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Okay, I have to donate some money to the church. A Christmas envelope arrives in the mail from dear mother in law. My oldest daughter opens it, a check falls out for several hundred dollars. It couldn't just end there, a letter falls out too. **I can hear some of you snickering in the background - so just knock it off! :) ** The Christmas letter indicates that in lieu of gifts, we are to take this money and write the name of a charity on a tithing slip, and then give it to the bishop.

My wife was perturbed, and I had some mixed thoughts as well. I have a hard time capturing the whole feeling, but my best stab at is this - My MIL's LDS love is too big to waste on simple Christmas presents, and has taken this once a year opportunity to display an object lesson about giving. What I feel kind of awkward about is the fact that we are just serving as the middle man in the transaction. It is not our money that is being given, nor was it our choice in the first place to give. Also, the giving has to be channeled through the one true church. With kids being kids, the fact that they didn't get a present from Grandma may very well eclipse the point she is trying to make, and the point is a little blurred.

Are there Charities such as the Red Cross that the church works with? Should we just put down "Mall fund' ? I do give time and money on my own to help out my fellow man, its not like I'm a stranger there. A friend of mine and I have actually been talking for some time now about taking some of our older kids to help out at a soup kitchen as a way to pitch in with the community.

Maxrep wrote:Okay, I have to donate some money to the church. . .

. . .Are there Charities such as the Red Cross that the church works with? Should we just put down "Mall fund' ? I do give time and money on my own to help out my fellow man, its not like I'm a stranger there. A friend of mine and I have actually been talking for some time now about taking some of our older kids to help out at a soup kitchen as a way to pitch in with the community.

If she's specified that it has to go to the LDS Church for charitable purposes, I'd start here:

http://www.LDS.org/ldsfoundation/welfar ... ER,00.html

Maxrep wrote:...we are to take this money and write the name of a charity on a tithing slip...

I'm not following you. I'm not sure you can designate a 'charity' on your donation to the church. You can only select one of the pre-defined funds listed on the tithing slip. And if I had to pick one, i'd pick the humanitarian aid fund. Though I have no idea whether it's true or not (as the church doesn't disclose their finances) the church reportedly funds overhead for the fund, so more of your $ goes towards actual charitable causes.

Holy cow. Let me give you a name to sign it over to and an address to send it to. I will then take care of getting this to a bishop who can disperse it to the right charity. This will be an object lesson for your family and MIL on faith.

If you're really struggling over who to give this money to pass it on to me....I know of several fine charities that need money more than any LDS Inc. hedge fund.

I have heard of several people this year who are not giving gifts or even money to their family, but donating to humanitarian organizations in their name.

One lady of my acquataintance was interested to know that her daughter had donated money in her name to help toward building a well in Equador.

I think the spirit of Christmas is in love and service, not haunting the malls for just the right gift that will put you in debt well into 2008.

I think you should donate the money to The Human Fund---the made-up charity invented by George Costanza on Seinfeld. Donating the money to the LDS Church is basically the same, as it is rather like sending your money into a black hole. Will it actually go towards humanitarian aid? Will it go towards Pres. Monson's tailoring bill? Will it be used for the mall? Nobody knows.

Maxrep wrote:Okay, I have to donate some money to the church. A Christmas envelope arrives in the mail from dear mother in law. My oldest daughter opens it, a check falls out for several hundred dollars. It couldn't just end there, a letter falls out too. **I can hear some of you snickering in the background - so just knock it off! :) ** The Christmas letter indicates that in lieu of gifts, we are to take this money and write the name of a charity on a tithing slip, and then give it to the bishop.

My wife was perturbed, and I had some mixed thoughts as well. I have a hard time capturing the whole feeling, but my best stab at is this - My MIL's LDS love is too big to waste on simple Christmas presents, and has taken this once a year opportunity to display an object lesson about giving. What I feel kind of awkward about is the fact that we are just serving as the middle man in the transaction. It is not our money that is being given, nor was it our choice in the first place to give. Also, the giving has to be channeled through the one true church. With kids being kids, the fact that they didn't get a present from Grandma may very well eclipse the point she is trying to make, and the point is a little blurred.

Are there Charities such as the Red Cross that the church works with? Should we just put down "Mall fund' ? I do give time and money on my own to help out my fellow man, its not like I'm a stranger there. A friend of mine and I have actually been talking for some time now about taking some of our older kids to help out at a soup kitchen as a way to pitch in with the community.

Isn't that a bit s****y of your MiL? Can she not do it herself? By giving it to the bishop, they will use it for the church. I did not know you could choose a charity. When you said write a charity on the slip, I thought you were saying write charity on the slip. So it was for charity on this board. :)

Pirate.

Mod Note: Try to avoid the use of "S-bombs" or affiliates in the Terrestrial Kingdom-Bond

charity wrote:I have heard of several people this year who are not giving gifts or even money to their family, but donating to humanitarian organizations in their name.

One lady of my acquataintance was interested to know that her daughter had donated money in her name to help toward building a well in Equador.

I think the spirit of Christmas is in love and service, not haunting the malls for just the right gift that will put you in debt well into 2008.

That's a good point charity. maybe there is a way to declare such gifts as charitable donations on your income tax? You get the self-righteous bonus points, save money on time and gas, and get a substantial tax discount all in one. I have a new respect for those doing this.

Imwashingmypirate wrote:

Maxrep wrote:Okay, I have to donate some money to the church. A Christmas envelope arrives in the mail from dear mother in law. My oldest daughter opens it, a check falls out for several hundred dollars. It couldn't just end there, a letter falls out too. **I can hear some of you snickering in the background - so just knock it off! :) ** The Christmas letter indicates that in lieu of gifts, we are to take this money and write the name of a charity on a tithing slip, and then give it to the bishop.

My wife was perturbed, and I had some mixed thoughts as well. I have a hard time capturing the whole feeling, but my best stab at is this - My MIL's LDS love is too big to waste on simple Christmas presents, and has taken this once a year opportunity to display an object lesson about giving. What I feel kind of awkward about is the fact that we are just serving as the middle man in the transaction. It is not our money that is being given, nor was it our choice in the first place to give. Also, the giving has to be channeled through the one true church. With kids being kids, the fact that they didn't get a present from Grandma may very well eclipse the point she is trying to make, and the point is a little blurred.

Are there Charities such as the Red Cross that the church works with? Should we just put down "Mall fund' ? I do give time and money on my own to help out my fellow man, its not like I'm a stranger there. A friend of mine and I have actually been talking for some time now about taking some of our older kids to help out at a soup kitchen as a way to pitch in with the community.

Isn't that a bit s****y of your MiL? Can she not do it herself? By giving it to the bishop, they will use it for the church. I did not know you could choose a charity. When you said write a charity on the slip, I thought you were saying write charity on the slip. So it was for charity on this board. :)

Pirate.

Mod Note: Try to avoid the use of "S-bombs" or affiliates in the Terrestrial Kingdom-Bond

"S-bombs"??? Reminds me of a song by that guy that sing the delila song thingy, Och wits his name. Ahh Tom Jones!! I apologise anyway, but I am not repenting because I might do it again. :P

Pirate.