prettyrose Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Right now my income is $700.00 I paid $40.00 in tithing on first Sunday in January 2012. Do I need to pay another $30.00? Is ten percent required? I was just curious. I don't want to keep feeling guilty for paying so little. Was it difficult for you to pay a full tithing amount? Thank you for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jezebel2011 Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 The Tithing is 10%, yes. It has sometimes been difficult for me to pay tithing but I have always made it my first priority always. The blessings I have received from paying tithing compensate tenfold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Is ten percent required?Tithing is 10%. If you do not see how you can pay 10% I recommend counseling with your Bishop on the matter.Was it difficult for you to pay a full tithing amount? Tithing is not one of the commandments I struggle with (I have a different set that are my personal struggle). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Right now my income is $700.00 I paid $40.00 in tithing on first Sunday in January 2012. Do I need to pay another $30.00? Is ten percent required? I was just curious. I don't want to keep feeling guilty for paying so little. Was it difficult for you to pay a full tithing amount? Thank you for your help.Hi prettyrose. Tithing is between you and God with the bishop as your intermediary.But yes, full tithe is 10% of your increase (which for people who work for somebody is their paycheck).Yes, it was difficult for me to start paying tithes but once I started it was easy to just keep going. I look at it like my income tax. Right now, income tax is about 18%. Bigger than my tithe. But, it's not a struggle to pay income tax because I don't "see" it. It gets taken out of my paycheck before it gets to me. So, all my needs work with the net pay instead of the gross pay. Now, say I would get my entire gross pay and then I have to write the 18% check for tax to the government every month. That would be super hard, I would think. Because I get used to seeing the gross pay. So, what I do is, when I get my paycheck, I pay my tithe first before I do anything else. Then my needs work with the money left-over.Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted January 5, 2012 Report Share Posted January 5, 2012 Right now my income is $700.00 I paid $40.00 in tithing on first Sunday in January 2012. Do I need to pay another $30.00? Is ten percent required? I was just curious. I don't want to keep feeling guilty for paying so little. Was it difficult for you to pay a full tithing amount? Thank you for your help.I have paid tithing from my earliest childhood, so it has never been difficult for me. I would suggest that, after you get into the habit of paying your tithing, it likewise will not be difficult for you any more.Similarly, it's difficult to get up and go to Church on Sunday morning, until you're used to doing it. Then it isn't difficult anymore. Same principle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMGuy Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 The direction that we have had is that tithing is 10% of your increase as stated above. The church has given no other guidance than that. You will find some members pay on their gross earnings, some on their net (the money left in their check after taxes and deductions). I have even had some individuals that define increase as what they are left with after expenses (rent, groceries, etc.). The question that is asked for tithing settlement and temple recommend interviews is "are you a full tithe payer." You need to be comfortable with your answer between you and the Lord. Some only feel ok answering yes if they pay on their gross, some are comfortable answering yes paying on net, and some are ok answering based on some other definition or criteria. Since you seem to be asking for advice, here is mine.....consider what the commandment to tithe means to you pretty rose, ponder it out for yourself and then ask the Lord in prayer. If you are comfortable with it then no one should try to make you feel guilty for how you move forward.....it you feel guilty from within and without external pressure, then perhaps you should reevaluate. Best of luck. -RM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleWyvern Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) I think that if you want to know whether you are "robbing God" with the method you pay tithing, you could always ask Him. Isn't this what prayer is for? Edited January 6, 2012 by LittleWyvern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 I paid tithing on my allowance when I was a little girl. I have not paid tithing in years but it's not something that is hard for me to swallow. However, the idea of paying 10% is still a tough one for my husband. We are returning to church for the first time in eons (this Sunday) and my husband isn't looking forward to paying his tithing. For us, it's one step at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenbones Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 If you can't pay 10% right now, try to save a little bit up at a time. Maybe sometime this year you'll be able to pay up what you weren't able to before. There is no set rule on when you have to pay it in a given year. Just as long as you pay 10% of your annual increase. That could be week to week, month to month, or you could pay it all at once at the end of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RescueMom Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 It is my opinion that being a partial tithe payer is better than being a non-tithe payer. One will not reap the blessings of a full tithe payer, but if you are truly working to get to be a full tithe payer then God will see that in your heart. If, however, you just want to keep the money for selfish reasons, God will also see that in your heart. It will keep you from receiving the blessings of going to the temple as being a full tithe payer is a requirement for a recommend, but one can also repent of not paying tithing and be forgiven. I suggest you ask your own Bishop on the issue, tell him your thoughts and problems. This is one of the easy tasks that he can help with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 We do use the term "partial tithing". However, I would note that, by definition, there is no such thing as a "partial tithing". Either you tithe or you do not. "Tithing" means "tenth". If you give a tenth back to God, you are paying tithing. If you give less than a tenth, you are making a contribution to the Church, but by definition you are not paying tithing. Not sure if this has direct bearing on the conversation, but I thought I'd throw it into the mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 I read a Personal Finance Management book a long time ago and was very surprised to see the author mention that paying a tithe to a religious organization or making a charitable contribution is the first step to Financial Success. The author is not LDS, nor a member of the major religious organizations. From what I understood at the time, the author was a non-denominational Christian. Anyway, what I understood from the book was that learning how to manage your finances is knowing the difference between expense, savings, investment, and charity and putting all of them in balance. He said, a lot of people consider charitable contributions (or tithes) as an expense so that when they get into debt and have to minimize expenses, they stop making contributions. A lot of people also consider savings or investments as an expense and make decisions accordingly. Setting aside money for a charitable contribution should not be looked at as an expense. Rather, it should be looked at as an acknowledgement that there are people worse off than you are and you are grateful to have some money you can manage. This is the first step to financial success because it is this type of humility that puts your money in its proper perspective (you are the master of your money, not the money is your master). Anyway, I thought it was a good lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMGuy Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 One more thought. You state in your first post that your income is $700 and that you paid $40. I'll refer back to my previous post: You could define income as gross pay (in which case to be a full-tithe payer $70 is required) You could define income as net pay-after tax etc (in which case if you grossed $700 then your 10% tithing would be somewhat less than $70) You could define income as a business does revenue-expenses=income (in which case if you grossed $700 than 10% tithing could be consideratbly less than $70). Doctrine and Covenante 119 is a section you might want to take a look at. Here is the statement from the 1st Presidency: "For your guidance in this matter, please be advised that we have uniformly replied that the simplest statement we know of is that statement of the Lord himself that the members of the Church should pay one-tenth of all their interest annually, which is understood to mean income. No one is justified in making any other statement than this. We feel that every member of the Church should be entitled to make his own decision as to what he thinks he owes the Lord, and to make payment accordingly." -RM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayne Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 i say tithing should be counted on gross income. the logic being heavy taxes such as income tax which is normally fairly heavy and a study of the constitution would easily reveal our founders would of greatly opposed the 16th amendment income tax. and God taking rather direct credit for the constitution. i have to think God means gross income on the very notion the income tax should not even exist. also regardless your gross income is still YOUR income. you still earned it. that money exists because of you and only you that said God has been rather clear. paying tithing and reap rewards. you really dont even need a high level of faith to reap those rewards. i say regardless of financial situation tithing ought to a priority. if you are struggling try and find the faith neccessary to pay a full tithe. ive seen it entirely too often and frequently tithing helps people come up with money out of the clear blue. heck even for me ive stumbled across hundreds of dollars i desperately needed only after i gave a lesser amount of tithing say i paid a full tithe of 200. i might stumble across 400 dollars which is the exact amount i needed. there are tons of stories like this. become one of these stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blocky Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Only $30 off from a full tithe. When you have NO money left though, $30 can seem like so much. Go to the Bishop, be humble. Ask for $30 (or more!) of a food order, help with the electricity, etc. You learn to lean on others when in need, you let the Lord bless you, and you get to feel the peace of a full tithe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristina12 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 If you are joining the church later in life, do you pay it from when you join the church? So you dont start off with having to pay lots and lots lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennarator Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 If you are joining the church later in life, do you pay it from when you join the church? So you dont start off with having to pay lots and lots lol.Yes, you pay it from when you join the church. (That's a good thig, cuz you are right it would be a LOT if you needed to pay from before...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madriglace Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 A full tithing is 10% of your increase. For me that's from my gross pay. But if you look at it that without the Lord we would have nothing to begin with we are only giving Him back a small pitance in comparison to what He has given us. For me once I got started it was easy to maintain, it scares the bejeebers out of me not to pay now ... so much of the good in my life is directly tied to obeying the law of tithing ... my job is at the to of that list. I know some people who think that because the are on disability or such that they are exempt from tithing ... if you have money coming in you need to be paying a full tithing ... out of obedience. The blessings are the icing and the sprinkles on the cake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMGuy Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 ... it scares the bejeebers out of me not to pay now ...Yep, that's how I know it is from God. If it scares the bejeebers out of me, it must be true. -RM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramajane Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 If fear is what is to help us know there is danger, and anger is to help us know that our boundaries have been breached, then-- just as I fear the consequence of having to live with myself if I ever stole money from ANYBODY, I would fear if I robbed God. Besides which, I have seen so many personal miracles from paying tithing over my whole life. We had money come to us that we thought we would never see again, (bad loans to people who never repaid, for years and years, -- only to have them hand money to us when we REALLY needed it later!) -- I could mention about five more amazing things. In the scriptures the word "fear" is used often to mean "respect". I sure hope we all respect ourselves and other too much to rob anybody! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 Yep, that's how I know it is from God. If it scares the bejeebers out of me, it must be true. In fact, God does indeed make use of the threat of unpleasant consequences to encourage his children to obey his commandments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madriglace Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 Yep, that's how I know it is from God. If it scares the bejeebers out of me, it must be true. -RMNot that I fear God but that I need those blessings to keep moving forward .... I have to do my part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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