Posted by:
dimmesdale
(
)
Date: July 10, 2011 01:42PM
I'm very lucky because my husband has agreed that I can spend half our tithing money on any charity I want.
And it shocks me---it really shocks me--that, even though it's only half the tithing amount, I still have so much that I can make some really satisfying gifts.
Each year I give $1000 to Doctors without Borders.
I still have more left for other organizations--so much so that the donation often puts me in their highest group of donors.
This year I bought a lifetime membership in one of the country's living museums--a place where people reenact life in historical times--one of the places where people, especially children, can go to see living history.
That still hasn't used up all the tithing money I would have spent.
Next year I'm considering setting up a scholarship fund. I might have to take two or three years of my tithing donation to support this, since the scholarship will come from the earnings on the fund.
I can't tell you the satisfaction I'm getting from this. It's one of the benefits of leaving the church. No longer do I have to donate to the building of unattractive temples where only a few people are allowed to attend. No longer do I have to help purchase textbooks and binders and red pencils for seminary teenagers. No longer do I have to support the mission training center where so many young men and women have been damaged in ways they may never recognize or understand. No longer am I helping to buy the large maple tables in high council rooms all over the world.
We are a middle class family---and still we have enough that I can get great satisfaction from the money I give. You don't realize how much money you are sending to the church when you just put that 10% in the envelope every month---year after year.
I've totaled it before, and it's rather shocking. Very shocking!
And, I know, I know. I've heard the scare story about how ashamed I should be that I'm spending "God's Money." I'm sorry, but I think that if there's a god out there, I'm doing as good a job spending his money as the leaders of the mormon church are.