There are several very successful people that I know that pay tithing. They are not LDS, so they don't pay their tithing to the LDS Church, but to other worthwhile charities. These people, and others that I don't know but have read about, all say that the act of paying their tithing, and of being charitable in general, are part of the reason that they are so successful. I have no reason to doubt them, so I accept what they say as true.
And almost all practicing Mormons will "testify" that the law of tithing is true. They pay their tithing and have some anecdotal story to tell about how paying their tithing had some sort of mystical blessing effect that got them out of a jam.
So the law of tithing, as taught by the LDS Church must be true, right?
If tithing is a natural law (and Mormon theology says that it is) then there should be a metaphysical way of explaining it. (For those that don't know, metaphysics means the philosophical study of what is real.) Since tithing works, for LDS members and non-members, there should be a way of describing the mechanism that makes it work.
Since there is no direct physical or intellectual connection between the act of paying tithing and the blessings that it brings, we must look to the emotional and spiritual realm for an understanding of how the mechanism works. So we must ask ourselves what the act of tithing does to the emotional or spiritual makeup of the individual?
Among those that I have observed that pay a tithe and who also reap a material success in this life there appears to be a common focus on abundance in their lives. Could it be that the act of giving of the first fruits to charity prepares the mind spiritually and emotionally to attract abundance? For those non-religious tithe payers I know, this is their conclusion and bent. Paying the tithe seems to be a way of telling the self that one has sufficient means to share, which in turn focuses the mind outward and creates value for others. And this in its turn, brings propserity from others, as others are attracted to this 'aura' of success in the tithe payer.
But does this happen when the tithe payer pays involuntarily? It appears that it does not. Many LDS faithful pay their tithes and receive temple recommends, but are materially poor. I can include myself in that category. Although the stories are rarely told, there are anecdotal stories of coincidental events of a negative nature occuring immediately after a faithful member paid his tithing. Once such even occured to me in 2001: Amy and I paid our tithing and within just a few days I was let go from my job at Church Headquarters.
But how, one might ask, is paying tithe to the Church non-voluntary? Well, first there is the issue of being interviewed by the Bishop and asked, at least once per year, if you've paid a full tithe. The pressure is on. Second, a member must declare that he pays a full tithe in order to receive a temple recommend and of course, the temple recommed is necessary before one can have all of the saving ordinances of the temple, so one cannot be "saved" or "exalted" without paying one's tithe. Although the Church will say that payment is voluntary, it is not. And although it is called charity, it is still an exchange of money for something in return; in this case salvation or exaltation or at least admission to the temple.
If paying over a tenth of your income is required, then the spiritual and emotional effects are quite different than when the payment is voluntary. And the effects could be quite different for different people. Some might take the requirement on faith and develop what I will call an abundance mindset any way. Others might feel imposed upon or burdened. And others might simply dismiss the idea and wait for their treasure in heaven. And when an organization like the Church makes the payment required, the requirement is self serving of the church and not a free will offering of the faithful.
Someone once told me -- could have been my grandfather -- that the best way to tell a lie is to make most of it true and verifiable. My experience with the LDS teachings of the law of tithing lead me to conclude that the Church's teachings on tithing follow grandpa's rule for telling lies. It's almost true, but not quite. The law of tithing is true, but the LDS teaching that tithing is required for salvation and exaltation and the coersive pressure placed on members to tithe makes the payment non-voluntary and deviates from the law, while serving the ends of the church. Possibly at the expense of another worthy cause that the tithe payer would like to suport but cannot because his resources have gone to the church instead.
And almost all practicing Mormons will "testify" that the law of tithing is true. They pay their tithing and have some anecdotal story to tell about how paying their tithing had some sort of mystical blessing effect that got them out of a jam.
So the law of tithing, as taught by the LDS Church must be true, right?
If tithing is a natural law (and Mormon theology says that it is) then there should be a metaphysical way of explaining it. (For those that don't know, metaphysics means the philosophical study of what is real.) Since tithing works, for LDS members and non-members, there should be a way of describing the mechanism that makes it work.
Since there is no direct physical or intellectual connection between the act of paying tithing and the blessings that it brings, we must look to the emotional and spiritual realm for an understanding of how the mechanism works. So we must ask ourselves what the act of tithing does to the emotional or spiritual makeup of the individual?
Among those that I have observed that pay a tithe and who also reap a material success in this life there appears to be a common focus on abundance in their lives. Could it be that the act of giving of the first fruits to charity prepares the mind spiritually and emotionally to attract abundance? For those non-religious tithe payers I know, this is their conclusion and bent. Paying the tithe seems to be a way of telling the self that one has sufficient means to share, which in turn focuses the mind outward and creates value for others. And this in its turn, brings propserity from others, as others are attracted to this 'aura' of success in the tithe payer.
But does this happen when the tithe payer pays involuntarily? It appears that it does not. Many LDS faithful pay their tithes and receive temple recommends, but are materially poor. I can include myself in that category. Although the stories are rarely told, there are anecdotal stories of coincidental events of a negative nature occuring immediately after a faithful member paid his tithing. Once such even occured to me in 2001: Amy and I paid our tithing and within just a few days I was let go from my job at Church Headquarters.
But how, one might ask, is paying tithe to the Church non-voluntary? Well, first there is the issue of being interviewed by the Bishop and asked, at least once per year, if you've paid a full tithe. The pressure is on. Second, a member must declare that he pays a full tithe in order to receive a temple recommend and of course, the temple recommed is necessary before one can have all of the saving ordinances of the temple, so one cannot be "saved" or "exalted" without paying one's tithe. Although the Church will say that payment is voluntary, it is not. And although it is called charity, it is still an exchange of money for something in return; in this case salvation or exaltation or at least admission to the temple.
If paying over a tenth of your income is required, then the spiritual and emotional effects are quite different than when the payment is voluntary. And the effects could be quite different for different people. Some might take the requirement on faith and develop what I will call an abundance mindset any way. Others might feel imposed upon or burdened. And others might simply dismiss the idea and wait for their treasure in heaven. And when an organization like the Church makes the payment required, the requirement is self serving of the church and not a free will offering of the faithful.
Someone once told me -- could have been my grandfather -- that the best way to tell a lie is to make most of it true and verifiable. My experience with the LDS teachings of the law of tithing lead me to conclude that the Church's teachings on tithing follow grandpa's rule for telling lies. It's almost true, but not quite. The law of tithing is true, but the LDS teaching that tithing is required for salvation and exaltation and the coersive pressure placed on members to tithe makes the payment non-voluntary and deviates from the law, while serving the ends of the church. Possibly at the expense of another worthy cause that the tithe payer would like to suport but cannot because his resources have gone to the church instead.
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