Tithing


walkingwithgrace
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I didn't find the question in any of the posted threads but if I missed it somehow I apologize. I have a question in regards to tithing. I understand it is 10% of your income but how do you know how much you will pay per month? How can I determine how much I will pay? Do you pay each Sunday, each month or once a year? I haven't converted yet but I plan on doing so. This is just one issue that I was concerned about. What do I do if I cannot afford it?

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You pay as it works best for you...

Many pay with each paycheck... But that presumes a paycheck... Others like a farmer or those that work for themselves might not know how much until they do the books, and that would then be a logical time for them

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On March 19, 1970, the First Presidency sent a letter to presidents of stakes and missions, bishops of wards, and presidents of branches in answer to the question, What is a proper tithe?

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.

We pay 10% on our interest annually, the statement then clarifies that this means income. Does this mean we pay on our whole wage or our increase in wage, or after we have met our obligations for the needs of our families it does not say.

Whether you pay 10% on gross or net, or 10% on what you have left after you have paid out all your family expenses, it is between you and the Lord. Decide upon what you think you owe the Lord, take it to him in prayer and if you receive confirmation pay that. At the end of the day it is between you and the Lord and no one can say otherwise.

Edited by GB-UK
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being a full tithe payer you should pay 10% of your gross. It is easier to pay it weekly or when ever you get paid, just take 10% out.

The Lord doesn't need our money, its a test of our faith. We get blessed so much for keeping the commandments and doing what we are suppose too.

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being a full tithe payer you should pay 10% of your gross. It is easier to pay it weekly or when ever you get paid, just take 10% out.

The Lord doesn't need our money, its a test of our faith. We get blessed so much for keeping the commandments and doing what we are suppose too.

While I do pay 10% of my gross income, that is a personal interpretation. GB-UK quoted the last word on the subject:

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.

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being a full tithe payer you should pay 10% of your gross. It is easier to pay it weekly or when ever you get paid, just take 10% out.

The Lord doesn't need our money, its a test of our faith. We get blessed so much for keeping the commandments and doing what we are suppose too.

While I do pay 10% of my gross income, that is a personal interpretation. GB-UK quoted the last word on the subject:

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.

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I find it interesting that when anyone is asked what is your income, invariably the answer that is given is the gross income. No one stops to think well is that before or after taxes or is it what I have left after I have paid all my bills. It is always the gross income that is given. However when it comes to tithe, so many will seek to justify giving as little to the Lord as possible. Faith precedes the miracle. When you are honest with the Lord by paying a FULL tithe of 1/10th of your GROSS income and do it willingly, miracles do happen in our lives. The Lord will test us first. Just remember that everything we have is his and He only asks that we have the faith to give back to him 1 dollar for every 10 he has given us without trying to justify how much that should be. I am a poor man who lives on less than what my actual needs are, yet every month the Lord blesses me that I somehow have extra. When I say poor, my gross income is barely over $1000 per month. My monthly bills amount to more than that, but every month miracles happen that somehow there appears more than we need. I could not tell you the number of times I have opened my wallet and found an extra hundred dollars that was not there previously, or it may come in some other way, but it always comes and has for several years. This is not to say that I have not been tested in paying tithe, I have, but the Lord knows that it is the first thing that is paid every month. I cannot afford to NOT pay a full tithe on every dime I receive, but you decide for yourselves, you have your agency.

Jerry

Edited by gfchase
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Following up on gjchase's awesome comments -

When a teenager gets paid for babysitting, they pay 10% on their gross since they don't (usually) pay taxes or have bills. So why would the concept change once you're older?

Personally, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Personally I would do as instructed by the church and decided what I need to pay in tithes and take it to Heavenly Father for confirmation.

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I would think God would be very confused with my income

Not at all. During the early days of the church after the restoration, most members were farmers and as such often paid in kind. As an example, if they grew a thousand bushels of wheat and had a new calf born, they would pay tithe of 100 bushels plus whatever 10 % of the calf was in an added amount of wheat, so if the value of the calf was worth 10 bushels of wheat an additional 1 bushel of wheat was given for a total of 101 bushels. However your income is derived, simply keep track and pay as honestly as you can 10% of that amount and if you are in doubt give a little extra, the Lord will only bless you more.

Jerry

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Perhaps I should clarify a bit. a couple posts back I said that I had been tested but that we still pay a full tithe and that is true. What I did not say was how severe that test was, but tithing like any other test in life is about our willingness to bend our will to that of our Father in Heaven. Think of the sacrifice of the early saints who were full tithe payers, think of the sacrifices of the Prophet Joseph. It was not uncommon to lose everything they had and that multiple times as they were driven from place to place. The blessings are NOT always financial and certainly the blessings that I have received the last few hears have been of maintenance and at other times they could have only been spiritual, for we once many years ago actually lost our home and remember thinking at the time, how could this happen for we are full tithe payers and it was not because we were not making the payments, but we then began to understand that the Lord was proving us. Would we hold to the truth regardless of the trials we faced. We are taught that we may be called upon to sacrifice all that we have and that, even if we are full tithe payers. The point is will we be obedient. Think of the trials of Job who lost everything but was then rewarded with more and so it is with us. Often the blessings may be spiritual rather than monetary.

Jerry

Edited by gfchase
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That is NOT correct!

You have no authority to make that claim. The Brethern do not even make that claim.

Please do not tell someone something that is not doctrinal.

At least 95% of what is written here is personal interpretation or opinion. If we restricted posts to "CES-approved doctrine only", it would be a quiet forum.

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Following up on gjchase's awesome comments -

When a teenager gets paid for babysitting, they pay 10% on their gross since they don't (usually) pay taxes or have bills. So why would the concept change once you're older?

Personally, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I'm curious. How is a person who does not pay tithing on gross income less safe?

M.

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Well, Maureen, it's fire insurance, doncha know? ;)

(I'm being facetious, of course. I remember walking into an institute class one day where the instructor had written on the blackboard, in large letters: TITHING IS NOT FIRE INSURANCE!!!)

Seriously--I think the concept notquiteperfect is getting at (and with which I agree) is that, from a devotional standpoint, one would rather give the Lord too much than not enough.

Edited by Just_A_Guy
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Not at all. During the early days of the church after the restoration, most members were farmers and as such often paid in kind. As an example, if they grew a thousand bushels of wheat and had a new calf born, they would pay tithe of 100 bushels plus whatever 10 % of the calf was in an added amount of wheat, so if the value of the calf was worth 10 bushels of wheat an additional 1 bushel of wheat was given for a total of 101 bushels. However your income is derived, simply keep track and pay as honestly as you can 10% of that amount and if you are in doubt give a little extra, the Lord will only bless you more.

Jerry

I donno how that could possibly work on yugioh cards, which-while often worth money-they can plummet to next to nothing should the card be reprinted-or jump up if the demand for the dard is there.

I don't often come into hard currency, or hard anything, just weird things like cards, and dolls and such which not everyone even equates a value of any sort to

Like I traded a bunch of doll clothes for some my little ponies, there was no money exchanged on that, but I got a better deal since the ponies were less common.

Do you tithe on the ponies, even if you have no money?

I have no money, but the ponies are indeed worth something.

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