‘Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.’ 2 Corinthians 9:7
‘…Let him give…not out of necessity…’.
Today we’re looking at an article in the December Ensign, and pulled a few things that caught my attention. To read their article in full, see link provided below.
The objective in looking at this is threefold —
- To compare it with what God says in His word.
- To show how heartbreaking it is people have bought into such horrendous lies.
- To garner prayers of Christians for the Mormon people.
The one thing I don’t want to convey is that this ministry is out to bash or pick on the Mormon people. This ministry is based on deep concern for the spiritual welfare of Mormons; therefore, we’d never insinuate we’re better than they are.
It’s disturbing the Church has laid such a burden on its members. What’s even more disturbing is how the single mom in this article felt she ‘owed’ tithing. If the Church didn’t agree with her statement, surely, they would’ve corrected this before they published it. Furthermore, it shouldn’t be any of their affair how much this woman makes each year. That info should only be the business of the woman, God, and the IRS. Ironically, Joe Smith slammed other churches on this issue. See Condemning Others for Tithing for more info.
The other major red flag was a comment near the end of the article stating that good examples have helped her stay active in the Church.
This is just heartbreaking! It reveals there’s no personal relationship with Jesus, but a drive to be faithful to an organization with the name, LDS Inc.
There’s no doubt the Lord blesses us when we tithe, and untold numbers of people have stories stating as much. God’s blessings aren’t the issue with this today. The issue is why this woman felt she owed tithing, and as stated above, her reason for staying active in the Church. Two things came to mind with this – she felt pressured, and/or this is a bogus, faith-promoting lie. I’m inclined to think it’s the latter.
Believing that tithing is owed is a sure sign of trouble. This theology leads people away from the Lord, not to Him.
Please, don’t forget to pray for Jesus to intervene in the lives of those who read their article, and those who believe the lies.
Excerpts, and the link for their article are below.
With Love in Christ –
Michelle
Ensign, ‘Christmas Presents or Tithing?’, December 2020 “…I was a single parent. I barely had enough money to buy food and pay my bills. … Finally, I said, “If you believe the gospel is true, then you need to step out there. Once you step out there, God can bless you.”
I owed $500 in tithing, but I also needed $503 to pay some bills. I didn’t see how it would work, but I said, “I’m just going to try.” I paid my tithing. Nobody knew I was $503 short, but somebody anonymously sent me five $100 bills in the mail.
That was a turning point for me. It changed me spiritually. I realized that God loves me, that He cares for me, and that He wants me to succeed. …
One Christmas years ago, my eldest daughter remembers hearing me say that I could not afford to pay tithing and buy Christmas gifts for her and her siblings.
“We knew we weren’t going to get anything, but that was fine,” my daughter told me later. “We decided that we wanted you to pay your tithing.”
As always, the Lord provided, and they didn’t have to go without Christmas gifts.
For a single mother to be able to support her children and pay tithing is something major. Since I made the decision to pay tithing, I’ve been blessed. I’m not rich, but the Lord always makes a way for me.
I’ve been blessed in other ways too. The good examples of Church members and family have helped my children and me stay active in the Church. I’ve told them that’s all part of the blessing the Lord has promised—that the windows of heaven would open for us.” — Anna Williams, Alabama, USA [emp. added]
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work”.
I’m with you Michelle, I believe the story is a bunch of hooey, to guilt members to tithe.
Last week, journalist Jana Riess from the Salt Lake Tribune, wrote an article titled “Why I stopped paying tithing to the LDS church”. And for once I think I actually agree with her…she writes, “Ex-members derided The church as a fraudulent institution that demands ongoing donations even from its poorest members while enriching itself for no obvious charitable purpose”.
Later Mrs. Riess states, ” The good that could be done to save lives right now with that money! Yet there the money sits, just growing in perpetuity”.
She also sites Matthew 19:21,”Jesus said unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow me”.
Sorry, but the LDS church is not doing this, even in this ongoing pandemic…”there it sits”.
Now she says,”At tithing settlement this year, I declared myself a full-tithe payer and explained why none of the money has gone to the church”.
She goes on to explain…”I do research on “Charity Navigator” about these organizations, giving preference to the ones that provide direct relief and practice financial transparency”.
So, what is the LDS church doing with it’s 100 + billion dollar stock pile? I say not enough. Are they saving it for the “second coming”??? Guess what? Jesus doesn’t need the money when He comes back for His “Bride”. The body of Christ will be taken care of.
If you’re LDS and are about to go to the bishop for your “tithing settlement”, do what Mrs. Riess has done and tell them you’re a full tithe payer, and give your 10% or whatever you see fit, to any charity you please. The LDS church is not doing there part as a NOT FOR PROFIT organization.
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