I posted a few months ago about my experience of not paying tithing, but wanted to update everyone.

Over ten years ago when I figured out the church was false, I decided to keep paying tithing. This time however, I was going to pay it to myself. I started an automatic withdrawal from my bank account to a mutual fund account. Each month around 10% of my earnings went into this account.

I figured it would be a good emergency fund if I needed it, or maybe use it for a vacation if it ever got big enough. Each month the money was put into this fund, and after a few months I kind of forgot about it. I didn't miss the money and it was a good feeling to know there was a safety cushion I could count on being there. I was never tempted to take any money out, and so far, it has turned out I haven't needed it yet.

Now, several years later I have well over $150,000 in it. This is money that I would have given to a church. I would have received no benefit from it other than "feeling good", which I didn't usually feel when I paid, even as a believer.

I am getting closer to retirement and this is a nice bonus I will get that is there because I made an effort to not just quit paying tithing, but to see how much I was giving the church.

I know what tbm's say about it. They are "protected" and it is fire insurance so they won't burn or when bad things happen to them. They have the "windows of heaven" opened to them if they pay 10% of their money.

If bad things happen to me now I won't be going to the bishop's storehouse to get some food, I will use my savings to buy what I need in a grocery store. If my car breaks down I will pay to get it fixed, or buy a new one. I don't need handouts from the church. Bad things happen to believing-tithe paying members, and bad things happen to non-believing people.

Will I get into heaven now? I don't care. I don't think there is a heaven, or a god, or if there is he doesn't care what my savings account looks like. Living for eternity with Mormon's isn't heaven to me. I'm going to enjoy each day as a I live and not worry.

I'm so happy I quit giving my money to a church. I can give it to people who need it now. I can help anyone I want and not let a corporation decide where my money goes. I can only think of how much more I would have if I started earlier. I hate thinking of the money I wasted.

Good for you! My family's financial situation has also improved since leaving the church and ceasing to pay tithing. I've finally been able to put money away for my children's college education and it's building quickly. I feel such relief to know that even if I won't be able to pay the entire bill for them, I'll be able to make a significant contribution and help them get a good start in life.

2015 will be the first year of my life I haven't paid anything in tithing to SLC. My TBM wife agreed we'd pay only a fast offering (when I was in leadership, I felt that at least fast offerings help people).

I'm happy for you and happy for me. We all win when we save more!

Sundays off and a 10% raise! And 7 years later I'm debt free and have discovered that my boat still floats as well on Sunday as any other day.

I remember a discussion with an HP years ago. He brought out that old chestnut about paying tithing on the gross and getting gross blessings instead of net blessings.

My comment was that I no longer paid any tithing, and frankly did not notice any difference in the level of "blessings".

<crickets>

I think one of the biggest lies in the church is that tithing is ONLY 10 percent of your income. The church sells it like this so members will think that it's a paltry, insignificant amount and that little is being asked of them.

Clearly, 150k over a few years time is certainly not insignificant. It pains me to sit here and add up what we've donated to the church over the years. If I could even have half that money back...<sigh>.

If you're a real TBM; it's more than 10%; you also have building funds, missionary funds, fast offerings. Plus all of your own finances going into gas, food, etc... for all of those HT/VT and service projects.

It's amazing TSCC still claims tithing of 10% is "charity" when the most they give to charity is .7% of their income.

Yeah, I agree. If you're paying on gross income plus all the other expected contributions like you said, it's closer to 20 percent and can be more.

The first tithing money we kept was spent on some things that we needed and wanted. After that we started putting the money in an account we don't touch. It's shocking how much is in there.

So many mormon families suffer needlessly by giving so much of their income to the church. The greed of the church is disgusting.

We still give to charity, but as we get closer to retirement, the money we're paying ourselves becomes more important.

The Lord helps those who help themselves...

I actually think that when I see poor retired Mormons. Apparently they believed more in their church's hollow promises than in the time value of money.

10% of your income is more than most people save for retirement. Putting that kind of money away gives you a lot of financial freedom in your old age.

Giving that money to LDS, Inc. is just a deadweight loss. It's even worse, because you don't pay taxes on that money, so the church is robbing your community of tax money to pay for its basic services.

That is wonderful!!!

And, as for that "fire-insurance" we have already witnessed what happens in the US when there is a crisis and Mormons are in dire straights. Their church, who they've paid 10% of their income, turned its back.

I married a Catholic almost 42 years ago and she always thought tithing was grand larceny. I've never paid a red cent to the church and during some lean and/or drought years while we were farming, that 10% would have been the difference between buying groceries or not.

Ron Burr

One planet at a time, I always say. Throw money at your retirement, not your expirement. If reincarnation isn't a way of starting over, shaking the ant farm and resetting the odometer, what the hell is it?

Stopped paying several months ago. I try not to think about the 30 plus years a full tithe payer and around $400,000 paid in. Great Blessings? Not my experience. Uncertain retirement, inability to help my six kids as much with college, old cars, rare vacations, house that with maintenance that been put off and odd. Now that's my experience.ee