The inequality of LDS tithing doctrine

[_Kittens_and_Jesus]

No one goes hungry in the lds church.

Really?

You really are that stupid?

[_ludwigm]

Many testimonies have told of their blessings through giving tithing.

Can you please summarise the top three most common blessings that the payer receives as a result of tithing?

Or at least one...

[_why me]

No one goes hungry in the lds church.

Really?

You really are that stupid?

No. But I have never met a homeless or hungry Mormon who wanted the church to help them. Mormons do take care of their own.

[_why me]

For your tithing, (quoting Woody Guthrie) "You'll get pie in the sky when you die."

Maybe a mall (of course, you won't actually own this).

For paying tithing, members get:

◾Constructing temples, chapels, and other buildings.
◾Providing operating funds for the Church.
◾Funding the missionary program (This does not include individual missionary expenses.)
◾Preparing materials used in Church classes and organizations.
◾Temple work, family history, and many other important Church functions.
◾Education.

Tithing is one way in which members contribute so that others can worship in pleasant surroundings and have resources to do so. It is a communal tithe.

[_Bazooka]

Constructing temples, chapels, and other buildings.

Which brings about the blessing of cleaning duty

Providing operating funds for the Church.

What are the "operating expenses" of a Church staffed by an unpaid clergy?
How is that a blessing for individual members?

Funding the missionary program (This does not include individual missionary expenses.)

Then what does it include?

Preparing materials used in Church classes and organizations.

How does this bless the individual tithe paying member?

Temple work, family history, and many other important Church functions.

How does tithing pay for temple work and how does this bless the individual paying tithing?
What, specifically are the "many other important Church functions" that tithing is spent on and how do they bless the tithe paying member?

Education.

Please explain how tithing pays for education and how does it bless the individual tithe payer.

Tithing is one way in which members contribute so that others can worship in pleasant surroundings and have resources to do so. It is a communal tithe.

What resources are required for people to worship in pleasant surroundings when one can go to the beach and legitimately worship there?
It's not a communal tithe. It's an individuals tithe payment which goes to Salt Lake City where the paid clergy decide to spend it however they see fit.
The fact is, you have no idea how tithing is spent, because you don't see a financial report. I do!

In the UK in 2011 (still awaiting publication of the 2012 accounts) The Church received £30,262,000 in tithing donations from a claimed membership of 188,000.
£22,425,000 was spent on "Support Costs". These support costs (paid for out of tithing) are People - their salaries and pension contributions (£12,350,000) plus their travel and expenses costs (which includes stationery, depreciation of company cars etc). So more than two thirds of tithing goes into the pockets of people who are employed by the Church (including Mission Presidents and Area Authorities). Not a paid clergy?

The rest (including some top up donations from the mother ship) was spent on the following:
Religious Education £5,131,000
Missionary Work £555,000
Genealogy Work £5,082,000 (would love to know how the Church in the UK spent £5 million on 'genealogy work' when the indexing is being done by members for free)
Community Projects £4,409,000 (note these are of the 'cleaning up parks' variety)

Now I will quote from the accounts verbatim:
"During the year £1,876,000 was spent for the relief of the poor and needy not only in the United Kingdom and Ireland but also other countries in Europe and Africa.

Think about that:
£22 million spent on staff and associated expenses (all of which came from tithing funds)
£5 million spent on family history (all of which came from tithing funds)
£1.8 million spent helping the poor and the needy (none of which came from tithing funds)

How much tithing do you think the Church has spent on the "I'm a Mormon" publicity campaign?
I'm going with - significantly more than £1.8 million.

[_Quasimodo]

Well, for your taxes, you do get roads, bridges, airports, firefighters and EMTs, police, armed forces, defense weapons, government representatives, Homeland Security, state and national parks, a judiciary system, food safety inspections, water and sanitation systems, building standards, the CDC, the space program, airline safety standards, libraries, public education and hundreds of other things.

...

don't forget the aqueducts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWfh6sGyso

[_Yoda]

No one goes hungry in the lds church.

CFR

[_sock puppet]

No one goes hungry in the lds church.

CFR

Here's a standing CFR to everything why me posts.

[_beanboots]

don't forget the aqueducts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWfh6sGyso[/quote]

good call on the monty python.

[_Darth J]

Hi, Why Me!

Sorry to interrupt your stream of consciousness, but perhaps you should find an actual Mormon to explain the policies of the LDS Church to you before you pontificate about said policies. This thread is about tithing. You have been trying to justify tithing (which you and I both know you don't pay) in terms of helping the poor. Since you habitually display specific ignorance of LDS teachings, policies, and culture while attempting to defend same, you may be surprised to learn that the LDS Church does not use tithing funds for humanitarian aid. Tithing pays for operating expenses (note that "stipends" for the Church paid televangelists are decidedly omitted from the list of what the money is for).

e.g.,

Gospel Principles, (2011), 184–88

Tithing

Tithing is used by the Church for many purposes. Some of these are to:

1. Build, maintain, and operate temples, meetinghouses, and other buildings.
2. Provide operating funds for stakes, wards, and other units of the Church. (These units use the funds to carry out the ecclesiastical programs of the Church, which include teaching the gospel and conducting social activities.)
3. Help the missionary program.
4. Educate young people in Church schools, seminaries, and institutes.
5. Print and distribute lesson materials.
6. Help in family history and temple work.

Other Offerings

Fast Offerings. Church members fast each month by going without food and drink for two consecutive meals. They contribute at least the amount of money they would have spent for the meals. They may give as generously as they are able. This offering is called the fast offering. Bishops use these fast offerings to provide food, shelter, clothing, and medical care for the needy. (See chapter 25 in this book.)