cosmos206

He only said that there was no assistance available for bills or welfare, we hadn't even asked about it. When I asked about doing some activity like working at the warehouse to offset the balance of our tithing which we were told was possible, he told us that was not allowed. I don't know if that is because of changing the ward boundaries or something else. Like I said we have been given so much different advice, without asking for any, nothing make sense.

12/28/17 Credit: Direct Deposit from SSA TREAS 310 for XXSOC SEC Posted on December 28, 2017 at 10:44AM $894.00 $885.81 this is my total monthly income and the $25 med allowance from the state. While my wife has fafsa and work study, her dad helped pay for the books and programs for accounting we could not afford this time. Next year we'll have a $100-200 surplus for the grants. our rent is $475 and then I have my medical payments, $75-100 for electric leaving on avarage $29 after everything is paid which I give as tithing leaving us nothing.

@Just_A_Guy My ssdi is $894 every 3'rd of the month that is after the 2% col adjustment. I also get $25 a month medical allowance from the state. My wife is in work study so all that income goes to her tuition and books, we don't see a dime of that. Since we were just married she doesn't get the max amount in Fafsa due to it being calculated on her mothers income this year. Next year she'll receive the max amount because of my income, which will help. This summer she has an unpaid internship but they might be able to help with a scholarship for next year. I do not have a problem paying tithing, that has never been the issue. After all my health needs and living expenses are paid I would gladly give what I have left as tithing, I know it would be below the $87 from 10%, but I will gladly give it. Once my wife completes school we are going to pay the balance of the tithing owed. The only problem is being told to give up housing or meds or my wife's school money to pay the tithing. It was suggested we sell my wife's laptop to help meet tithing costs, but she has online classes as well. The Bishop told me how he had to sell his guitar to pay tithing, and the missionaries had to go without gas for their car, and it showed how strong their faith was.Giving up school and a future, housing or meds is in no way the same and is quite insulting. My issue is out of the meetings we've had with the Bishop and other members, and home visits from the missionaries, the only thing discussed is tithing. My Book of Mormon, Bible, and Gospel Principals have more written in them then the law of tithing. Out of 12 of the last visits 11 have been only about tithing. A total of 6 hours in a car with other members being told to pay the 10% tithing. So 30 hours or more have been devoted to telling us our faith isn't strong enough, and if my faith was as strong as theirs using money for meds wouldn't be a problem. Are all home visits and visits by missionaries going to be about tithing, does scripture come in only when tithing is paid in full? When did it become allowable for the Bishop and missionaries to become self-appointed bill collectors for God and refuse to help with Scripture study and talk only about tithing? When did home visits become about browbeating members to fully pay tithing and not about expanding faith and knowledge of the Scripture? The issue isn't the amount or the inability to pay tithing, it is being told we lack faith, we are "putting our wants before the church". We're not buying a vacation property, or a second new car. Or spending money on electronics or going to a resort. It is also being confronted by other ward members about how to tithe properly, when we have not discussed it with anyone else. The Bishop had a financial planner come to our house to go over our finances with us and he was at a lose on what we should do. As he said right now we could be totally dependent on church welfare for food and paying the $87 in tithing would make us even more dependent, for help with rent or electric payments. As of right now we are supporting ourselves with what we have, I have never asked for help from charities because I can make ends meet right now, but their is no room to wiggle.

My wife is a full time student and she works in the disability compliance office at the school to help pay for classes. She leaves for class at 7 a.m. and is in class until 10 a.m. then goes to work until 2 p.m. She then has a 45 minute bus ride home,she does her online course work until we eat dinner and she studies until 10 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday she uses to study more and take her online tests and quizzes. She helps me with my meds, and gets me ready for the day when I'm bedridden, helps me bathe and makes food for the week. I was in an electrical trouble shooter, until my illness struck 20 years ago. The first sign that I had an autoimmune disorder was when I woke up parallelized for 3 years. It is one of the first symptoms of GBS. CIDP which I have now is the chronic form of GBS. My symptoms include nerve pain (the pain specialist equates it to being a burn victim with burns on 90% of the body) Muscle weakness, muscle spasms that are extreme enough to fracture bones, fatigue, heart mummer, breathing problems, and inability to swallow, and a constellation of other minor problems. "But I submit that among other things, it *IS* supposed to induce you to reconsider plans, decisions, and habits you’ve already made that may be financially sub-optimal." Yes I would reconsider having this disorder, but that decision is out of my hands, my habit of having my body lock up for days at a time is very inconvenient. My chocking on my own saliva and food or having to be put on a respirator isn't much fun either. I guess I should have planned better in my 20's for an extremely rare disorder to strike me. So I guess looking at it that way and not planning better, have made my choices financially sub-optimal.

I was recently baptized in my ward and I have received conflicting advice on tithing. I am on SSDI my total income for the month is under $900, I don't get Medicaid just medicare. I have a disorder called CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy). I have to see a neurologist twice a month, a nerve and pain specialist once a month and my regular doctor once a month for my condition and for diabetes. Each specialist is $75 out of pocket for each visit and $25 for my regular doctor. My meds right now are $107 a month, with fentanyl patchs and muscle relaxers being added next month which will add almost $90 a month to my bill. Right now to be able to cover my bills I only can use my food stamps to get my food and my diet is now less then a 1000 calories a day. I am married but my wife is in school to get an accounting degree and can not work due to classes, so mine is the only income for the next 3 years and we still have to find money for when she has to switch to a 4 year school (2 years at community and 2 at a 4 year school to finish). We have been told over and over we need to tithe the full 10%. I have been told not to worry and just do it even if it means I don't have the money to get my meds or see my doctor. "God will provide" right? The day after we were Baptized the Bishop informed us that there was not form of assistance the ward could provide even though we never asked. So what should I do? If I pay my wife will have to leave school, or I go without meds or I lose my apartment and go homeless. If I go without meds I will die, my health doesn't allow for that. I am bedridden 3 weeks out of each month on average so me finding work is not an option. My wife, who is 20 years younger, leaving school is not an option. Being homeless will never be an option, and with no help from the ward I'm at a loss with what to do. I have offered to do some type of work for the ward but the Bishop said that's not an option. In a ward where 10% of the people are current with their tithing while being able bodied and working white collar jobs ( almost everyone has a new car and own their home) it feels as though we are being singled out. Some members have stated that tithing would make us dependent on church welfare and therefore we should be exempt, while ward leaders and elders are telling us to pay even if that means giving up my meds. After all my bills are paid ( that is just rent, electric, meds, doctors and internet due to my wife having 3 online courses and a bus pass so I can get to appointments) I have less then $20 left of my check. 10% of my income is $87. So we've cut our diet to around 1000 calories a day (being diabetic I'm supposed to have 1900 or more a day) should I end my wife's future and pull her out of school, stop taking my meds or seeing my doctor, or become homeless to pay the monies owed for tithing? Ever visit we receive at our apartment from the missionaries nothing was discussed except tithing. Since we were baptized the only thing the Bishop has discussed with us is tithing. The past 5 Sundays the main subject is tithing and food offerings (but if there is no food help or welfare assistance in the ward why is it still being collected?). So is my death what is needed to show my faith or ending my wife's future and the ability to pay more then the $87 they would receive now in a few years? I know the stock answer is pay now reap later, which is fine, but for me that will be months not years like for most members. Is this how the church is supposed to function or is this just the ward I am stuck with? My ward is a 30 minuet drive from us even though we have a ward 10 minutes from us. So instead of catching a bus we have to beg rides from people (set up by the missionaries so we have come to expect a 30 minute lecture on tithing) I am being shamed on a weekly basis for having a disability and not having the income to pay the full tithing. What are my options?