NOM

People used to make offerings to placate the gods from sending bad events such a drought, pestilence, and floods into their lives. The gods were in the protection racket back then. Now the shift is to the blessings racket. For those who actually believe, you have to ask yourself if your God would truly behave in such a manner. Trading donations for blessings seems unworthy of God. Is it possible that someone claiming to represent God is running this scam on the side?

One reason why the fortunate buy into magical thinking regarding tithing is that flattery works. If you are rich, lucky you, but if you are rich and tithed you are blessed. Works great for keeping the well off contributing to church coffers.

Magical thinking also seems a probable explanation for things like, oh I don't know . . . a shopping mall? If God can magically bless some folks with material prosperity, those might be the same folks that have been prepared to receive the gospel message and start contributing their ample means to building the kingdom. If it takes a Tiffany's and a Rolex store to put those well-prepared folks in close contact with the gospel message, what's a few billion dollars?

Of course, there is a darker flip side to this kind of magical thinking, and that is those who fail to achieve the prosperity they seek despite their most earnest efforts to obey the law of tithing. They look at those who bear their testimony of the tithing prosperity gospel and feel inadequate. Been there, done that, got the cog-dis tee shirt.

moksha wrote:People used to make offerings to placate the gods from sending bad events such a drought, pestilence, and floods into their lives. The gods were in the protection racket back then. Now the shift is to the blessings racket

And both operate in a similar way. The High Sheriffs promise great blessings if you pay enough money or build them a large enough pyramid. If the blessings fail to materialize you are told it was because you didn't pay enough or build high enough, or that you didn't do it with enough faith, or begrudgingly, or whatever it takes to keep them at the helm and you at the oars. Fortunately you are always given the option to repent and try to do better next time.

Tithing...something I had hoped I had put behind me...until today, when my semi-TBM wife asked me if I minded if she paid it on her earnings. It's only $3000, but it irks me nonetheless. I'm thinking about using the opportunity to express to her some more of my disassociated beliefs. I've resisted sharing them with any of my immediate family up until now, but I wouldn't mind seeing how willing she might be to listen with an open mind. Ugh.

Punjab wrote:It's only $3000...

Ouch!

Why don't you suggest two options.

Option 1: save it in a savings account and pay later. Tell her your saving it in case something bad or trump related happens. The church can wait for your donation and has plenty of money to pay the bills.

Option 2: ask what would Mitt Romney do? Then offer to put it in a charitable remainder trust. You set it aside, then it pays out when you die.

I'm sure that in the mind of a TBM, making interest money off of yet-to-be-turned-in tithing would definitely be seen as corrupt...lol. The funny thing is, she hasn't been to the temple in a LONG time, so why is she worried now about paying tithing? We have a couple of kids who have yet to be married, so I suspect that she's thinking along those lines. She's not the type to want to be seen as paying a portion of her past due tithing just before she asks the bishop for a recommend interview. Such a bizarre little world we all come from.