truth dancer wrote:Think of all the families who are paying tithing rather than taking care of their children, getting a retirement fund going, or even paying their bills. Families who are unable to get an education, insurance, or even decent food because they are paying their tithing.
I hear your pain but seriously Asbestosman, as I said, you are one of the more fortunate!
Please don't take the following personally. I am in a sense resonding to the EQ guilt-trip, not to your reply.
My parents paid for my mission. They did not pay for my education--I did (with scholarship help). I'm all for scholarshipsto help people get an education including some needs based grants, but I don't have much sympathy for scholastic slackers. Struggling is different though I guess. It's tough, but in general I would prefer for students to work and pay their own way as much as possible, perhaps in a decent community college if notheing else.
As for the struggle for paying bills, I can sympathize. In fact I generally agree with paying fast offerings for that reason. I know that one little misfortune can cause great expenses in medical bills, and I don't think it's anything more than bad luck most of the time, so I do feel bad for those people. I do not feel so bad for people who took no thought for future savings or for any insurance and now expect me to pay their bills. Thought about it but couldn't afford it? It's a toughie of course, but I look at others and think that many could save quite a bit if they would bus, carpool, or use other transportation for commuting as I do. They could probably also save more by changing vacation plans. Actually, I plan to make a change myself. I plan to make this year my last yearly flight home for the hollidays. It's too expensive. when I consider everything else I need now.
I actually do feel fortunate most of the time. It's just that I get frustrated when I am given conflicting goals: 1) provide well for my family (sorry, but my wife won't let us live in a slum, and insists on a house) including being self-sufficient (which includes planning for retirement) and 2) sacrificing money for the poor.
Sorry, but 1 already pushes me to the limit. I'd love to sell the house and be more generous, but it ain't gonna happen because I do not own family finances. I refuse to dig into retirement as I believe that is irresponsible for someone like me to do. Like I said, it's not like I take fancy trips. I so wish to go back to Holland on vacation, but it ain't happenin' what with everything else I need to spend money for.
Indeed, I feel less happy being given some guilt-trip about how I need to finance missionaries when the church has extra money to spend on a mall. Now I grant that said mall may be an investment instead of a money sink. Still, one has to wonder why that sort of money couldn't be used to help with the missionary fund, nor indeed why people are going on missions without FIRST lining up a way for it to be paid. Why should I be responsible for their irresponsibility? I mean it was about MY ward's missionaries. If, as the guilt-tripper said, my ward isn't poor, then what the heck were those elders thinking by going out without making financial arrangements beforehand? Hard times I can understand, but then please make arrangements.
Note, I'm not blaming the church for this. I just feel frustrated that I have conflicting obligations and I despise guilt-trips.