I have a counselor who consulted me about this very subject. Every paycheck should consist of 10% taken out for yourself, period. If 10% goes to the church, 10% is yours period, then the remaining 80% can be stretched through diligent clipping of coupons and a minimal reduction in the quality of life. If 80% doesn't quite cut it, you need to ask yourself how valuable your current lifestyle is to you and how much you think your religion deserves rather than requires. I am personally not of a faith that damns me if I do not meet their demands, and I am not particularly sure that I could ever get on board with that if they did. Just some food for thought.

I live in a small community where most people scrimp to make ends meet. My priest told me that he expects his congregation to pay their bills and feed their families before making any charitable contributions (including the church collection plate.) If you know in your heart that you are generous to your church that should be enough. If you are feeling a lot of pressure from your church to give what you don't have, maybe you should think about finding another house of worship.

Do you go straight to hell for tithing 5%? Is you god so short of money? I'm guessing your monthly income goes on food and bills more than meeting the loan repayment on your new Ferrari? If the place is going to condemn you for not keeping up with their 10% demand, I'd seriously consider why you remain there...

You probably pay that much in tax, and that should be all you're obliged to do. If you're still feeling uncomfortable, donate to Oxfam.

easy I tell them to blow it out there ass... sorry but organised religion is nothing but a rip of ....I would rather give it to charities direct...at least it doesn't get siphoned of and sent to ROME for example

Join a Church that does not expect you to pay a tithe.. It should be from each what they can afford and if that is time or just worship that should be enough.

I've always had trouble but my brother and sister seem to do fine and they are way more generous than me. One of my motivations came one day when I spent $400 on stuff that I could only describe as "necessary but 'unbudgetable'". "Well if I can blow that much money that easily", I thought, "A tithe should be nothing." I was doing all right for a while but now I'm ratty again even though I can afford it. Read your Bible (from beginning to end, its not hard and there's no rush. A page a day is fine if that's all you can handle). You'll find out how tithing came about, how long it lasted and what it means these days. Ten percent was the traditional measure and is always a good idea but our religion has always said, "Just give what you will". They don't care if you put nothing in the plate, our preachers have placed the emphasis on 'Love your neighbour' and less on pedantic obedience to rules. Pray to God alot. Ask him. (Funny how we never do that, and we never like that suggestion!) From my experience the dedicated tithers are better off than me and it has nothing to do with my lack of income. But yes, God is loving, wise, understanding and merciful. Reassess your material needs but if its too hard, have a break until you feel ready again. Try to keep the habit of giving, even if its only a dollar a week, but only tithe when you feel ready. We all know we can't buy our way to heaven anyway. Plus we can only give back what God gave us in the first place. Maybe God wants you to have a break and think about these things. Wish I could be more helpful but yeah, if tithing hurts too much then don't do it. Stop, have a break, don't feel guilty, do take time out to read your Bible, pray, or just do nothing and be silent. (How can we hear God speak to us when we are making a noise all the time?) May God Bless You.

First of all, remember that you are saved by the grace of God, not by anything you could possibly do - including tithing. Tithing is a good idea but what you tithe and where you tithe to is between you and God. If your church is making you feel guilty then maybe you should find a new church. If you want to be able to tithe more then start by treating the tithe as a bill, then budget around that bill each month. If you find that difficult then ask yourself what you would do if your monthly income fell by 10%, then pretend that it did.

First of all you find a new church. While tithing is a great thing, nobody should make you give X amount. Then it becomes an obligation, not something you do out of the goodness of your heart. If I had to give my church 10% of my earnings I wouldn't make it through the month. If you don't care to change churches then maybe you need to talk to your pastor and explain what a hardship it is. And if he/she tells you some BS story that "tithing should hurt so you can realize what you have and think about how worse off you could be" etc. etc. then he isn't thinking or caring about you at all but only your money and you should get the heck out of there.

The priest in my hometown Catholic Church had this to say on the subject of tithing: tithing is the giving of what you have to the Church, so if money is a problem then you can substitute volunteering in its place. Obviously dishonest volunteerism is completely inappropriate, so to be honest you should contribute volunteer hours based on your hourly wage at work. If your 10% tithe would be $200 a month and you make $10 an hour at your job, then you should contribute 20 hours of volunteer time (at least) per month to the Church. If you have less spare time than 20 hours, do as much as you can and make up the rest with money from your paycheck. This is entirely dependent on the number of volunteer programs your Church maintains. Catholic Churches have lots of programs needing volunteers, so it wasn't too difficult to find a church program to volunteer for. I am a very good cook and baker, so I spent a lot of time working in the Catholic community kitchen which served hot meals to the poor and homeless. The Catholic Church has agreed to certain obligations. Many of these obligations can be met with money, which is why tithing is the main means by which most Catholics give their tithes to the Church. However, consider my example of being a cook and baker and working in their community kitchen: because I was using my skilled labor in the kitchen, the Church could spend less money on the kitchen and turn that money to other programs and even to the maintenance of the Church. By encouraging people who have special skills to donate those skills to the Church, the Church benefits far more than if they had just received a check. EDIT: It occurs to me that the Church sometimes benefits even more from the skills than from the check, even from the same person. As an example, lets say there's a Catholic plumber and a generic plumber, both of whom charge $200 an hour and are equally good at their jobs. The Catholic plumber gives a $2000 tithe to the Church, which they use to pay a generic plumber to fix some pipes. He does his work honestly and efficiently, but after 10 hours he still needs to do another two hours labor to finish the job. The Church must pay out another $400 to the generic plumber. Now imagine that the Catholic plumber is doing the same job in lieu of his tithe. He reaches his 10 hours of volunteer labor for his tithe, but as he is a member of the Church, he would be inclined to perform the additional two hours of work as additional volunteerism. He has just saved the Church $400.

Although most people can afford to tithe (they don't think so until they try it, but if you talk to a lot of them you'll find they can make it easier on 90% of their income than they could on 100%), some can't. And in that case I would remind them that the tithing law was Old Testament. It was for the Jews and it included not only support for the temple, but also almost all taxes for the state. It is NOT repeated in the New Testament, so unless you are a Christian Jew living in Israel I don't think you should worry about it if you can't pay 10% in total taxes and temple contributions. Very few of the ministers who urge tithing for everybody have done a thorough study of everything the Old Testament says about financial contributions. It's not nearly as simple as those who just quote a few of the most obvious passages think--there is a second tithe required in the Old Testament, and periodically even a third for special purposes. Sure, churches would like to have lots of money to work with. But the way to get it is to do lots of programs that people will support, and lots of fund-raising to support those programs. If lots of money is coming in and nothing is going out, many donors will keep their wallets zipped. Of course, some parishioners are just plain stingy and spend it all on themselves, but that wasn't your question.

Starve, die and go to Heaven. Just ask your pastor.

Well, the church is not the deciding factor in this. This is a Biblical commandment. It's up to you to follow it. What I've found is that when I devote myself enough to my faith, and to living for God, when I trust him with even my finances, He comes through for me. When I'm responsible with my money, and I'm honoring God with what He's given me, money included, by giving back to the church, my trust is never misplaced. I started out paying all my bills and things FIRST, then whatever was left over, I gave 10% of that to the church. While you're getting stable, you might try this. Once you're on your feet more, or are ready to put more trust in God, you can try 10% of everything.

In Reality God does not need your money.Your church could probably live without your 100 a week tithe . It is an oppurtunity to reach out across the world and promote God's Kingdom.If that does not appeal to you,Don't Give.Give with a gratefull heart.It all does not have to be with money.If you cut the grass at the church etc.. that is also part of your weekly tithe.I don't concern myself with percentages I give what I can,God loves you and does not want you to hurt yourself,But he wants you to trust him .I can honestly say I live better on 90% than I ever did on the 100%.

Tithing is Old Testament law. If you aren't inclined to avoiding pork, then you shouldn't feel the pressure to tithe either. If we are not under the requirement to observe the other laws, why is the last remaining? Tithing is not in the New Testament. Acts 15 says that the only laws remaining to observe where not eating meat polluted by idols, meat from strangles animals, no eating blood and no sexual immorality. No mention of tithing.

Tithing is biblical, true enough it helps the church but you also get a blessing from it. Here's the the thing once become a tither and just trust God, you'll find that you wont have to struggle, you'll find that God will open the flood gates of heaven. God Bless!!!!!!!!!!!

It is 10%, thats not just your Church but I give what I can and that might not always be 10% but I do my share of volunteering my time.

10% is a ballpark number, based on Old Testament practice, but what you give is between you and God. Some people have a lot and give little, some have a little and give a lot. OThers who have little money, give of their time and talent, which is also Biblical. Our pastor once said that if you add up what the OT people gave back to God, it was actually closer to 30%, and it went to making sure that the poor were fed and clothed and that the ministers of the word could keep doing what they were doing. The rule is, whatever you give, give with a cheerful heart. But don't think of God last. Sit down with your finances and go through what you spend it on. When we do that, sometimes we find that we are spending it on unnecessary things (eg soft drink/pop, cigarettes, snack foods, eating out, that extra pair of shoes that were so cute when we saw them in the window...LOL) Get back to basics, give your 10% and go without some of the prepared foods, the snacks, etc. Your body will benefit, your paypacket will benefit and you will see what blessings the Lord will rain down upon you. You might even be able to find a skill that you can market to make some money for your offering in church. In Proverbs 31, the woman made and sold things for her family and for the poor: 10 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is worth more than precious rubies. 11 Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. 12 She will not hinder him but help him all her life. 13 She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. 14 She is like a merchant's ship; she brings her food from afar. 15 She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day's work for her servant girls. 16 She goes out to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. 18 She watches for bargains; her lights burn late into the night. 19 Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber. 20 She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy. 21 She has no fear of winter for her household because all of them have warm* clothes.2 22 She quilts her own bedspreads. She dresses like royalty in gowns of finest cloth. 23 Her husband is well known, for he sits in the council meeting with the other civic leaders. 24 She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants. 25 She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs with no fear of the future. 26 When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions. 27 She carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness. 28 Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: 29 "There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!" 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. 31 Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise. ================== I don't want to be harsh with you as some have been. I am a pastor's wife, and we have big bills that eat up most of his stipend, but the Lord blesses us. I grow vegetables in the backyard, so we spend less on them in the supermarket. I hold garage sales every now and then. And, by His grace, I make enough money annually to go to Bali in Indonesia, and help with orphanages and people in need. I knit and sew for my family and for the poor. There are many little things you can do to supplement. Remember whatever you do, do it with a cheerful heart, for the Lord loves a cheerful giver. Be blessed.

I would just point out one quote from the Bible: 8 ¶ Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 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 3:8-12 I would especially draw your attention to the last three verses and the promises that God makes to those that follow this commandment. God promises to help those that follow this law to prosper. I too have been in circumstances where I have found it hard to make ends meet. However, through it all I have always paid my tithing. I have never had to go without the necessities of life. There have been times when I have had to go without the luxuries that I might have desired, but I have never gone hungry, without a place to live, or cloths on my back. One other thing about the verse above. Not that God issues a challenge to prove Him. So, let me close by asking just on question of you. Do you believe God or do you just believe in Him? There is a very profound difference between the two.

There is No Mandate for Tithing & here's the Doctrine on it. Enjoy! John DOCTRINE OF GIVING A. Definition. 1. Giving is an expression of worship to commemorate the grace policy of God. 2. Giving in the Church Age is the legitimate function of the believer's royal priesthood in worship, both inside and outside the local church, e.g., in hospitality. Giving is one of the four categories of Christian service. a. Christian service related to your spiritual gift. b. Christian service related to your royal priesthood, which includes prayer, giving, and the execution of the protocol plan of God through learning, thinking and solving. c. Christian service related to your royal ambassadorship, which includes evangelism, witnessing, administration in the local church, function on the mission field, function in a Christian service organization. d. Christian service related to the laws of divine establishment, which includes military service, law enforcement, government, but never activism. 3. Giving is the presentation of money or other valuable commodities which may be used in sustaining the ministry of doctrinal communication. These gifts do not pertain to things like building funds. 4. Christian giving may be extended to organizations other than the local church, e.g., missionary organizations, Bible schools, radio, tape ministries. Giving is designed to support communication gifts. 5. Giving is the means of inculcating teamwork and coordination into the body of Christ. B. The Motivation in Giving. 1. Motivation is the major issue in giving, not the amount given. 2. 2 Cor 9:7, "Each person, to the degree he has determined by means of his right lobe, so give. Not from distress of mind or compulsion of emotions; for God loves a grace-oriented giver." a. You give based on the metabolized doctrine in your soul, not on the basis of your emotions. b. God provides and enjoys the mental attitude which accompanies giving. God loves grace-oriented giving. Don't give emotionally or impulsively. Determine for yourself what to give. 3. 2 Cor 9:8, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;" a. God graciously provides extra finances for grace givers to give. b. The only legitimate system of giving is a grace giver giving to a grace cause. 4. 2 Cor 9:9 [Ps 112:9], "Just as it stands written, `He scatters abroad, He gave it to the poor, His righteousness abides forever.'" a. "He scatters abroad" means that God gives money to certain people both rich and poor. b. God's grace righteousness meets at the point of grace giving. 5. 2 Cor 9:10, "Now He who supplies seed to the sower [capital] and bread for food, He will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness." God supplies and gives extra money to grace givers. As a result there is an increase in the harvest of your Christian service. 6. 2 Cor 9:11-12, "you will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving to God." 7. Giving is a mental attitude based upon the problem solving device called grace-orientation. Grace-orientation is the basis for grace giving. C. The Doctrinal Principles of Giving. 1. Giving is an expression of the royal family honor code. a. Rom 16:26, "For Macedonia and Achaia have decided with pleasure to make a special offering to the poor believers who are in Jerusalem." b. Gal 2:10, "They only asked us to remember the poor; the very thing I was also eager to do." c. Charity is from God; socialism and welfare are from man. 2. Giving is an expression of free will, without gimmicks, without coercion. 2 Cor 8:3, "I testify on the basis of their ability and beyond their ability they gave willingly." Their giving was a sign of their spiritual growth. 3. Giving is an expression of mental attitude in every circumstance of life. 2 Cor 8:2, "That in the midst of severe testing and great pressure, the superabundance of their happiness and their deep poverty overflowed in rich generosity." Even though under adversity, they shared the happiness of God. And having that mental attitude, they gave even while in deep poverty. 4. Giving must express an attitude toward the Lord before it can express an attitude toward others. 2 Cor 8:5, "And not even as we anticipated, but they gave first of themselves to the Lord, then they gave to us by the will of God." They were occupied with Christ and had personal love for God the Father which motivated their giving. 5. Giving depends on the consistent post-salvation epistemological rehabilitation. 2 Cor 8:7, "But just as you excel in everything in faith- rest and in doctrine and in knowledge and in all diligence and in love from you to us, you also excel in this grace giving." Giving is associated with impersonal love, not with personal love! That is grace giving. 6. Precedence for giving is derived from the dispensation of the hypostatic union and is predicated on grace. 2 Cor 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich [eternal God], yet for your sake He became poor [true humanity], so that you through His poverty [being judged for our sins] might become rich." 7. Giving is a mental attitude related to an overt act. 2 Cor 8:12, "For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable on the basis of what one has, not on the basis of what one does not have." Willingness counts for giving, if you have nothing to give. 8. Giving is related to motivation from metabolized doctrine in the right lobe of the soul. 2 Cor 9:7, "Each one, as he has determined in his right lobe, so give, not from distress of mind or under compulsion or pressure of emotions; for God loves a gracious giver." 9. God in His matchless grace provides both the spiritual motivation and monetary capital for grace giving. 2 Cor 9:8, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that in always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have abundance for every good deed." 10. God in His matchless grace provides both the monetary capital for grace giving and makes it part of your Christian service. 2 Cor 9:10, "Now He who supplies seed for the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness." 11. Generosity of mental attitude results in generosity of giving. 2 Cor 9:11, "You will be made rich in every way, so that you can be generous on every occasion; and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." Giving is never a strain. 12. Giving is a result of Christian service. 2 Cor 9:12, "For this service which you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgivings to God." D. The principle of giving is related to two spiritual gifts: pastor- teacher and evangelism. 1. The pastor must make an issue out of two things as a recipient of support from believers: the gospel, and what is the Christian way of life after salvation. If your are making an issue out of the gospel and Bible doctrine, then you cannot make an issue out of money. 2. The pastor must never make an issue out of money. 3. 2 Cor 11:7-9, "..., because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge? I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to serve you; and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia, they fully supplied my need in everything, and I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so." a. Paul was supported by other churches such as the Ephesians and Philippians while he was in Corinth. In this way he could make an issue out of the Gospel and doctrine. b. The function of the board of deacons is to make issues clear that pertain to the economic survival of a local church. c. The Corinthians were very wealthy; and yet Paul could not make an issue out of money with them. 4. The pastor-teacher exchanges spiritual blessing to the congregation for material blessing from the congregation, fulfilling the principle of mutual blessing by association, Phil 1:3, 5, "I am giving thanks to God for every memory of you, ...because of your contribution from the first day until now for the purpose of spreading the gospel." 5. Giving reflects the mental attitude of the congregation toward their pastor-teacher. Phil 4:10, "I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you have been concerned, but you lacked opportunity to give." 6. Giving establishes a partnership between the pastor and the congregation. The congregation provides the financial contribution as they are spiritually blessed by the pastor's teaching. Phil 14:14, "However, when you shared [by giving] and became partners with me in my adversity, you functioned honorably." 7. Giving is the application of Bible doctrine on the part of the congregation. Phil 4:15-16, "And you yourselves also recognize, that in the beginning of my ministry with reference to the gospel, when I had departed from Macedonia, not one church contributed to me in the application of doctrine of giving and receiving except you Philippians only; because even in Thessalonica you had sent an offering more than once for my needs." 8. Giving is a grace production in Christian service. Phil 4:17, "Not because I seek the gift, but I seek after the grace production of divine good which accumulates to your account." 9. Giving to one's right pastor is maximum blessing to the pastor and pleasing to God. Phil 4:18, "Moreover, I have received in total all of your gifts, and I have an abundance; I have been filled with blessing, having received from Epaphroditus the things [money] from you, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God." 10. The responsibility for support of the pastor is the responsibility of the local church. The number one priority is support of the pastor, not the building. E. The Grace Concept of Giving. 1. In the Old Testament, Prov 11:24-25, "There is the one who gives generously, yet he becomes more prosperous. There is also the one who [is stingy] holds back what is fitting, and he becomes impoverished. The generous person will be prosperous. He who gives water will also himself be caused to have water." Those who hang on to their money impoverish themselves. Giving never impoverishes. In supergrace, no matter what you give you never lose. 2. In the New Testament, 1 Cor 16:2. "On the first day of the week let each one of you put aside and save on the basis of his prosperity, that no collections be taken when I come." You determine how much you can give from your prosperity. You don't give if you are broke or if giving would place a hardship on your family. F. The True Meaning of Tithing. 1. Tithing is not spiritual giving in the Old Testament. Tithing promotes arrogance. It was never spiritual giving in Israel. 2. Tithing was a 10% income tax under the laws of establishment delineated in the Mosaic Law for the citizens of Israel only. Believers and unbelievers alike were be charged the same amount of tax. As a tax it was not spiritual giving. 3. There was also a 10% tithe for all Jewish citizens, both believers and unbelievers, for the maintenance of the Levites for their presentation of doctrine, Num 18:21, 24. This is not pertinent today. 4. There was also a 10% tithe for all Jewish citizens, both believers and unbelievers, to support the cost of the Lord's sacrifices, Deut 14:22-24. This is also not pertinent today. 5. Every third year Israel required the payment of a charity tithe of 10% for those who legitimately needed help, Deut 14:28-29. This was a 10% income tax paid by all the people. This was charity and not socialism. This is the only tax pertinent today. We should pay income tax for the support of the military, and should pay a 10% charity tax every third year. 6. Spiritual giving in the Old Testament is presented under the word "offerings." Offerings were given by believers only. 7. In the time of apostasy in Israel, both believers and unbelievers failed to pay their taxes; and believers were not fulfilling their spiritual obligations in giving as well. Mal 3:8-10 talks about income tax. "Will a person defraud God, yet you have been robbing Me. Yet you say, `How have we robbed You?' `In tithes [income taxes], and offerings [spiritual giving]. To the entire nation you are cursed with a curse, for you are defrauding Me. Bring your entire tithe [taxes] to the treasury, so that there may be food in My house,' says the Lord of the Armies. `See if I will not open for you the windows of heaven [prosperity] and pour out blessings for you until there is not room enough.'" 

It think that is disgusting personally. A church should not expect their members to pay up every Sunday. It should fit into your budget if you;re going to donate, and you need to take care of your essentials first.

I remember an excellent talk many Years ago I believe it was By President Spencer W Kimball about the Law of tithing and how having faith that if you do what the Lord reqquires of you then you will be richly blessed. I have always tried my hardest to be faithful in giving my 10% to the Church every Sunday as well as a generous fast offering and on occasion some extra to the Church Missionary fund. I have found by giving with a glad heart and not worrying about things that I always someehow seem to be able to manage. Yes I won't lie and say that I can live a comnfortable lifestyle by paying my tithes and offerings but I can't recall a single time where I had a utility shut off or was in jeopardy of being evicted from my home or in danger of starving myself because I paid a full tithe and a generous fast offering on Fast Sunday.

Most people cannot immediately start off by forking over their 10% every paycheck. It's something you have to grow into. You should just do your best, and as your income grows, maybe you will be able to increase your giving. I do admire you for wanting to, tho'. That's where the ability starts. Even tho' it is not a commandment, alot of churches are still mainly supported by tithes and offerings. Just work toward fitting it into your budget, and God will continue to bless your efforts.

In an overly consumeristic culture, its not surprising to find a number of posts here that advise you to leave your local church for another because you either disagree with a position your friends take or because you have a hard time making it work, practically. I for one, certainly hope there would be much much more dividing you from the leadership in your community of faith than this issue to cause a departure. Back to the question at hand, the principle that we derive from the OT law on tithing for the new covenant is about paying taxes to the civil authorities and being generous with the resouces God has given you to be a steward over. There are loads of great arguments on either side of the 10% tithe concept (whether it applies today or not). I guess we'll all find out some day. Regardless, I think the real point is...if you are acting as a good steward of your stuff (car, home, money, time, skills, relationship...etc), recognizing that God is the true "owner" and you are simply responsible for His stuff, then it shouldn't matter what percent you hit. Ideally, many Christians find themselves in a place where they can give well beyond 10% of their financial resources to build up the Church, care for the poor/suffering, and generally "give back" to God. The reality is, many will not be able to give as much as 10%...but like the widow in Mark 12, if they are caring for God's stuff and stewarding it with generousity and responsibility, who cares about the amount/percent! On the other hand, if you are not caring for/stewarding God's stuff responsibly (e.g. bought a home beyond your means, eat out all the time, waste your time and energy on 10 hours of tv per day, ignore a person in need...etc), and as a result, cannot give back to God, then a re-examination of priorities and practices is in order. Just my thoughts!

Tithing does not mean giving only to the church, although many churches try to make it seem that way. It sounds like you are doing what you can. I donate to a number of charities and make a financial contribution to my church. I also donate of my time to a local food bank and to a woman's shelter. Those are all valuable contributions. Remember, your tithing is to God, not to the church. God isn't hung up on the dollars and cents.

tithing was a common practice under the mosaic law. this law lost its effect after jesus established his true congregation. what most people call the new testament does not say anything about continuing to tithe. now a christian can give what his heart wishes to give. this can mean less than the customary 10% or the person can give more if his heart so wishes. what God appreciates is a cheerful giver. (2corinthians 9:7) many religions have convinced their members that they are still under the law of tithing to the benefit of its pastors and ministers. these people are being misled, and are being lied to. it is much to the benefit of these churches that their flock believe they still have to tithe. shame on all of these false ministers and charlatans.

Choose another church.

YOU AND THE REST OF THE MEMBERS HAVE TURNED THE LDS CHURCH INTO A 3O BILLION DOLLAR EMPIRE. AND THEY PROMISE YOU A STOP IN THERE HEAVEN. WHAT THEY SAY AND WHAT GOD SAYS IS TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. NO PAID POSITIONS IN THE CHURCH? http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon410.htm LIKE THEY SAY YOU YOU CAN FOOL ALL OF THE PEOPLE SOME OF THE TIME AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME BUT YOU CAN'T FOOL ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME.

Find another church. In the UK churches welcome donations, but there is no system of tithing to my knowledge. It seems to me that any church that insists on a regular donation of a percentage of your income is just screwing you out of your money.

That's plain stupid. Become an atheist. It's cheaper.

very easy, i dont go to church and really never would. to me its all bullshit and the fact they take your money, and try to make u feel guilty about it if u dont have it, is wrong.

If you read the New Testament fully, you can see how the tithe was superceeded by Christ's admonition to give what God moves you to give. As a Christian, everything you have, including your intellect, creativity, even the faith to believe, is God's. Learn to listen when God moves you to do something for others, and forget about the tithe.

I read an article lately where it stated that we are not stewards of OUR time, talents, money, but that we are stewards of what God has blessed us with. Stewardship then, requires the responsible use of ALL God has given us, not just a portion. Not that He gets 10% and we get to do whatever we want with the other 90%! I know for our family, when we decided to tithe, it made our lives so much freer! We don't give it because we feel we HAVE to. We give it because we WANT to! The time we started tithing was when my husband lost his job as a plant manager, I was a stay at home mom, and we had four children ages 5-11. He was without a regular job for almost 9 months and we never went into savings!! We didn't just sit around, though--I babysat for friends, decorated cakes, and did other odd jobs. My husband painted our friends fences and walls, caulked their windows, and was a substitute teacher. What a testament to what God can, and will do, when we are obedient, and give from our hearts. Take that step of faith and be obedient to God, and see what He can, and will, do for YOU!

Only Levite priests were scripturally authorized to collect tithes which were never currency in the Bible, not even once. There are no more Levite priests. Your church is scamming you. http://bible-truths.com/tithing.html

Easy, you give what you can afford to give and not a penny more. Any church or religion that tries to shame you into giving them money isn't going to be worth the time or effort anyway.

if you're mormon (which im guessing you are seeing as you don't seem too disgruntled about this tithe) then just keep paying tithe. Despite what people say, tithing actually does go to good places and not into people's pockets. I know a lot of people that pay their tithing and have come upon hard times but God has always prepared the way for them and if god's a little late then go to your bishop or branch president and tell them your problems. Its okay to ask for help.

I think that if you are giving of your time and talents, then you shouldn't worry about tithing. A tithe is person's first fruits, whether that be of their energy or finances. Actually helping out with worship services and classes or helping set up for a big church event takes a lot more thought and effort than writing a check for $50-1000 and chucking it into the offering plate.

Simple: I'm not that big a sucker! Let the likes of Creflo Dollar, Pat Robertson and company to work for a living

I find that when I pay tithing it is easier to live on the remaining 90% than it is to live on 100% when I do not pay it. - The only explanation I can find is that God keeps his promises. Otherwise it defies rational explanation. And yet it is an observed fact.

you sell your computer and get offline. you can get a cheap AM radio for entertainment. you spend your free time reading the Bible and memorizing the Psalms. Start with Psalm 119. Then memorize the book of Proverbs. You walk in the Spirit and The Lord God will take care of all your needs.

How do I do it? I don't follow a religion that requires me to PAY to be a part of it. Faith is not about money, its about, er, faith. I'm very sceptical of any religion that requires your finances. Sure, most faiths need donations but paying monthly like you'd pay for a hire purchase? I'm sorry, but to me that's more like a business than a religion.

Malachi 3: 8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 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. God said "prove me now herewith." In other words 'put me to the test.' God is waiting for the opportunity to bless you. The next move is yours.

have you ever asked what happens to the 10% of your gross earnings? For example, 10 people paying 10% = one person's salary - does that pay for your minister? where does the money go? Do you have any say in how the money is spent?

Tithing is a biblical issue and to give it to your local church is called storehouse tithing, which is also biblical. To say that "I do this and I do that, so I'll add it all up for my tithe" is like telling God "This is how my money is to be used, I'll let you decided what to do with the rest (if there's any left over)." REMEMBER, it's God's money!!! He has blessed you with it and all He wants back is 10%. Not that He needs the money but our local churches do to stay running. It amazes me how people can go to there church, enjoy all the things that it has to offer (worship, biblical teaching, special events...etc.) and offer thier leftovers as "donation." One question was asked of my pastor, "should I tithe on my gross income or my net income." My pastor very wisely replied, do you wany to be blessed on your gross income or your net income."

10 % of nothing is nothing... tithing should apply only to your disposable income not your total income...If your present income is totally used up in day to day expenses, that must be paid for you to exist, then nothing is left over...And fixed tithing is not from the Bible...for example the story of the widow who put in only a few small coins...which was all she had...TO SPARE...if she had put in ALL her finances, she would not have been able to continue to support of her religion and she would have become a burden for her congregation...commonsense must rule here...

Hmm! Must be some Protestant sect right?

That 10% is nothing more than a standard set along time ago. You don't half-to abide by it. Tithe what you can without hurting your finances, but don't give to little.

i dont do it, im out of work