do you tithe?

[Anonymous]

My family is Muslim, so we do it differently. But we give 2.5% of our wealth (not just income) directly to charity. Not to a mosque. I only mention it because giving directly to charity may be something that appeals to others, rather than to a religious institution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Well done for looking it up in the dictionary. But you might want to spend more time in the bible:
"Away with you, you pettifogging Pharisee lawyers! You give to God a tenth of herbs, like mint, dill, and cumin, but the important duties of the Law — judgement, mercy, honesty — you have neglected."

I am the poster that you quoted.. And I spend plenty of time in my bible. You left out an inportant part of that verse.

"But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

Basically.. you still have to tithe, but make sure not to neglect your christian responsibilities and your love of God.

[Anonymous]

We don't tithe, and I wish we did, but my DH and I don't agree on this point.

I'm Catholic, and have always been taught that "tithing" means giving 10% of your income to the church or to other charities. I think we're closer to 2%. The phrase I've heard is "give until it hurts" - i.e., donate to charities up to the point where it impacts other decisions you make financially.

I think this is good advice, and I hope we get there one day.

I do have friends who legitimately tithe, and I think it is interesting how little it appears to have impacted their lives. If anything, they are happier knowing others are bettered by their sacrifice. I'm impressed by their generosity.

[Anonymous]

"give until it hurts" is a good phrase I guess, but really what you're doing, is giving on faith.. God says that if you tithe religiously, that you will not only be provided for, but you will recieve abundant blessings..

"10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me
now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your
sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before
the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a
delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:10-12 (KJV)

This is the verse that I try really hard to remember when I'm paying bills and writing my check to the church, but I'm also a PP who said that on occassion, when it's just a bad time financially, that I don't tithe.. I'm trying REALLY hard to break that mentality though.. And we have never missed a meal, or not been able to pay our bills as a result of our tithe.. But it's definitely something that you need to be in agreement on with your family..

[Anonymous]

a respectable donation IMO

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I tithe to the church of Huggies.

[Anonymous]

I tithed for a long time. I used to give until it hurts. It reallly did hurt.
I had to stop going to church because it got too expensive and there was no other way to live within my salary.
Now I am quite angry about being pushed and bullied into it. I do not wish to go to church anymore. I do still believe though, but just not in the same way

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tithed for a long time. I used to give until it hurts. It reallly did hurt.
I had to stop going to church because it got too expensive and there was no other way to live within my salary.
Now I am quite angry about being pushed and bullied into it. I do not wish to go to church anymore. I do still believe though, but just not in the same way

You need a different church.

[Anonymous]

No, I don't. Most people at my church don't (from what I gather from the Annual Report). I am a member of our church, DH is not although he attends occasionally with me.

[Anonymous]

$4000 / year

[Anonymous]

Yes!

[Anonymous]

One thing to not..the 10% thing is not really applicable today; it was an Old Testament decree. One does not have to give 10%....simply give whatever you can comfortably afford. God does not put an amount on how much to give, but instead asks that the giver does so cheerfully, not grudgingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing to not..the 10% thing is not really applicable today; it was an Old Testament decree. One does not have to give 10%....simply give whatever you can comfortably afford. God does not put an amount on how much to give, but instead asks that the giver does so cheerfully, not grudgingly.

I agree with your last point about giving cheerfully, but question why you say 'an Old Testament decree" is "not applicble today." Ten percent is ten percent, right? Please explain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I tithe to the church of Huggies.

Haha. LOL

[Anonymous]

Hmm - my fortune cookie tonight read : "If you continually give, you will continually have." I like to think that's true.

We stretch to send our kids to our parish school which I do consider a type of support of our church. We are very, very active volunteers and donate financially about another 3% in weekly contributions. If we didn't have tuition, I would definitely donate more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing to not..the 10% thing is not really applicable today; it was an Old Testament decree. One does not have to give 10%....simply give whatever you can comfortably afford. God does not put an amount on how much to give, but instead asks that the giver does so cheerfully, not grudgingly.

What you can "comfortably afford" is not tithing. 10% is. Sorry, but tithing is not about comfort. Quite the opposite, actually.