Nelson’s tour and tithing

[2bizE]

Much is being made on Reddit about Pres. Nelson touring Africa and asking them to pay their tithing.
In JST Genesis 14:36- 38 it says tithing was paid for the poor. Seems like the table has turned and now the poor are to pay tithing for the rich.

​​​36 ​​And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace.​
​​​37 ​​And he lifted up his voice, and he blessed Abram, being the high priest, and the keeper of the storehouse of God;​
​​​38 ​​Him whom God had appointed to receive tithes for the poor.​

[1smartdodog]

The prosperity gospel teaches that you get rich by paying tithing. So in Nelson’s view he is doing them a favor. Of course there is no imperical evidence it works but that never stops Mormons from preaching it.

I use to believe it myself and never missed paying tithing do 40 years

[hiding in plain sight]

Mormons as a group are only average in their ability to generate income in the americas.

So if there really are economic blessings tied to tithing mormons aren't doing it right.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_an ... -_2000.png

[RubinHighlander]

I use to believe it myself and never missed paying tithing do 40 years

Me too - maybe we need a movement. Not that it will result in any accountability for the COBlers that spent it all!

[GoodBoy]

​​​38 ​​Him whom God had appointed to receive tithes for the poor.​

I don't think the church's investments or the Q15 qualify as "the poor".

However, according to the church, if you take tithing, invest it in something, and then that investment either makes money or you later sell that investment, that money is no longer tithing and you can use it however you wish... like building malls.

[IT_Veteran]

​​​38 ​​Him whom God had appointed to receive tithes for the poor.​

... that money is no longer tithing and you can use it however you wish... like building malls.

Actually, you may be onto something here. If I pay tithing (I don't) on my salary, but then invest it, I shouldn't have to pay more tithing on the capital gains, right?

[Perfigliano]

So if there is scriptural basis for using tithing to help the poor, why is it that the church insists that that should come out of the Humanitarian Aid and Fast Offerings contributions?...

[alas]

So if there is scriptural basis for using tithing to help the poor, why is it that the church insists that that should come out of the Humanitarian Aid and Fast Offerings contributions?...

Greed.

[DPRoberts]

So if there is scriptural basis for using tithing to help the poor, why is it that the church insists that that should come out of the Humanitarian Aid and Fast Offerings contributions?...

What alas said, but also that tithing is the General Fund of the corporation, which means the funds over which leadership has the most discretion. They want to set the priorities for those funds and helping the poor is not really on their priority list. Neither is conformity to scripture.

And while tithing cannot be used for the same purposes as fast offerings, they have a neat trick for turning fast offerings into tithing. More on that later, but if you're impatient you can check out Lynn Robbins' awful talk about how tithing is a commandment even to the destitute. He mentions the trick in that talk.

[Advocate]

Much is being made on Reddit about Pres. Nelson touring Africa and asking them to pay their tithing.
In JST Genesis 14:36- 38 it says tithing was paid for the poor. Seems like the table has turned and now the poor are to pay tithing for the rich.

​​​36 ​​And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace.​
​​​37 ​​And he lifted up his voice, and he blessed Abram, being the high priest, and the keeper of the storehouse of God;​
​​​38 ​​Him whom God had appointed to receive tithes for the poor.​

I think it's interesting that it's so rare to hear about 2 Nephi 26:20 or Isiah 3:15 in conference talks; both took about grinding the face of the poor. I think it comes down to that mormons don't understand what these scriptures mean and how the prosperity gospel, which is preached by church leaders and many members, is grinding the face of the poor.

Years ago while still a TBM (but waking up), I read Rock Waterman's blog on tithing. For those that aren't familiar with it, he uses historical and scriptural sources to define "increase" or "income" as something similar to a business's profit. In other words, you pay tithing on what you have leftover after your needs have been taken care of. 1 Timothy 5:8 supports this view: taking care of our own house is priority #1; everything else (including taking care of the church) comes after that. Yet the church doesn't support this view, and instead "grinds the face of the poor" by demanding that they pay 10% of their meager wages in tithing.

What's sad is I think church leaders really do believe they are helping by encouraging poor to pay tithing. The saying about the blind leading the blind seems to apply here. Sad for all involved.

[Mackman]

Interesting take on tithing Advocate. I wish I could have seen that years ago as I literally starved our family when my wife and I were young and our kids were babies!! The hypocrisy of it all , I never thought that was right !

[Rob4Hope]

JS took the money from the Lawrence sisters (after marrying them behind Emma's back and then lying about it). And this "poor" man had a nice mansion to live in, people adoring him, apostles lying to protect him, and women EVERYWHERE he was doing.

Why follow scripture! JS didn't.

According to the Navoo Expositor, JS was breaking 6 of the 10 commandments!

[IT_Veteran]

According to the Navoo Expositor, JS was breaking 6 of the 10 commandments!

Well that's not evidence, God had it destroyed because it was pretty lies! /s

[Palerider]

​​​38 ​​Him whom God had appointed to receive tithes for the poor.​

... that money is no longer tithing and you can use it however you wish... like building malls.

Actually, you may be onto something here. If I pay tithing (I don't) on my salary, but then invest it, I shouldn't have to pay more tithing on the capital gains, right?

So, do you suppose the church specifically pays into the tithing fund on the business profits they make or do they just add the profits to the general church fund or reinvest it in the business that made it in the first place? I'm betting they don't pay a tithe to themselves on their business profits.

[mooseman]

So, do you suppose the church specifically pays into the tithing fund on the business profits they make or do they just add the profits to the general church fund or reinvest it in the business that made it in the first place? I'm betting they don't pay a tithe to themselves on their business profits.
[/quote]

Honestly....i think they do tithe it. In their minds, they aren't hypocrites and either tithe or concentrate it because thats "the rule". They believe in the fire insurance aspect, and that they will be abundantly blessed. If they don't pay, they probably believe their businesses and investments will falter and finanical ruin akin to the 1900s will befall the church. I doubt they put a lot towards fast offerings though, because that's not expected of membership.