--Mormons Boasteth About Giving The Mosteth--
Mormons brag that they are the most charitable people on the planet, based, they say, on their self-administered back-patting payment of tithes.
Head PR flack for LDS, Inc., Michael Otterson, declares:
“ . . . [S]elf-identified members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [in a study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life] . . . give generously to their church--79% of the sample said they pay tithing, the charitable contribution that is generally taken to be 10% of a person’s income.”
(Michael Otterson, “Mormons in the Mainstream,” under “On Faith: A Conversation on Religion and Politics,” in “Washingont Post,” 12 January 2012, at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/post/mormons-in-the-mainstream/2012/01/12/gIQANtFGtP_blog.html)
But is Mormon tithe-"giving" a genuinely-offered “charitable donation”--or the coughing up of money under pressure from the LDS Cult, exacted via warnings that if Mormons do not tithe, they will not thrive?
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--Mormons Are Married to Their Money (Literally)--
A recent article in the "New York Times" notes that Mormon tithing is a requirment of Mormon canonical law, the payment of which has central bearing on whether Latter-day Saints receive temple blessings of forever marriage:
“Tithing is an ancient practice with roots in the Hebrew Bible but is rarely observed now. Mormons are an exception, because their church strongly emphasizes tithing, and considers it among the requirements for entering temples, where the church’s highest sacraments, including marriage, are observed."
(Michael Paulson,“To Tithe or Not to Tithe …,” in "New York Times," 28 January 2012, at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/sunday-review/religions-inspire-charity.html)
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--Mormon Tithing Is Not a Reflection of a Genuine Charitable Offering--
As one skeptic of Mormonism's tithe-driven “charitable” impulse observed:
“He's [Mitt Romney's] one of the richest presidential candidates in history, and he is obliged by the Mormon church to tithe, i.e., give 10% of his income back to the [Mormon] church.
“. . . [G]iving to the church is not quite the same as giving to charity . . . . ”
{“God Bless,” on “Comic: Politics,” 14 January 2012, at:
http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/011412_mormontithing/god-bless/)
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--Mormon Tithing Is Not Gifted by the Generous but Grabbed by the Greedy--
In reality, Mormons do not give over tithing as a generously-offered personal gift, but instead fork it over as a "divinely-ordered" requirement, relinquished out of guilt-based fear that they will be judged as unfaithful and ultimately punished by God if they don't “contribute."
As critics of Mormon's compulsory "tithe-and-be-saved" savings program note:
“Tithing . . . should be a gift, but the LDS Church makes it an obligation. Fear is often used as a motivator to get people to pay a full tithing. How many times ha[s] [one] heard the term 'fire insurance' associated with tithing? He who is tithed shall not be burned at Christ's' Second coming. Malachi 8:10 is often quoted: 'Will a man rob God, yet ye have robbed me.'
“The guilt placed upon Latter-day Saints can be considerable. [Mormns] are not considered members in 'good standing' if [they're] not paying tithing. [Mormons] cannot attend the temple if [they] don't pay [their] tithing. [They] cannot have temple-related callings or any high-profile positions if [they're] not full tithe-payers. And if [Mormons] are full tithe-payers, [they're] often counseled to then start paying generous fast offerings, contributing to the missionary fund, etc.
“Why is tithing so emphasized in the LDS Church along with the companion statement that 'The Lord Does Not Need Your Money'? [Mormons] are sure that the Lord does not need the money, but why does "His True Church" put so much of an emphasis on it to make it a frequent topic of sacramenteeting talks, to put it in the Sunday School, Priesthood and Relief Society lessons, to create a novel way of teaching tithing to Primary children (i.e. the teacher gives the child 10 pennies and she is asked to put one penny in the tithing envelope and give it to the bishop)?
“Why are members called to tithing settlement once a year and reminded to settle their unpaid tithes? Why are ward audits held? Why do Bishops receive letters from church headquarters warning them that their wards have given out more fast offering funds to members than was collected from their wards, and that they need to exhort their members to contribute more fast offerings? . . .
"The yearly tithing settlement [is] . . . very corporate and controlling. It reminds [one] more of the IRS than Christ. Somehow [one] can never imagine Christ's apostles having yearly tithing settlements and demanding that repentant people pay 10% of their income before being allowed to worship in the temples.
"Why is a tithing settlement necessary anyway? God knows what [one] paid and to whom. Perhaps [one would] have an easier time believing in the church if they didn't harp on money so much. With $ involved, it's obvious they have something to gain by [people's] continued membership in the [Mormon] church, so how can [one] ever trust them to be totally honest on issues that would affect [one's] membership and thereby their income? . . .
"[A former Mormon bishop noted]:
"Regarding tithing, . . . I have been a member of a major denomination--Protestant. I was never pressured to pay tithing like I was in the Mormon Church. There is a distinct and unmistakable preoccupation with money/tithing, that I never experienced in my previous denomination. In that church, you paid what you felt that God had asked you to pay. It was your decision. Furthermore, you were never questioned as to whether or not you had paid a 'full' tithe. I was never, ever interviewed by the minister about how much I gave."
(“Tithing," under “Motivation to Pay Tithing,” at:
http://mormonthink.com/tithing.htm#definition)
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--Building the Mormon Moola Machine: Your Money or Your Eternal Life--
In fact, Mormon tithing is not a charitable contribution, in any true sense of the word:
"The LDS Church holds such power and sway over its members that it demands absolute trust, and gets it, even though the church does not trust them back enough to let them know where donated tithing money is being spent or invested.
"LDS tithes are not used for charity, but are used to build the kingdom. Sure, the LDS Church does some good with their money, like helping out with the earthquake in Haiti, but they could really do so much more with their enormous financial empire that's been built from the generous donations of its members over the last century.
"The church gives so little to the poor and needy in comparison to what it takes in every year. Why not just give the money to the needy yourself (via Red Cross or other established charities or even to people you know directly that are in need) and know with some surety that your money is actually going to help people and not be used to buy malls or even to build more unnecessary temples?"
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--Consider Other Options: The Gift That Keeps On Giving Is Not the Tithing That LDS, Inc. Keeps On Stealing--
"The modern LDS Church in the 21st century simply no longer needs additional tithing dollars. If [one] feel[s] [they] need to still pay tithing, then [can] pay [their] tithing to reputable charities that distribute their money to the poor and needy or look for cures to diseases and the like. God knows [one has] paid money to these organizations - even without a tithing settlement.
"So, [one] can donate [their] charitable dollars to organizations . . . or [they] can help the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Corporation grow from $100 billion to $200 billion.
"'You go back and tell Brigham Young that I'll give up the Lord's money when he sends me a receipt signed by the Lord, and no sooner.' (Sam Brannan, as quoted in 'California Saints,' p. 153)"
("Tithing," under "Our Thoughts," at:
http://mormonthink.com/tithing.htm#definition)
Edited 35 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2012 10:04AM by steve benson.