I will admit, paying tithing has always been a hard thing for me to do but I have always done so. I will no longer give my family's hard earned money to a corporation that won't disclose what is being done with it. If I had a way to give it to the Lord I would but to call tithing "the Lord's money" is laughable.
No matter how you slice it, I can't see Jesus doing what Thomas Monson did at the ribbon cutting for City Creek- “One, two, three—let’s go shopping!”
Really? Divine? Come on, Really?
Here are a couple of the many available links for you to refer to on this matter:
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-07-10/how-the-mormons-make-money
http://mormonthink.com/tithing.htm
Also, after seeing first hand how easily bishops can be extorted in regards to fast offerings, I'd advise against paying them at all. All you have to do is act semi-interested in becoming active and "the windows of heaven" will certainly open up in an effort to schmooze you back into activity. Now I know how to supplement my welfare, WIC, unemployment and food stamps shall I ever lose my job. Don't get me wrong, i acknowledge the great amounts of resources, time and money the church spends caring for the needy but if the whole system is pure, disclose it!
I certainly advocate donating to charity but I plan to donate my time and money to real charities that make the rubber meet the road more effectively.
http://mormonthink.com/tithing.htm
Also, after seeing first hand how easily bishops can be extorted in regards to fast offerings, I'd advise against paying them at all. All you have to do is act semi-interested in becoming active and "the windows of heaven" will certainly open up in an effort to schmooze you back into activity. Now I know how to supplement my welfare, WIC, unemployment and food stamps shall I ever lose my job. Don't get me wrong, i acknowledge the great amounts of resources, time and money the church spends caring for the needy but if the whole system is pure, disclose it!
I certainly advocate donating to charity but I plan to donate my time and money to real charities that make the rubber meet the road more effectively.
Hello MoNoMoInUT and welcome to the world of searching. There are some amazing sites with a lot of the information out there that you've brought up. AND they have answers that are verifiable. www.utlm.org and www.hotm.tv are probably two of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI am still a babe in Christ and love learning about him. I removed my name from the LDS chruch a little more than a year ago and since I've accepted Christ as my only Savior and Lord I won't say its been easy, but it certainly has been worth it.
God is truly amazing. He promises that should we lose our family, he we make us a new one from the body of Christ (his church). It is a scary thing moving out of a culture that is life encompassing but a relationship with GOD is sooo amazing. I would encourage you to be honest with your wife and talk with her about where your at and what your going through. Put your relationship in God's hands and let God work on her heart.
Good luck with your searching and God bless.
The things is almost all churches I know about want people to pay a tithing. Even the church I attend tells people to pay a 10% tithe. If one isn't at the 10% mark, then they ask families slowly build up to that and "prove the Lord". My own pastor asks people to start with 1% then build to 10%. The flip side is that my church does fully disclose the financials. I love that, as compared to when I was LDS and didn't have a clue where LDS money went or came from. All members get told is to "trust the Lord's anointed". I have a feeling plenty is still going for that mall and salaries at the top. So much so that it would make people sick.
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