important. Majorities in all European nations polled in 2011 said guaranteeing that nobody is in need is more important."  I think many Americans prefer "The State" (the government) to keep out of our way, whereas folks in Europe have ceded much more responsibility to the state.  Many Americans, then, turn to religion as a source of moral guidance and responsibilities, and hence are willing to financially support religions.  Meanwhile, European countries and countries previously under European control/influence have all sorts of state religions, compulsory taxes to support religions, and so on.  

Overall an interesting read.

Thanks,

-Smac

What's interesting to me is that the Deseret News felt that this survey was worth an article..... and that Dr Mason had so much to say about it.  Even Dr Peterson shared this 'study' on his blog.

This survey completed in two days using Pollfish.com, had 825 respondents.  Only 275 of them were Christian.  The sample size for Mormons was likely very small. ..I'm guessing 12 or possibly 24 based on the percentage data they report (12 would be 4.36% of 275, and I believe the percentage of Christians in the US that are Mormon is around 2.8%). Certainly not enough to provide statistically meaningful results.  In fact,  like most of the cheap and quick pollfish surveys, there are no measures of statistical significance reported.  

It seems like a poorly designed,  statistically meaningless survey.  It doesn't appear to be newsworthy to me.  Am I missing something? 

[Meerkat]

On 12/27/2017 at 11:23 AM, smac97 said:

Quote

Mason explains that the LDS Church rarely talks about money from the pulpit with the exception an occasional general conference talk or Sunday School lesson on tithing.

“So how do you get the lowest pressure but the largest giving? You have another structural piece in play and that’s the temple recommend interview,” Mason said. “They don’t have to talk about it very often because if you want to be a member in full standing, it’s just understood that tithing is part of that and it’s going to be enforced privately in a different kind of setting that apparently most people see as low pressure. ... It’s a self-selected group.”

Yep.  Low pressure.  Tithing is not an end unto itself.  It is just one of many obligations of discipleship. 

One thing I found interesting in the study was that "16.67% of Mormon respondents reported distancing themselves due to pressure to donate, while 16.67% considered switching religions due to pressure to donate."  Either they made a mistake in the percentages (being the same in both cases, while other groups differed considerably,) or the 16.67% of Mormons who responded were not converted to tithing and were considered leaving the Church due to that issue.  There was very little reference to Mormons in the study that I could see.  And, unless I completely missed it, there was no spiritual component in their conclusions.   The most enlightening part of the study was not the article itself, but the top three comments about tithing.  They don't tithe because they have to.  They tithe because they want to.

I can tell you why many Mormons who pay tithing don't feel pressure to do so.  They have experienced spiritual blessings.  Their needs have been met.  Their faith in God has increased.  Their life is better.  They are happier.  Their confidence in God's ability to run to their aid is increased.  Etc., etc., etc.  The reason leaders don't talk much about tithing in the Church, in my opinion,  is because tithing is more of blessing than a duty as most active members have experienced it.  How many times have you heard anyone in fast and testimony meeting complain about tithes and offerings?  They are glad to do it.  They testify of blessings upon blessings.  That is what you hear.  Tithing is probably the easiest commandment to keep of all the "many obligations of discipleship."  In my opinion, the Temple Recommend Interview is a small component in why members tithe.  They do it out of love of God, their fellow beings, and gratitude for the many blessings that they can directly attribute to paying an honest tithe. Imagine how happy and blessed we would be if we could keep all the "obligations of discipleship."

Edited December 30, 2017 by Meerkat

[Meerkat]

9 hours ago, Calm said:

My dad paid every other year to max tax benefits (essentially at the end of one year and at the beginning of the other), he never had a problem getting a recommend that I know of.

No matter how or when it's paid, I thank the Lord for the blessings of tithing.

Edited December 30, 2017 by Meerkat

[Raingirl]

18 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

 

In Jewish congregations, each of which must hire a rabbi and pay for bldg expenses, one is expected to make large contributions on a regular basis, but it is very much a matter of personal judgment not imposed by the rabbi. 

This is not true. 

I converted from Judaism. In order to be a member of a synagogue, you must pay what is referred to as 'dues'. The amount is usually set by the Board and is the same for everyone, be they a multi-millionaire or living on Social Security. You can appeal to the Board to have your dues reduced, but there is no guarantee of success.

If you do not pay the required dues amount in full, you are not considered to be a member in good standing, and certain things are denied you, like voting on synagogue matters, and seats for High Holiday services.

One could be a member who is very active at synagogue, doing lots of volunteer work, etc., but are considered to be of less importance than the wealthy members who pay their dues, and make donations so that they can attach their name to something, but never set foot in synagogue except for High Holday services once a year. 

And, yes, their is pressure in the Church to pay tithing. And you are considered to be less of a Mormon if you don't pay. It is treated as the most important requirement in receiving a Temple Recommend, even if it means you have to go without basic necessities. 

[ksfisher]

22 minutes ago, Raingirl said:

 

And, yes, their is pressure in the Church to pay tithing. And you are considered to be less of a Mormon if you don't pay. It is treated as the most important requirement in receiving a Temple Recommend, even if it means you have to go without basic necessities. 

Condidered to be less of a Mormon by who? 

And there are no questions in the temple recommend interview that are more or less important than another one in determining a persons worthiness to receive a recommend. 

[Robert F. Smith]

7 minutes ago, Raingirl said:

This is not true. 

I converted from Judaism. In order to be a member of a synagogue, you must pay what is referred to as 'dues'. The amount is usually set by the Board and is the same for everyone, be they a multi-millionaire or living on Social Security. You can appeal to the Board to have your dues reduced, but there is no guarantee of success.

If you do not pay the required dues amount in full, you are not considered to be a member in good standing, and certain things are denied you, like voting on synagogue matters, and seats for High Holiday services.

One could be a member who is very active at synagogue, doing lots of volunteer work, etc., but are considered to be of less importance than the wealthy members who pay their dues, and make donations so that they can attach their name to something, but never set foot in synagogue except for High Holday services once a year. 

And, yes, their is pressure in the Church to pay tithing. And you are considered to be less of a Mormon if you don't pay. It is treated as the most important requirement in receiving a Temple Recommend, even if it means you have to go without basic necessities. 

What you say is true of certain types of congregations (mostly mainstream Conservative and Reform congregations), but my experience with the Young Israel congregations (which are Orthodox) was that they do not set the amount.  One simply pays a lot, if one can afford to.  Since I wasn't Jewish, I paid nothing.  I remember my first experience with a Reform congregation back in the 60s.  One had to buy season tickets to New Year's (Rosh haShana), High Holy Days, and Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).  Since I was a student, they let me in for free.  Hardest day I ever had was the 24-hour fasting and prayer of Yom Kippur.  Not sure what the ultra-Orthodox (Chabad) do about money, but they also let me and a Jewish friend attend free.  That was all in the USA.  Not sure what sort of payments they require in Israel, although I also attended Orthodox synagogues there.

As far as Mormons are concerned, I don't consider a non-tithe-payer as any less of a Mormon, and have never considered it the most important requirement in receiving a TR.  Of course that is a matter of personal judgment, and I can see how someone might consider that of prime importance.  However, it seems to me that one's faithfulness is far more important, and that questions about one's acceptance of the Church leadership mean far more than monetary payments.  Also, I don't understand how someone would have to go without the basic necessities, since the bishop would supply those necessities anyhow -- if necessary.

Anyhow, Raingirl, once upon a time I was an adult member who did not pay tithing and it did not occur to me that I was a lesser Mormon, and no one seemed at all concerned about it.  Of course I had no spare change in those days, was just barely getting by, and no temple nearby.  It wasn't until much later that I realized how important temples and a TR were.  In the pre-mortal heaven, when they were passing out brains, I thought they said "trains," and I asked for a slow one.....  

[Calm]

6 hours ago, cacheman said:

What's interesting to me is that the Deseret News felt that this survey was worth an article..... and that Dr Mason had so much to say about it.  Even Dr Peterson shared this 'study' on his blog.

This survey completed in two days using Pollfish.com, had 825 respondents.  Only 275 of them were Christian.  The sample size for Mormons was likely very small. ..I'm guessing 12 or possibly 24 based on the percentage data they report (12 would be 4.36% of 275, and I believe the percentage of Christians in the US that are Mormon is around 2.8%). Certainly not enough to provide statistically meaningful results.  In fact,  like most of the cheap and quick pollfish surveys, there are no measures of statistical significance reported.  

It seems like a poorly designed,  statistically meaningless survey.  It doesn't appear to be newsworthy to me.  Am I missing something? 

Thanks for pointing out the methodology.  I am wondering how they found the names.  Thinking the polling company already had them on file as willing to take polls if they had at least 800 out of 1000 responses.  Finding 275 Muslims out of a thousand Americans is not random calling.

For those who don't want to take the time to look at the bottom of the page (took forever to load up on my iPad), here is the methodology info.  It is definitely not as impressive as it appeared.  Didn't read it as closely as I should have.

"These questions were delivered to 1,000 respondents via polling company, Pollfish. To be included, respondents had to indicate that they were affiliated with one of the three religions we researched (Christian, Muslim, Jewish) and that they contributed financially to their respective religions. 275 Americans were surveyed for each of the three religions we researched. According to Pew Research in 2014, Christians represent 92.2% of religiously affiliated Americans, Jews represent 2.5% of religiously affiliated Americans, and Muslims represent 1.17% of religiously affiliated Americans. Our respondents cover roughly 95% of religious affiliations in the United States. The responses for this survey were gathered over a two-day span, from November 20th, 2017 to November 21st, 2017."

The percentages associated with the Mormon stats make me think they had 12 Mormons in their responses since the percentages were exactly 8.33 and then twice as much, 16.67

"8.33% of Mormon respondents reported experiencing pressure to donate from peers, while 16.67% reported experiencing pressure to donate from religious leaders"

"16.67% of Mormon respondents reported distancing themselves due to pressure to donate, while 16.67% considered switching religions"

Seems unlikely they had the exact percentages multiple times unless these percentages accounted for just a few people at most.  It just seems improbable that if the 8.33% was even 5 people (out of 60), that they would have exactly 10 out of the 60 people report yes in the other three responses.  Otoh, it seems reasonable to assume out of 12 surveyed, 1 reported a yes for one question and in three other questions 2 people responded yes.  Even with 24, that would require exactly 4 reporting yes for the three questions identified...seems more likely at least one would be 3 or 5.  Plus 24 out of 275....why would they weight the poll so heavily with Mormons?  

12 gives them enough Mormon responders to make it look credible as having less than 10 would possibly land them with 0%.  Any more and if Mormons are actually significantly higher than other Christians, they run the risk of discrediting their survey by weighting the Christian segment on the high end.

So unless they had previously done polling that determine the 12 Mormons were a perfect cross section of Mormondom, it would be easy for an outlier or two to throw off percentages.  Just one more Mormon feeling pressured in any category jumps the percentage up to 25%, the same as the other denominations.  And it could really throw off the monetary report if you had one wealthy or unusually high Mormon....11 at $500 and 1 at 20,000 gives an average of over 2000$ a year.