Former Mormon Finding Catholicism

My life at the moment:

Hi! I know I haven’t posted anything new for a while. It’s not because I’m ditching my blog or don’t have any interest in what this blog is all about. It’s just in my life right now it’s been hard to work on this and do everything else that I have been working on. I have been studying and experiencing more about the Catholic faith, as well as allowing myself to remember how I was raised in the LDS Church. I will hopefully be posting some more compare/contrast posts that will be interesting/helpful. I would like to take this moment to say that if you are interested in learning more about the Catholic faith, or any faith for that matter, the best thing you can do is to, yes do some basic research on your own, but you need to take time to experience it as well. You need that balance of the brain and the heart. Sometimes it is hard for me to balance that.

Jess

Anonymous asked: Hi Jess!
What is the importance of tithing in the mormon church? I have friends who say that they can't go to temple or heaven if they don't tithe here on earth. Did you ever have to tithe?

Hey! Thanks for the question! So, in the LDS Church, the law of tithing is considered a commandment of God by active members. 

“Tithing is a principle that is fundamental to the personal happiness and well-being of the Church members worldwide, both rich and poor. Tithing is a principle of sacrifice and a key to the opening of the windows of heaven. … Members of the Church who do not tithe do not lose their membership; they only lose blessings” - President James E. Faust

Basically it’s 10% minimum of a person’s income. When I was young, and old enough to earn allowance by doing things around the house for my mom, I would have to pay tithing on it. You fill out a tithing slip like this:

The top half is where you fill out your name and address, and then you put the tithing amount you will pay. Also in bold is fast offerings. Growing up my parents paid mine for me, so I never worried about that line. But it’s to pay for meals for people in need that goes hand in hand with “Fast Sunday” where the church fasts 1 Sunday of the month. And then the other categories under that are other optional things to donate to. You can help support the missionaries financially, or help pay for the printing of Book of Mormons that are given away free to people interested in the church. You can donate to the humanitarian aid, the temple construction fund, or the perpetual education fund which is a resource for students to get a low interest rate loan for training or higher education. I sometimes would donate to some of those optional funds but mostly I just put an amount down for tithing. My parents always made sure I paid my tithing when I was younger. I remember always asking for help to fill them out. There are two copies: the white slip and the yellow slip behind it you save for your own records. I loved to save my tithing slips when I was five or six. It was my collection. When I was older my parents made sure to ask if I was paying my tithing, especially if I was having a hard time with something, my mom would ask: “Are you paying your tithing?” LDS members believe that if you pay your tithing the Lord will bless you. It’s a way to show you love the Lord for everything he has given you. 

Your friends are right. In temple interviews the bishop will ask you if you pay a full tithing. If you don’t pay your tithing the understanding is you will be destroyed with the wicked. This comes from the scripture:

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. -D&C 64:23

In a church magazine here is a comment on that:

Tithing is a pivotal commandment, one on which other larger issues turn. Only those Church members who pay a full tithing can receive temple ordinances. And the Lord tells us that those who pay tithing will not be burned at His Second Coming… -“Questions and Answers,” Liahona, Jun 2001, 22

Furthermore, you find similar commentary in an official church manual

Our Father in Heaven is happy when we pay our tithing. He has promised to bless us if we pay it. He has said that He will give us so many blessings we will not know what to do with all of them. He has also said we will not be destroyed with the wicked if we pay our tithing willingly. -Gospel Fundamentals Chapter 28

I hope that helps answer your question. While tithing definitely wasn’t a key issue that I was concerned about when I was questioning the LDS Church, there were times where I was going through the motions of paying tithing while resenting it. But a lot of members, like my mother, will attest that tithing has blessed them in ways they never expected. I guess I saw tithing as a donation to a good cause but I wasn’t really buying into the blessings idea hard-core like some other people do. 

Thanks for the great question!

Jess