As a government employee, they take out some percentage of my salary, match it, earn interest on it, and then at retirement they pay it back to you every year you are alive.

Can you imagine reaching either a certain age, or 25 years of tithing---wouldn't it be great, and fair, and a holy thing Jesus would do, if the Bishop called you in, showed you your tithing account and the interest the funds had earned, then showed you the amount you would now be getting in your retirement years from that tithing investment?

hahahahahaha

Sadly there was a time when many mormons would have raised their arm to the square and swore before gods, angels and witnesses that in times of trouble the church was prepared and willing to help them.

They expected the church would use its farms, ranches, orchards and vineyards to feed the members.

They expected the bishop's store houses to open and Deseret Industries to provide food and clothing as needed.

They expected help with medical bills.

Instead when needed most the church told them to expect no help.

I know many that curtailed tithes snd offerings at that point.

when BY set up ZCMI that was the plan, as far as I know. People were suppose to contribute and through the cooperative they owned stock in the company. It was suppose to pay dividends and a retirement to stock holders or members. But when the church was disenfranchised during the edmonds tucker act they saw the need to assign title of these businesses to individuals instead. And the distribution of church assets went to friends of Joseph F. Smith. These same families are the great mormon royalty families of Utah today. And we can be reminded of their wonderfulness everytime we go to the hospitals and universities and see the names of the benefactors and philanthropists.

I had not heard of the Edmonds Tucker act so I read up on it.

Tt seems rather punitive even though I don't support the church, and that it was law for almost a hundred years seems to be a gauge of how unpopular the church was!

Thank you for the interesting comment!

I don't know much about retirement or the Celestial Kingdom. One seems more real to me than the other.

I have a hope that when I die I'll go to heaven.

I have a dream that when I retire it will feel like I died and went to heaven.

:)