Mormon 8:32 “Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins.”
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
The Church likes to accuse and point fingers while twisting the words of other churches, but the real issue is about the beliefs of the Church and mandates they’ve imposed for the salvation of men.
Looking at just the one verse above one would never guess the list of must-dos is beyond the scope of anyone’s ability. Deeper in their canon, we find truth. It says tithing saves one from burning.
D&C 64:23 “Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.”
A full tithe, according to the Church, is a minimum of 10% of your income. In addition to the weekly tithe, they’re expected to give the equivalent of the cost for one meal per person. This is given once a month at their ‘Fast and Testimony Meetings’. This collection, they say, goes to those in the congregation who are less fortunate.
After all that, there’s also the mandatory temple attendance. It’s absolutely without question, mandatory, for the Mormon to attend the temple if they want true salvation. In order to attend the temple, one must show their bishop proof of their income so he can tally their tax records against receipts of the member to determine if they’ve given their full share. See article ‘Temple Worthiness Interview’ for more info.
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, (2013), 215–27 “If you want salvation in the fullest, that is exaltation in the kingdom of God, … you have got to go into the temple of the Lord and receive these holy ordinances which belong to that house, which cannot be had elsewhere. No man shall receive the fulness of eternity, of exaltation alone; no woman shall receive that blessing alone; but man and wife, when they receive the sealing power in the temple of the Lord, shall pass on to exaltation, and shall continue and become like the Lord. And that is the destiny of men, that is what the Lord desires for His children.”
If the member attends temple worship they must either rent, or buy, their temple clothing and pay the nominal fees of locker rentals, and other incidentals incurred.
While it may seem unworthy of mention because it’s not all that much money, the issue still stands. They must do these things for salvation. And think about this: it might not be a lot of money to those who live in westernized societies, but for those who live in areas of abject poverty, it’s huge.
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