instead of tithing 10%, what would you be doing?

Twinker Wrote:
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> instead of tithing 10%, what would you be doing?

Paying it out in taxes to keep some other parasites in luxury.

Let me guess. The parasites you have in mind all happen to be poor people, not rich people.

Brother Of Jerry Wrote:
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> Let me guess. The parasites you have in mind all
> happen to be poor people, not rich people.

You guessed wrong. Some of the people I'm thinking of are billionaires.

I was able to retire fairly comfortably at age 61. Had I not stopped paying tithing about eight years earlier, I likely would’ve had to work longer, and not be in as good of a position financially as I am now.

It would have gone into a balanced investment portfolio. Put me ahead of my goals with about 25% more income in my retirement years that would absorb increasing medical costs.

It also means I would have married a non-mo, who had different goals in life and was interested in a career. If so then between the two of us, we would be at a comfortable position by the age of 65.

IMO, Mormonism encourages the notion that Dad\Husband is a bank and should fund every whim and behavior that they dictate directly or indirectly.

I saved the 10% regardless of tithing.

At some point in our marriage I decided that I didn't care if we paid tithing or not. We have all heard that mantra: Pay tithing first! Mine was a variation of that: At the Idleswells tithing was the first bill that we did not pay.

Tithing was entirely up to my wife or not. If she felt "inspired by the Holy Ghost" to spend and there wasn't enough for left for tithing, then there wouldn't be enough for tithing.

I came to this realization when we had a month with more month than money. My wife shrieks, "Have you paid tithing?" When I said "Yes," her interest in our finances returned to negligible. As long as she could charge it or drain an account for money, then she didn't care.

The next time the same financial crises occurred, I paid those other accounts and left tithing. My wife begins a panic to cut expenses and raise revenues because tithing must be paid. I was as calm as a summers morning.

Every month after our home expenses and 10% savings and investments, I would look at our surplus. If there was enough for tithing, then that was the next cheque.

Then, we had our family meeting when we discussed discretionary expenses for the remaining money for the next month.

So it is no mystery to me what we would have done with the tithing. I suspect it would have been wasted on similar recreational pursuits.

Back in the last drought (late 1980's)...if I'd tried to save 10% to give to the cult, 2 things would have happened....my kids woulda gone hungry and my Catholic wife woulda divorced me.

...however, I did save fairly aggressively (pension plan + Roth IRA), and paid down principal on my home.

Result: I'm grateful to be rather comfortable in my golden years. Now, I do tithe to my spiritual body (NFI on that!), and I take it on myself to fund my adult children's Roth IRAs, because--face it--very few young adults think or act regarding their elder years. So I can spare them the expense ($7K/year/2024) and bother (I manage their mutual funds). They understand that when I pass they need to continue those contributions and research and manage their portfolios themselves.

Here's a link to a 2016 Pew Research study that puts Mormons about halfway down the list for household wealth in the U.S. Even atheists and agnostics beat them. I guess tithing doesn't bring blessings, after all.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2016/10/11/how-income-varies-among-u-s-religious-groups/

I have a Methodist minister friend, and I ran out a scenario based on what his congregates typically donated. If I paid that instead of 10% and put the difference into an index fund, I could retire now and be well off. Instead, I will need to work until I’m 72 for my wife and me to make ends meet if we live as long as our parents and grandparents. Thankfully, I stopped paying tithing a decade ago.

The typical range for U.S. Christian churches is from 1-3%, with the average being about 2.6%. Most churches run just fine on these smaller amounts, even taking into account that about half of their donations go to salaries (including a paid local clergy.) Plus the Methodists give a great deal of their donations to charity.

Those churches disclose their finances. TSCC asks for 10% of your gross income while saying "Trust us". No disclosure for you.

What does that say about the relationship between the leaders and the members? To me it says "cult".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2024 08:29AM by bradley.

Probably using it to indulge in some expensive hobby. :)