As of yesterday, my wife is aware that I no longer pay tithing. I pay on her earnings, at her request, but she understands that I will not pay into the black hole that is the Mormon church.

Yesterday we also discussed the fact that the church is not really a church, but actually a corporation with only one member/owner. She found that interesting.

Progress - slow, but still progress.

It is progress. Tithing is just the worst kind of scam.

when I decided not to pay tithing on my half of our combined income is that I promised to donate some of the money formerly alloted to tithes to a charity. That way he still felt "God" was getting his fair share, even if it's not filtered through Mormons Inc. It's been fun choosing between World Vision, Girl Scouts, a Native American charity, the local food bank etc each month. It is also a good way to point out how to do real, tangible good in the world rather than to simply write a check to a faceless corporation with no accountability. And to show him that I research these charities that DO insist on accountability and are rated as to how well they use their money to help others. Hopefully, it's showing a contrast between how the church handles finances and service and how others do.

Thanks, CA Girl. My wife knows that we donate to lots of different organizations, schools, etc. And, she realizes that the joy of giving is not limited to a single organization.