Dear 99gypsy99,
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (there is
no such thing as the "Mormon" church--that is merely a nickname) are
given the opportunity to contribute ten percent of their "increase" to
the church as tithing. There is no official pronouncement on what is
meant by one's "increase," i.e., it is not necessarily defined to mean
one's gross income. So, for example, one may elect to pay tithing on
one's full, gross, pre-tax income as tithing if one wishes, or one may
determine that he or she is only "increased" by the amount of one's
net income after taxes are deducted. The church leaves that
determination strictly to the individual to decide based on his or her
particular circumstances after prayerful consideration. You may also
be interested to know that tithing is not used to pay clergy or make
investments. It is used strictly for specified purposes such as
building meetinghouses and temples.
Is it mandatory? To answer that, let me first reaffirm that members
of the LDS church unequivocally recognize that salvation comes only
through Jesus Christ. "Tithing alone will not save you," to coin a
phrase. Consider this passage from the Book of Mormon:
"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we
prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our
children may know to what source they may look for a remission of
their sins . . .
"And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in
Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel;
wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your
might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye
shall in nowise be cast out."
(2 Nephi 25: 26, 29) (http://scriptures.lds.org/2_ne/25/26#26)
Members of the LDS church also wholeheartedly accept and practice,
e.g., Romans 10:9: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved." (http://scriptures.lds.org/rom/10/9#9)
Salvation does not come from paying tithing--it comes through faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In addition to teaching that faith in Jesus Christ is the first
principle of the gospel, the LDS church also teaches that one may
receive blessings by offering tithes--just as was taught in the Old
Testament. See Malachi 3:9-12 (http://scriptures.lds.org/mal/3). If
one elects NOT to pay tithing, one may certainly remain a member of
the church. But members believe that they and their families are
blessed by paying a faithful tithe, as promised in Malachi, and so
many do contribute one-tenth of their increase.
Having said that, it is true that agreeing to pay tithing is a
prerequisite to initial membership in the church. So if, as you ask,
one refused to pay tithing, one would likely not be offered baptism
into the church at that time. Understand, however, that tithing is
not about money?-Heavenly Father certainly does not need earthly money
to conduct His affairs. It is a principle of faith. If one lacks
sufficient faith in the promised blessings that come from paying
tithing, that is indicative that perhaps one is not yet ready to join
the church.
It is analogous to another principle practiced by members of the LDS
church called the Word of Wisdom. The Word of Wisdom is a commandment
received from God which teaches that tobacco and alcohol are not good
for the body. This is why most active LDS abstain from these
substances?-they choose not to partake. Well, if one was still smoking
two packs a day, it would be problematic to say, ?Sure, I am ready to
be a member of the church.? The fact that one was still smoking
suggests that one may not be ready to accept church tenets, and thus
baptism might not be offered.
In John 7:17, Christ teaches, ?If any man will do his will, he shall
know of the doctrine . . .? In other words, try it out and see for
yourself. The scriptures teach that you will be blessed for paying
tithing?-why not try it and see? If you are not blessed, no harm no
foul, don?t join the church. If you are blessed, then your faith has
grown and your reservations about observing the principle will have
diminished.
And yes, per markj-ga?s comment, I am a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I voluntarily pay tithing. I have
received the blessings promised by Malachi, so for me it is a
principle that works.
Best of luck to you.
ipfan-ga |
