Do you tithe to your church/temple?

[Anonymous]

The Jewish concept of a tithing obligation is to give a tenth or more of one's income to charity. That is typically understood to include not only official "charities," but also individual poor people whom one wishes to help. It is not focused in any way on the synagogue specifically.

Synagogue dues are common, and that is a separate concept. Depending on the exact circumstances, synagogue dues and donations may count towards the above tithing obligation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you give 10% and is that pre-tax or after? If not, what percent do you give? What denomination is your church/temple?

We give less than 1% after tax to our Episcopal church.

No! Do I look like an idiot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intellectually this is my big issue with the LDS/Mormon church (of which I have a lot of history). It's required. The bishops know exactly how much you make (you meet with the bishop (a layperson) at least two times a year. It is required to be a Mormon in good standing. So you can get the perks of being a Mormon.

And what perks are these?

sister wives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Jewish concept of a tithing obligation is to give a tenth or more of one's income to charity. That is typically understood to include not only official "charities," but also individual poor people whom one wishes to help. It is not focused in any way on the synagogue specifically.

Synagogue dues are common, and that is a separate concept. Depending on the exact circumstances, synagogue dues and donations may count towards the above tithing obligation.

OMG it's not Jewish. Many protestants to Leviticus 27:30 where it says “A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord's, and is holy.” And Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.” It's critical to recognize that tithing was central to God's law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Jewish concept of a tithing obligation is to give a tenth or more of one's income to charity. That is typically understood to include not only official "charities," but also individual poor people whom one wishes to help. It is not focused in any way on the synagogue specifically.

Synagogue dues are common, and that is a separate concept. Depending on the exact circumstances, synagogue dues and donations may count towards the above tithing obligation.

I’m curious about synagogue dues, how they’re assessed (or whatever the correct term is). Also, if other churches have specific amounts like this I’d love to hear from you. It sounds more like a “here is what it costs to keep the lights on” amount.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intellectually this is my big issue with the LDS/Mormon church (of which I have a lot of history). It's required. The bishops know exactly how much you make (you meet with the bishop (a layperson) at least two times a year. It is required to be a Mormon in good standing. So you can get the perks of being a Mormon.

And what perks are these?

Oh, very clear if you are LDS. You need clearance to get a temple admit. (a physical card, although that may have evolved). you cannot get temple admit without giving 10% and being a Mormon in good standing (which means the obvious: no tobacco; no alcohol, no sex before marriage, etc.). It's called a "temple recommend". you carry it in your wallet. It's a huge social disgrace in that community if you don't have a temple recommend.

you also can't get married in the temple without it. My niece couldn't get it becaue DH had married before and lied to her about it.

Nontemple marriages are not recognized.

happy to answer any questions.

Insane. So glad my family isn't that religious.

I always hated going to church as a kid, to think now that I would need to pay 10's of thousands a year to do something I already don't enjoy, now that's a good joke!

[Anonymous]

I don't consider it to be tithing but our temple has a fee to join. I believe it's $3,180.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Jewish concept of a tithing obligation is to give a tenth or more of one's income to charity. That is typically understood to include not only official "charities," but also individual poor people whom one wishes to help. It is not focused in any way on the synagogue specifically.

Synagogue dues are common, and that is a separate concept. Depending on the exact circumstances, synagogue dues and donations may count towards the above tithing obligation.

I’m curious about synagogue dues, how they’re assessed (or whatever the correct term is). Also, if other churches have specific amounts like this I’d love to hear from you. It sounds more like a “here is what it costs to keep the lights on” amount.

We just have a fixed amount -- it's different for families, seniors, individuals and so on. Including fees and religious education costs, this year amounts to six percent of our take home. It feels like a lot but I do think it's a matter of what it takes to keep the building and staff going.

[Anonymous]

Our Congregation asks in the 2-5% range depending on circumstances. We generally gave within those guidelines when we were members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious about synagogue dues, how they’re assessed (or whatever the correct term is). Also, if other churches have specific amounts like this I’d love to hear from you. It sounds more like a “here is what it costs to keep the lights on” amount.

Generally, yes the intent of synagogue dues is to cover costs. At a minimum, this usually includes rent or mortgage, utilities, janitorial, clergy, and other staff, if any. Depending on the needs and wants of the congregation, there may also be events, food and beverage, security, supplementary education, youth and adult activities, and other stuff.

The needs and wants of congregations can vary a lot. Some synagogues have services many times per day, with multiple times available for each of the three daily services. Others may only have services on Shabbat and holidays, or even less often. Some synagogues will put out a lavish spread after Shabbat morning services, serve a light meal Shabbat afternoon, and have a fully stocked coffee station throughout the day, while others will put out only very basic crackers and tuna salad on Shabbat afternoon and nothing else at any other time. Some will offer Hebrew school, others won't. This may depend in part on what proportion of congregants' children attend Jewish day schools. Synagogues that offer more programming will spend more on utilities, janitorial services, staff, supplies, and food.

Synagogues have different approaches to dues. A common model is fixed dues by category (single, couple, family, student, senior citizen, and so on), with discounts available for need. Another model is pay-what-you-want, sometimes with a suggested amount. Some synagogues are entirely funded by voluntary donors and there are no dues, only appeals for donations.

If you search "synagogue dues" on ejewishphilanthropy.com, you will find a lot of discussion and some case studies on this topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Jewish concept of a tithing obligation is to give a tenth or more of one's income to charity. That is typically understood to include not only official "charities," but also individual poor people whom one wishes to help. It is not focused in any way on the synagogue specifically.

Synagogue dues are common, and that is a separate concept. Depending on the exact circumstances, synagogue dues and donations may count towards the above tithing obligation.

OMG it's not Jewish. Many protestants to Leviticus 27:30 where it says “A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord's, and is holy.” And Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.” It's critical to recognize that tithing was central to God's law.

I'm pretty sure this poster was not claiming tithing is exclusively a Jewish concept, but rather addressing how it's interpreted among Jews, i.e., what the Jewish concept of it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Jewish concept of a tithing obligation is to give a tenth or more of one's income to charity. That is typically understood to include not only official "charities," but also individual poor people whom one wishes to help. It is not focused in any way on the synagogue specifically.

Synagogue dues are common, and that is a separate concept. Depending on the exact circumstances, synagogue dues and donations may count towards the above tithing obligation.

I’m curious about synagogue dues, how they’re assessed (or whatever the correct term is). Also, if other churches have specific amounts like this I’d love to hear from you. It sounds more like a “here is what it costs to keep the lights on” amount.

We just have a fixed amount -- it's different for families, seniors, individuals and so on. Including fees and religious education costs, this year amounts to six percent of our take home. It feels like a lot but I do think it's a matter of what it takes to keep the building and staff going.

This is how our large Conservative synagogue works, too -- set amount, not a percentage, with different official levels for different stages of life and also a very widely understood notion that you can ask for reduced dues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intellectually this is my big issue with the LDS/Mormon church (of which I have a lot of history). It's required. The bishops know exactly how much you make (you meet with the bishop (a layperson) at least two times a year. It is required to be a Mormon in good standing. So you can get the perks of being a Mormon.

I don't recall ever being in a congregation that did that. Once a year has been the norm I have experienced. I'm early 40s.

With sites like glass door and government employee salaries being public a whole lot of people have been able to know the salaries of a lot of other people for quite a long while.

Most protestant churches don't. There is biblical language about 10% which cults and the mormons use to their advantage. I've been in every type or protestant church and it has never been mentioned.

Tithing is a constant during the pledge campaign at our mainline, politically progressive Episcopal church. In a meeting where it was pointed out that tithing is essentially a flat tax, the rector said, "It's in the Bible." Someone else said "With all due respect, there's a lot of crazy stuff in the Bible." No response from the rector.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Intellectually this is my big issue with the LDS/Mormon church (of which I have a lot of history). It's required. The bishops know exactly how much you make (you meet with the bishop (a layperson) at least two times a year. It is required to be a Mormon in good standing. So you can get the perks of being a Mormon.

So do you share your paycheck or tax returns with them or is it an honor system? Or do they subscribe to something like The Work Number where they can verify it?

[Anonymous]

No. We go to church sporadically but even when we went regularly we never considered tithing. I'm shocked people actually do it.