What is your opinion on this whole matter, on tithing, etc?
All opinions - all - are welcome.
Why do you assume it isn’t? Sure, there are some churches where it goes to new chandeliers, gilded chairs, and blue wigs for their TV personalities, but for many, if not most, I am betting a much larger percentage goes to ‘widows and orphans’ than is required by this passage.
Now, if in modern times we give tithes to our local church that we attend and tithes are then used to pay for the pastors salary (them being the modern Levite equivalency), youth pastors salary, staff salary, utility bills, etc, why isn’t a portion of this shared with widows, orphans, etc?
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First of all, you need to give a New Testament commandment, reference or example of where tithing applies today
(We’ll wait....)
Do you actually attend a church where they don't have a mission/program that helps the poor?
Considering that most churches don't even manage to get 2-3% of the congregations' earnings (if they're lucky), and that many lead pastors work 60-80 hour weeks, I believe that the pastor's wife and children should count as down-and-out widows and orphans.
It wasn't only the fatherless and the widow that was to be supported in the 3rd year.
If a XPian gives to United Way, I ask...why?
If a XPian gives to Susan G. Kommen, I ask...why?
If a XPian considers buying Girls Scout cookies a donation, I ask...why?
I’ve pointed this out on FR several years ago.
The priests had no land so they had to live on the offerings the people gave them. This was the tithe and it was not given every year.
The Christian today is to give “as God has prospered”.
“Not grudgingly but cheerful”, BUT “one who ignores his own family is worse than a thief and an infidel.”
I'm LDS and do believe in a tithe, but not to pay the pastor. Our Bishop or pastor serves as a volunteer and does not get paid. Our tithes and fast offerings go to our church and it is the Bishop who is responsible to help people in need with the available funds and supplies from the Bishop's storehouse.
Good luck - Now this thread will probably turn into a mormon bashing thread so rather than follow up I will go now and cling to my bible and shop for ammo online:)
The tithes and faith promises were put into a general fund, unless certain giving was for a special fund, ie.. building fund, missions, deacons fund, etc.
Out of the general fund the pastors salary was paid, along with other things, such as aforementioned.
Its also important to know the earlier titheS. Because ancient tithes weren't just limited to one 10% tithe. There was also a festival tithe and a poor tithe.
The first tithe was to maintain the Levites. The second tithe was for festivals, the Jewish holidays. THEN there was another tithe taken every 3 years for the poor and widows.
So "tithing" ran upwards of 23%.
But of course its important to note, at that time there also WERE NO TAXES.
If Christians gave as much to the church to take care of their souls as they do to their doctors and insurance company to take care of their bodies, there would be no shortage of money for the mission of Jesus to preach the Gospel all over the world.
Your body will decay in the ground, while your soul and your glorified body will live for eternity. The latter is a much better investment.
Where in the New Testament are the purveyors of the Gospel paid money for their services?
You can reach into your pocket and give money into the hands of people.
Why aren’t the pastors supporting themselves? Then the members could better care for the widows and such.
In my church, what comes in is turned right around for missions and community outreach. It doesn’t stay in the church coffers.
I’d say that’s true of most churches (and should be true of all.
Tithing is law. Believers are free from the law and, yet, seek to meet it in spirit and truth. That is, we are free to give or not but fools if we do not yield all we possess to the Lord.
Having said that, I do not believe in supporting the ‘works’ of the modern church as you describe. Salaries, bills, insurance and (worst of all) mortgages for million dollar temples. Feed the hungry, care for the sick, provide for the widows and fatherless. A simple look around today will provide more opportunities to give of yourself and your resources than you could meet in a lifetime.
Let the bulk of idiocy in modern ‘Christian’ culture find its own financing.
The tone of your post seems to suggest that churches are spending too much money taking care of pastors but not enough taking care of the poor. Is that your point and if so what is the basis for your conclusions and where is your data to back up your “charges”?
You can become an elder in a church and have more of a direct say in how the money is being spent. But i am not sure why it is any of your business how individual churches spend their money used to teach and spread the gospel.
My church supports a food bank, a prison ministry and an after school mentoring program at a local middle school in the down and out part of town.
Unfortunately, many churches seem to focus on prayer ministry and building projects with the occasional mission trip or sponsored orphans, with little focus on actual lifting up of the rest of the world.
Your divise postings are a puzzlement.
Are you not aware that ALL parishes have an Emergency or Caritas Fund to care for the poor?
Money goes to the Church and the ministries. The pastor accepts a salary — that is it. Your assumptions are wrong in my opinion.
Christians should give as the Lord leads. Personally I give to my Church, AND to orphanages (one in Romania), and a lot of other good charities.
Also, Tithing is not “give 10% to the church”. It’s a benefit to us, and we get to participate in God’s economy.
Tithing was under the old law. We are under the new. You don’t get an “award” for legalistic tithing. But why would you not want to give, if you are a TRUE believer?
Jesus was asked about tithing, he commented that some folks even tithe their herbs growing in their garden, but then are not pure of heart...
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”
Jesus came to fulfill the law, and to call us to a greater higher standard.....it’s really pretty easy to give someone 10% (we give the government much more), but to REALLY care about someone is HARD.