Blah blah blah, bottom line is that because a choice has a consequence doesn’t automatically mean extortion is taking place. If it did then God uses extortion too.
“it’s the long-term supposed consequences they dish out...and it’s held over the very family relationships they hold most dear”
If somebody doesn’t believe those consequences exist they have no reason to fear losing anything. If the do belive those consequences exist then they must also believe the church really is the kingdom of God on earth and the presidents of the church true prophets of God, and that would mean the things taught by the church about tithing are true and that the standard for temple worthiness is from God, not man. Why should a person in deliberate rebellion against what God has commanded receive God’s greatest blessing? It isn’t a matter of extortion, it is a matter of faith and having the integrity to live according to what you know is true.
Nobody is ever shamed into paying it, nobody does any account to determine if you are actually paying 10% and if it is of the net or the gross income. It is between you and God and all you let the Bishop know is if you
“Faith in the church?”
Yes, faith (ie: belief) that the church is what it claims to be. It takes faith in Christ to gain salvation, but you can have faith in other people or groups, believing they are good and trustworthy. You appear to have faith in the Bible for example since you claim to believe what it says.
Faith in the Bible? If somebody who loves me writes me a letter, is the ultimate exercise of my trust in a letter -- or a letter-writer? The NT epistles are that -- letters. And even then, a John or a Paul is a mere postal carrier of the Holy Spirit. Even then, we exercise trust in the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit, who communicates via couriers & postal delivery servants.
The problem is that you distrust Jesus having the ability to sustain a trustworthy church-as-mere stewards. You believe He failed in His mission in allowing the forces of darkness to prevail against His church and His promise (Matt. 16:18). And you thereby also must believe the apostle Paul is a false "prophet" when he prophesied: 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory IN THE CHURCH and in Christ Jesus THROUGHOUT ALL GENERATIONS, FOR EVER AND EVER! Amen. (Eph. 3:20-21)
What do you do with such a prophesy of Paul? Did God receive ...glory in the church...throughout all generations, forever and ever!? (Or is that just another forever redefined as temporary in Mormonism -- like hell is thus redefined?)
According to the BIBLE, a 'TRUE' prophet of GOD never had to get approval from 12 others that what he said was true.