Newbie questions

[Guest Kamperfoelie]

Hi i just introduced myself on a different forum as being completely new, and knowing nothing... only to realise later that i'd made the introduction on the wrong forum :)

I ve not met with anyone from a 'real' community yet, only read up on things on the internet, and i've a number of questions, I hope someone here can help me with. I am intending (provided i can work up the nerve) to go meet someone face to face, but i ve been away from the church for a number of years now and it feels like a big step.

My questions, in no particular order, are about things i ve seen on some of the forums here, like: what is a temple recommand, what is a patriarchal blessing, and last but not least, is chocolate on the list of no-nos? (im sure thats not the technical term, but you know what i mean)

I hope and intend to put my further questions to someone in person, but hope you can fill in some of the blanks until then.

Greetz!

PS: I am looking into meeting with someone from a real-live community, to sit down and talk about the details of this faith, and see if its for me, and more importantly if i would be suited/accetable to them.

To find a community here in the Netherlands I went on the net and found a list of communities in my country. In my town, there are two, but right at the top of the list was one that really caught my eye.

The thing is: two weeks ago I went to this town all the way across the country on business, for the first time in my life. I had to take a train for two hours, and then a bus (number 22 in a certain direction). The fact is that I have never been there before, in that part of the country, in that town, or on that bus. If not for this business-trip, I still would not have.

Now the topmost community on the list, is in that same town, and the directions are to take the same number 22 bus, in the same direction, and get off at the same stop as i had been to before.

Now maybe im being silly or superstitious but i dont generally believe in coincidence, and dont think this is one, to be honest. Maybe I just like seeing signs :)

[Gwen]

a temple recomend is a peice of paper that is carried by a member of the chruch who has been to the temple, is worthy, and is required to show upon entering the temples of the chruch. temples are different than regular chruch buildings, anyone is welcome to regular sunday services. temples are for making very specific covenants with the lord, we feel these covenants to be very serious and thus one should be properly prepared before entering and making these covenants. thus the need for a recomend.

patriarchal blessing is a blessing one can receive after joining the chruch. we feel it is very specific and different from other blessings, it contains information specific to you and your life here on earth. it may contain warnings, blessings, reminders, etc. all blessings and such contained are contengent upon following christ and the path he opens up for you. most who have a patriarchal blessing see it as very sacred and personal.

chocolate is like any other junk food, to be taken in moderation.

welcome to the site, i hope you find what you are looking for. :)

[SmilingRedhead]

Hi i just introduced myself on a different forum as being completely new, and knowing nothing... only to realise later that i'd made the introduction on the wrong forum :)

I ve not met with anyone from a 'real' community yet, only read up on things on the internet, and i've a number of questions, I hope someone here can help me with. I am intending (provided i can work up the nerve) to go meet someone face to face, but i ve been away from the church for a number of years now and it feels like a big step.

My questions, in no particular order, are about things i ve seen on some of the forums here, like: what is a temple recommand, what is a patriarchal blessing, and last but not least, is chocolate on the list of no-nos? (im sure thats not the technical term, but you know what i mean)

I hope and intend to put my further questions to someone in person, but hope you can fill in some of the blanks until then.

Greetz!

:)

Hi and welcome! I hope you'll like it here.

Well to answer one of your questions there... Chocolate is a yes-yes!! If it was a no-no then I'd be going straight to 'Hell'... Although, of course, everything in moderation.

I hope you get all the answers you're searching for.

Greetz

:)

[Dr T]

Welcome Happy Kamper :)

[Guest Kamperfoelie]

big phew on the chocolate front then... was just trying to figure if brownies count as chocolate if it was a no no

[Hemidakota]

Welcome to the forum. Talk to my wife, who adores the food - Chocolates. LOL

As Gwen already talked about, for me, a Patriarchal Blessing, is road map of our past, present, and often times, our future destination, based on our obediences to GOD's will. I wish I could afford the time to sit and write a book on this fascinating subject.

Though, good luck and anything I or we can do for you, we are here for you. :)

[WillowTheWhisp]

Chocolate is definitely not a no-no. We have lots of chocolate cakes and brownies etc when we have socials.

[Guest Kamperfoelie]

okay moving off chocolate now, (feeling like policeman now: put your hands up and back away from the chocolate! )

how does tithing work? i mean obviously... but what if you cant afford to tithe? if you re living hand to mouth, and there's less than 10% room between your monthly bills and your paycheck? let alone room to eat and tithe? is there a workaround or something?

[Misshalfway]

Hey Kamper!

How are you today? I just want to say that I know what it is like to have those big moments in life. I am glad you are considering the church. It has blessed my life. I think out of any other testimony I could give, that is my sweetest one to share. I wish I could list them all to you.....but then I would be blubbering and tears would spill onto the keyboard.... and then I couldn't type. So, I will spare you.

I am sure you will find someone that is easy to talk to. I will add an extra prayer that God will lead you to someone right for you to discuss things with.

Much spirit and peace in you searching and questioning.

MissH

PS. Chocolate forbidden??? Heaven forbid! (as I wipe the chocolate covered corners of my mouth.)

[Hemidakota]

okay moving off chocolate now, (feeling like policeman now: put your hands up and back away from the chocolate! )

how does tithing work? i mean obviously... but what if you cant afford to tithe? if you re living hand to mouth, and there's less than 10% room between your monthly bills and your paycheck? let alone room to eat and tithe? is there a workaround or something?

Are you a member? Beside chocolate, excessiveness in anything is wrong. For me? It is fast cars.

[Misshalfway]

okay moving off chocolate now, (feeling like policeman now: put your hands up and back away from the chocolate! )

how does tithing work? i mean obviously... but what if you cant afford to tithe? if you re living hand to mouth, and there's less than 10% room between your monthly bills and your paycheck? let alone room to eat and tithe? is there a workaround or something?

Well, the faith-filled answer is pay anyway. Tithing is an issue of faith. God provides manna from heaven when we need it. He WILL take care of anyone who has faith enough to pay. Even folks who seek financial support from the church are required to pay tithing. God WILL make a way for you to obey. Money will come. Resources will come. Faith! Tithing is all about faith!!

[WillowTheWhisp]

If you earn money then you pay tithing. If you cannot live on the 90% which is left there are lots of possibilities including Church Welfare, but often people find that the Lord blesses them with other sources of income or ways of saving on outgoings.

[Guest Kamperfoelie]

No im not a member, I ve been away from the church for a few very turbulent years. I dont particularly like the person i am away from church, but i ve seen a number of churches that were very luke-warm and just did not appeal to me. Knowing me, and knowing them, i dont think i ll stay 'in the fold' for long if there s no click, and i dont want to slide again (feeling very much like this is my second chance, and wanna make it work)

Im very impressed with what im hearing here though and intend to arrange a meeting with a church leader or spokesperson or whatever they're called.

As for excessiveness in chocolate? In everything more like , which is another reason why im interested in a how do i say this? A church that is very much a part of your every day life.

[Hemidakota]

My own observation, the gospel and church is the way of life.

[Guest Kamperfoelie]

Willow,

id feel a bit weird coming into a church and applying for welfare. im a grown man (ok ok so i should be able to support myself and tithe) I ve spent years paying more in alimony than having to spend for myself, and have never ever ever held my hand up to anyone. Not to be unhumble, but i dont intend to start now.

im feeling very conflicted now.

I ll have to take a second job to make ends meet, then tithe again over the second job, then theres taxrefunds over tithes, just doing the math makes my head hurt

[Hemidakota]

Seek out the missionaries in your area.

[Guest Kamperfoelie]

thank you

i dont like talking about this to be quite honest, can we change the subject? i feel like im coming across as some sort of penny pincher or something, i dont mean to.

i probably shouldnt have gone off the topic of chocolate

[ztodd]

If you go to mormon.org you can request missionaries to come visit you.

Have you made a budget for yourself? Sometimes it helps just to see where your money is going and be able to make a plan.

[silvertonguedsaint]

how does tithing work? i mean obviously... but what if you cant afford to tithe? if you re living hand to mouth, and there's less than 10% room between your monthly bills and your paycheck? let alone room to eat and tithe? is there a workaround or something?

Disclaimer: Nothing of what I will say is official church doctrine, but is solely my opinion.

The church uses tithing funds to build up the church and for humanitarian work, and these are noble causes worth contributing to.

Faithful members of the church are couseled to tithe 10% of their income. There is some dispute whether that means 10% of gross or net income. My opinion is that it is net income. My reasoning for that is thus: the government takes their share of what you earn, then your involuntary retirement, health, dental, life insurance, union dues, flex account, etc., and then you get your money. I tithe 10% of what I get after everyone else sticks their hands in and takes what they want. Still, it hurts losing that much money, but I do it faithfully. The last time I attended the temple, I received an answer, a witness by the Holy Spirit, to a solemn and heartfelt prayer about tithing: that it is merely a similitude of the sacrifice Christ made to redeem our souls, and its purpose is to build up His church.

The idea is that if you tithe faithfully, the Lord will ensure that you have enough to meet your needs. Note that needs doesn't mean wants! You need to provide for the means for you and your family to live, nothing more. I've heard people say that they get more out of the 90% than they'd get out of 100% (because they're scrimping and saving more).

If you can't pay tithing this month because bills are greater than 90% of your income (this is really high...maybe you need to get rid of some bills?), you can always catch up as long as you catch up. As much as possible, live within (below) your means. When it comes down to it, it's the simple rule of math. If you don't pay your electric bill and pay tithing instead, you will be blessed, but you will be blessed in the dark. Obeying commandments faithfully, brings blessings. That is a fact!

[aisling]

tithing is a principal of faith, and as we seek to draw closer to heavenly father, to learn of him and truly recognise the depth of his love for us, we understand that we are dependent on heavenly father for all that we have and are. he truly knows us, and loves us and sees beyond the faults to the infinite potential he has given each of us. tithing is one of the ways we step out of the boat into the stormy dark sea, trusting that he is a few feet away with arms out stretched to steady us.we may have to move through the uncertianty for a while, but as we continue forward the arms are surely there.i have learned that any money or resources let go of in trust and love returns in abundance.

[Guest Kamperfoelie]

thank you all for your thoughts testimony and advice

to ztodd: yes i have a budget, keep records of everything shy of going to the barber, and quite frankly 88% of my nett paycheck is spent every month before i ever see it. now i can live comfortably off the remaining 12 % but i cant pay 10% gross using 12% nett

silver: i understand there is no explicit scripture concerning the gross/nett question, but if we go back to old testament times it was the fatted calf, the first of your harvest, or as i think its called: your first and best.

First and best translates to me as 10 percent of the gross: you take it to God first, then let the taxman grab and so on...

That said i was dumb broke when i was first divorced, and 'made a deal with God' if i may call it that, to give 25% of what i had left after the bills, rather than 10% of my gross, which i couldnt have given without winding up on the street. Sad to say, im in the same position again.

aisling: i understand tithing is an act of faith, but tithing and having money to spend is a different outlook from tithing and not being able to pay the bills. To make ends meet in my current circumstance i d have to either take another job on the side, or eat into my savings (good thing the stocks have recovered (a bit) .

True i believe in providence, and have little fear ill wind up hungry or out on the street. I just dont feel working two jobs permanently is my future, and therefore not my ultimate goal in life. What is? I don't know, but trust all will be made clear in time: i DO believe in providence.

[Misshalfway]

We have had job offers, freelance opportunities, and random cash come to our family out of the blue! I know God makes stuff like that happen. Manna from heaven!

[MissouriBoiler]

Tithing is more than just money in my eyes. Yes we need to tithe against our income but I've always felt Tithing is a principal of life. I've always felt is was a measure of what the Lord would ask of us in time as well. Tithe our time. 16.8 hours a week. That is what I shoot for anways. Am I out going to chruch or spreading the gospel in those 16.8 hours. Some but not all. Praying, reading scriptures, family home evening, callings, meetings, etc are also part of that time.

There were many times when my wife and I in the early years wondered how we would make it. It was amazing the blessings we would get. For example our rent would go up and we would think. Now what do we do to slide things in. Then I would get a raise at work or a grant for my college education that would offset some costs. One thing my wife and I have always felt is that we have always had success with our vehicles not having bad mechanical problems. We consider that a blessing of the Lord because if we were having car issues all the time the old budget just wouldn't balance.

[Hemidakota]

Give back 10-percent our day to building or learning the gospel. This was one of my early principles I 've learned.

[Dirk]

I have a question, would it not be wrong to pay tithing if your heart is not in it? So to people that does not have the means but want to pay an honest tithing, would it not be better to pay what you can at that moment and then work towards paying a full tithing? That’s how I started and have been able to pay a full tithing ever since, I paid the difference in later as to what I couldn’t afford in the beginning, I always thought that it is the willingness of the heart that counted with tithing