Tithing Blessings

[MormonMama]

Thanks Alaskagain. You said it all much better than I did.

[Canuck Mormon]

Since I returned to the church and started to pay my tithing, I've got a new career, new wife, new house, and maybe soon, a new baby. My life couldn't have been blessed more.

[InTheDoghouse]

I believe that paying tithing to God is similar to the "Word of Wisdom", a principle with a promise. I think that the ultimate blessing we receive from paying tithing is simply being able to gain a testimony of the first law of heaven which is the law of obedience and sacrifice. All these wonderful stories of financial success are very faith promoting but there are many instances of people who pay a full and honest tithe and do not receive monetary gain in return. That is not the promise, the promise is: (Malachi 3:10) and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

When the "windows of heaven" open I feel that it is a more increased power to receive light, just as an open window lets in the sunlight. Obedience to the commandment of tithing or any commandment for that matter,allows one to "prove" the Lord to see if His word is sure.

Understanding law helps: D&C 130

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

Paying tithing allows one to call upon the blessing of added light and knowledge. The temple is, among other ways, one of those places we are permitted to go to receive that added light and knowledge, it is allowed because of the obedience to the laws that predicated it, one being tithing.

Part of the debate is over who we are to pay our tithes and offerings to. I remember an old joke that went something like:

Lord, I will throw my money up into the air and whatever you need you keep, and whatever you don't need, let it fall to the ground and I will keep.

Similar to this bit of humor, when we decide the conditions of the law instead of the Lord and choose who we want to pay our tithes and offerings to, we are somewhat doing the same thing. One of the earliest recorded instances of tithes being offered is in the scriptures when Abraham paid tithes after his return from his conquest in battle while delivering Lot from his enemies. In Genesis 14:20 it explains what Abraham does next with his increase,

And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

It is more interesting to note to who he paid the tithes to. In Genesis 14:18 we read, And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

He paid tithes to Melchizedek because he was the rightful priesthood holder being the priest of the "most high God", or in other words, one having authority to act in God's name. I think the matter of debate is not one of "if the Lord requires tithing" but more the matter of who is the rightful representative of the Lord, holding the office of High Priest for one to pay their tithing to. For me, that holder is the Bishop of my ward, the High Priest of the Aaronic Priesthood, and Melchizedek Priesthood holder of the most high God.

Finally, God does not need our money for himself, but we need to learn to become obedient and learn to sacrifice for ourselves so that by "law" he can bless us with the futher light and knowledge that is required to come to truly KNOW Him. He as a loving Father is leaving that decision in our hands, and we must learn toopen our hands and give and make it as an offering in righteousness to know HIM.

[Mountaingirl]

It was mostly aimed at Mountaingirl, but was open to anyone else who wanted to answer.

I didn't say it had to be the LDS church. I just said tithing. I like Alaskagain's explanation. The Bible says that those who don't pay tithing are robbing God. It doesn't specify that it only counts for certain churches. This is why the LDS church does not allow those who are not full tithe payers to enter the temple, because they are violating one of God's laws as put forth in the Bible. It's not the Church that tells them they have to pay 10%, GOD does! And yes, you can still be blessed in many ways even if you never tithe a penny. I see it every day in the lives of many people I know. But blessings are predicated on obedience to God, and He will bless us even more if we do more.

It should also be noted that the LDS church helps tithe payers who cannot meet their expenses. When my husband's income dropped we literally did not have enough to pay our bills and our tithing. We still paid our tithing and the church took care of our bills, groceries, etc. No one in the church goes hungry because they paid their tithing.

But thank you for your answer. :) I appreciate it.

I understand where you are coming from, and I respect it. I used to agree with you 100% but my opinion has changed.

I respectfully disagree with the statement that people who don't pay tithing (to any church) are robbing God. Personally, I find that more good comes out of money given directly to charity than to a church organization. I can see where my money is helping, and they show their financial records to prove it. I don't think that tithing to a church is necessary when you are doing everything you can to help other people in the world.

I know that many people say that they are more blessed after paying tithing, but these blessings probably would have happened even if they hadn't paid. God's love for us and his blessings for us don't depend on tithing. Just my opinion.

[Mountaingirl]

Hi back, Mountaingirl!

I have not ever been forced to pay tithing. It has always been my choice. If anybody ever tried to force me to pay tithing, man, I would probably be kicking and screaming all the way.

I don't pay my tithing because I'm afraid I will lose blessings if I don't. I pay my tithing because I am grateful for everything I already have been given, and because I want to do something to show that I love my Heavenly Father.

However, if I choose not to pay my tithing, I do not expect to be able to receive the further blessings of temple worship, as my attendance in that holy place is based upon my obedience of the commandments that I acknowledge as my Father's instructions. It is always my choice to obey or not.

I am hardly rich, by any means. I have been outright poor. There have been times when I did not have enough money to make it through to the next paycheck, but if I paid my tithing, I would make it. If I didn't pay my tithing, I would have absolutely nothing left halfway through the week, just like my on-paper calculations projected.

Tithing is not a financial matter, it is a matter of faith. I dont think it makes any difference whether the tithing is coming from a young family, an elderly couple, a young single person, or an 8 year old child. It takes faith to pay it.

I don't know if the money from the SLC shopping mall came out of tithing funds. If so, that's okay. If not, that's ok too. I don't care who made the decision to spend church assets that way, no matter the source. I only know I am happy that I made my decision to pay my tithing.

I hope you will give the matter more consideration, so that it will longer bug you. I hope you will have peace in your mind over the matter.

I know the church doesn't force people to pay tithing, I didn't mean to imply that. :) It's just that your temple recommend depends on it, as well as other rules you have to follow like the word of wisdom. As I mentioned before, I respect your opinion and I used to agree with it.

I donate money to charity instead of pay tithing because I know where my money is going. The charity will show me their financial statements and the church doesn't. The shopping mall in Salt Lake does bother me a lot because there are starving people in the world that money could be helping... but its going to a shopping plaza instead. It makes no sense to me. I can't agree with it.

I find that I have more faith now, I see beauty in more things and I am enjoying life more. That is just me... if Mormonism works for you (or any other religion) than good for you! I really mean it.

[Iggy]

That shopping mall in SLC was not paid for with our tithes.

Our tithes pay for the temples & meetinghouses. Fast Offerings pay for welfare. Within the Ward or Branch, if a person or family needs assistance, then that comes from the Fast Offerings that have been paid by the members of that ward/branch.

I know of a couple who when they passed on they "willed" everything they owned to the Church. They were rather wealthy. The Church sold the house, cars, antiques, etc. and this money is invested. It is not tithing.

Quite frankly I don't know where the original money came from that the Church now uses to invest and to purchase things with. If it was tithing way back then so be it. They are doing a great job with the money now and have been for decades.

Mountain Girl - I have read quite a few of your posts and you are complaining about quite a lot of things. How long have you been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Have you stopped to think why you are so discontented with the Church? Deep down inside, the real reason. I think your discontent goes pretty deep.

[Mountaingirl]

That shopping mall in SLC was not paid for with our tithes.

Our tithes pay for the temples & meetinghouses. Fast Offerings pay for welfare. Within the Ward or Branch, if a person or family needs assistance, then that comes from the Fast Offerings that have been paid by the members of that ward/branch.

I know of a couple who when they passed on they "willed" everything they owned to the Church. They were rather wealthy. The Church sold the house, cars, antiques, etc. and this money is invested. It is not tithing.

Quite frankly I don't know where the original money came from that the Church now uses to invest and to purchase things with. If it was tithing way back then so be it. They are doing a great job with the money now and have been for decades.

Mountain Girl - I have read quite a few of your posts and you are complaining about quite a lot of things. How long have you been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Have you stopped to think why you are so discontented with the Church? Deep down inside, the real reason. I think your discontent goes pretty deep.

I don't feel that I am complaining. I am just voicing my opinion like the rest of you. I have been a member of the church my entire life, and my testimony is failing me because of these issues. I thought this would be a good place to go to talk about this with other LDS people, but if it sounds like I am complaining maybe I should leave.

I have concerns over these things, and I have been raised to stand up for what I believe in. The morals that my Mom and Dad gave me won't let me pay tithing right now because I don't believe its going where it should go.

I do know the church says the money for the mall didn't come from tithing, but from other businesses they own and other holdings. I have done my homework to the point that I could probably list the people who said it.

My point is still this: Why in the world is it okay to spend 2 billion dollars renovating a shopping mall in Salt Lake City while there are so many people starving, homeless, and in need of aid somewhere? That money could be put to better use, and I stand by that opinion and I will forever. We don't need a shopping mall, we need to help our fellow man.

[Iggy]

Why haven't you done research into the Church's welfare system? The good that they do? The money, medication and medical supplies, food, clothing, shelter that they donate - without fanfare might I add- to non-members. Third world countries hit by natural disasters, Katrina victims, etc.?

2006 Statistics

Days of labor donated to Church welfare facilities 623,153

Employment and training placements

U.S. and Canada 94,617

Outside U.S. and Canada 144,793

Number of Church welfare facilities

Storehouses 137

Home storage centers 100

Production projects 57

Processing facilities 22

Storage and distribution facilities 37

Employment resource centers 285

Deseret Industries thrift stores 44

LDS Family Services offices 69

Number of missionaries serving in Welfare Services 3,552

Examples of missionary assignments:

Managing employment centers

Teaching English as a second language

Teaching marriage and parenting skills

Improving agricultural and medical practices

Distributing clothing

Supervising welfare projects and missionaries

Number of major disaster assistance efforts (1985–2006) 181

Recent examples:

Beirut, Lebanon, conflict relief 2006

Yogyakarta, Indonesia, earthquake relief 2006

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita relief 2005

Pakistan earthquake relief 2005

Africa measles vaccination campaigns 2004–2006

Southeast Asia tsunami relief 2004–2006

Humanitarian assistance rendered (1985–2006)

Cash donations $201.3 million

Value of material assistance $705.2 million

Countries served 163

Food distributed 54,905 tons

Medical equipment distributed 9,152 tons

Surplus clothing distributed 73,226 tons

Educational supplies distributed 5,857 tons

Click on this link: Humanitarian Activities Worldwide and then click on each portion of the world map and READ.

I go to the same Church as you. I have had the same lessons as you. I have read from the same books as you. I have also gone to the same anti-mormon internet sites as you probably have- yet I do not see the Church as lying, or holding truths from me. Quite the opposite- The Church has been forthright in its teachings, etc. I learned the truth from the Church, I learned to listen with the discernment of the Holy Ghost.

The only difference is that I was not raised in the Church. My Parents joined decades after I did. My father never joined while he was alive. Mom did his work after she received her own endowments. My testimony is my own. Learned by me through my own trials and tribulations - my own Refiners Fire.

I also learned that the Church is made up of HUMAN beings. Human beings are human- they make mistakes - sometimes on an hourly basis , but when they listen to the Holy Ghost with their heart of hearts, when they exercise blind faith and take that step forward and put their everything in the hands of God- THAT is when they LEARN and HEAR.

As for you saying that because I have accused you of being a complainer you are now going to leave the forum. That is the same kind of threat that a child throws at a parent during a temper tantrum. " I'll hold my breath if you don't let me have ice cream for breakfast" , "I'm going to run away if you make me go to school" "I won't love you anymore unless you say and do the things I think are right".

Do you honestly believe that 13 + MILLION people have been duped by the Holy Ghost into believing that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God?

[Mountaingirl]

Why haven't you done research into the Church's welfare system? The good that they do? The money, medication and medical supplies, food, clothing, shelter that they donate - without fanfare might I add- to non-members. Third world countries hit by natural disasters, Katrina victims, etc.?

Click on this link: Humanitarian Activities Worldwide and then click on each portion of the world map and READ.

I go to the same Church as you. I have had the same lessons as you. I have read from the same books as you. I have also gone to the same anti-mormon internet sites as you probably have- yet I do not see the Church as lying, or holding truths from me. Quite the opposite- The Church has been forthright in its teachings, etc. I learned the truth from the Church, I learned to listen with the discernment of the Holy Ghost.

The only difference is that I was not raised in the Church. My Parents joined decades after I did. My father never joined while he was alive. Mom did his work after she received her own endowments. My testimony is my own. Learned by me through my own trials and tribulations - my own Refiners Fire.

I also learned that the Church is made up of HUMAN beings. Human beings are human- they make mistakes - sometimes on an hourly basis , but when they listen to the Holy Ghost with their heart of hearts, when they exercise blind faith and take that step forward and put their everything in the hands of God- THAT is when they LEARN and HEAR.

As for you saying that because I have accused you of being a complainer you are now going to leave the forum. That is the same kind of threat that a child throws at a parent during a temper tantrum. " I'll hold my breath if you don't let me have ice cream for breakfast" , "I'm going to run away if you make me go to school" "I won't love you anymore unless you say and do the things I think are right".

Do you honestly believe that 13 + MILLION people have been duped by the Holy Ghost into believing that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God?

Like I have said before many times, I respect your opinion, but I disagree.

The church does list all the aid it gives out, BUT it doesn't list how much money comes in through tithing and where that money goes. I think everyone would be shocked to see how much money that actually is. Billions and billions of dollars easy. If they do so much good and give out so much money to charity, what is the harm in showing the financial records? If they have nothing to hide, why are they hiding it? I don't know for fact that they are hiding anything bad, but the 2 billion dollar mall money could be better spent elsewhere in my opinion.

I am not saying that you are being duped! Please don't put words in my mouth, I respect your opinion. I am just saying that there are things in the church that are bothering me a great deal and this is one of them.

As for the "anti-Mormon" websites I again disagree. Just because someone has a different opinion about something Mormon doesn't make them "anti-Mormon." That term is used way too frequently in my opinion. There are many true things on those sites, and the historical records prove them. If anything, they are "pro-true-history sites"

I don't know the websites you have been on, and you don't know the websites I have been on, so lets not assume anything, okay?

[WillowTheWhisp]

I respectfully disagree with the statement that people who don't pay tithing (to any church) are robbing God. Personally,

In that case you are disagreeing with the Bible because it is the Bible which tells us that. You can't just pick and choose which bits of the Bible you want to believe.

[InTheDoghouse]

"Part of the debate is over who we are to pay our tithes and offerings to. I remember an old joke that went something like:

Lord, I will throw my money up into the air and whatever you need you keep, and whatever you don't need, let it fall to the ground and I will keep.

Similar to this bit of humor, when we decide the conditions of the law instead of the Lord and choose who we want to pay our tithes and offerings to, we are somewhat doing the same thing. One of the earliest recorded instances of tithes being offered is in the scriptures when Abraham paid tithes after his return from his conquest in battle while delivering Lot from his enemies. In Genesis 14:20 it explains what Abraham does next with his increase,

And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

It is more interesting to note to who he paid the tithes to. In Genesis 14:18 we read, And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

He paid tithes to Melchizedek because he was the rightful priesthood holder being the priest of the "most high God", or in other words, one having authority to act in God's name. I think the matter of debate is not one of "if the Lord requires tithing" but more the matter of who is the rightful representative of the Lord, holding the office of High Priest for one to pay their tithing to. For me, that holder is the Bishop of my ward, the High Priest of the Aaronic Priesthood, and Melchizedek Priesthood holder of the most high God.

Finally, God does not need our money for himself, but we need to learn to become obedient and learn to sacrifice for ourselves so that by "law" he can bless us with the futher light and knowledge that is required to come to truly KNOW Him. He as a loving Father is leaving that decision in our hands, and we must learn toopen our hands and give and make it as an offering in righteousness to know HIM."

I just didn't know if this was even read.

Sorry for the re-post.

[Mahonri]

Thank you IntheDogHouse, the real blessings that come from the GIVING of tithing are not temporal but rather spiritual.

Once we come to understand this, there are great vistas that can be opened up to our spiritual view.

I have come to know that through the giving back of the Lord's tenth, that our spiritual eyes can be opened. We can come to KNOW in a real way. That is one of the many reasons why it's so important that we give a full tithe before we enter the Temple. There the veil is thin to those who are worthy and tithed.

You've heard that a picture is worth a thousand words... well imagine a window opening up and being able to view the other side and how much that is worth and how there is so much to see and feel that there isn't room enough in our puny little brains to receive it all.

I know this is true.

Through the giving of a full tithe I have come to truly know.