Comments on: Using Fear, Pride, and Greed to pay Tithing

By: My 100th post — Mormon Heretic

My 100th post — Mormon Heretic — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:00:59 +0000

[...] 5. using fear pride and greed to pay tithing [...]

By: MH

MH — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:12:07 +0000

Dave, surely the bank isn’t the best source of answers to spiritual questions, such as tithing, is it? I doubt you would advocate deferring to the bank on other things, like fiscal responsibility. The next thing you know, we’ll all be buying mortgages we can’t afford…

By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 20:46:39 +0000

Just ask yourself one question – how much money do you put on the annual income line when you are applying for a home mortgage? Wouldn’t that be the best number to pay tithing on?

By: MH

MH — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:41:07 +0000

Anarchist, that was a bunch of great posts!!! You definitely have an interesting take there, and I encourage others to click on the link above.

By: LDS Anarchist

LDS Anarchist — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 02:31:52 +0000

You stated, "I generally hate lessons on tithing, because I don’t think there’s much new to say on the topic." Here is my take on tithing, in four parts. You may find something new there.

By: Sketch

Sketch — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:10:22 +0000

I agree with many of the statements listed above, but, personally, I believe that tithing works much as the heads of the Church say it does.

10% of your increase, and because they state it is up to the individual, your “increase” standards might be different than your next-door neighbor.

For instance, I’ve had friends pay tithing on their birthday money, willingly. Or, perhaps, on gift money they recieve.

It’s all up to the individual.

And I do believe that we need to have a singular eye towards Heaven and the Lord when we pay our tithing. I, for one, wasn’t like that for a while. Now I pay it out of obedience, love, and respect.

Whether or not I’ll get _____ or _____ really shouldn’t determine weather I give back what the Lord gave me in the first place.

I believe, simply put, it is an act of obedience we must follow; regardless, we need to put our hearts into it and keep our minds and spirits open when we give tithing.

Now, I’m not an economics major to any degree, and I certainly don’t much pay attention to “net” or “gross”.

All I know is, in my 18 years of being alive, if I get a paycheck, 10% is put towards my Bishop in that handy envelope.

’nuff said. =)

By: MH

MH — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:27:33 +0000

Yes, Steve, I am sure you are correct. But with the movie “Windows of Heaven”, and plenty of sacrament talks and testimonies on material blessings, it seems that people might be misguided in expecting material blessings.

By: Steve Martin

Steve Martin — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:41:04 +0000

I have never found any reference that states that we will receive material blessings when we pay our tithing. It definitely says we will receive blessings so great the there will not be room enough to receive them. But, it never says that any of those blessings will be material ones. The idea that paying tithing will make us more rich is completely false. If we will pay our tithes and offerings, we will be greatly blessed, period. No specifics with the blessings. Maybe we will have better family relations. Maybe we will deepen our relationship with the Savior. And yes, maybe we will improve our financial situation. But, the main point is that we will receive many great blessings in many different areas of our lives. Everyone will be blessed in different ways. The Lord knows the kinds of blessing we need most and will bless us accordingly because of our obedience. Of course we always think we need money the most. I am guessing that money is probably pretty low on the list when it comes to blessings we NEED the most. The whole point of this life is to return to our Father in heaven. Giving someone lots of money usually makes it harder for that person to get into heaven. The Lord has plenty of other blessings that will help us on our journey to return. I trust Him in His choices in blessings that will help me the most. So, I pay my tithing.

By: Tara

Tara — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:36:45 +0000

I agree that it is better to pay tithing out of sheer obedience and love for God, but regardless of our reasons for paying tithing, I believe that we will still be blessed just the same. We are still exercising the principles of faith and obedience. The Lord promises us blessings for our obedience and I don’t see anything wrong in looking for those blessings. I believe that he outlined those blessings in the scriptures for reasons other than to entice us to pay our tithing. When we look for those blessings, we can see the hand of the Lord in our lives and we can be assured that he keeps his promises and wants very much to bless us.

By: Velska

Velska — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:45:53 +0000

Bottom line, in my mind, if we do things with a reward in mind, we lose sight of why we are doing those things. I still say that sacrifice means giving up something, it is not an “investment”.