Question for Christians: Tithing

[JustAnotherNut]

It does say in the Bible to give to God 10% off the top......before taxes, before Social Security, before 401K's, etc. Many people do NOT, probably because they have more than enough taken from their pay already and they think God's payment is optional

There are different kinds of offerings......a freewill offering is optional, sin offering is a type of 'payment' for sins, etc.


Nobody can buy their way into Heaven.......our ticket was bought & paid for with the blood of the Lamb.

This is why I don't feel any concern or sympathy for those who send money to the 'prosperity gospel' types; they're being even more dishonest re the theology.

Agreed, and many local churches are very similar.

 

[Picaro]

My father was a hard working man, we went to the local Methodist church. While we were struggling to make ends meet, the pastor of the church always came in with a new suit, and drove a top of the line Cadillac. We didn't stay long in the Methodist church.

Nothings says pastors and ministers have to live out of dumpsters or take oaths of poverty, and neither do Christians. Did you ever see the pastor's tax returns?Most, the vast majority, are not employees, they're 'private contractors' and pay their own SS and payroll taxes as 'self-employed'.

From reading the annual salary surveys of pastors and ministers, it's immediately obvious being a preacher is most definitely not The Road To Riches, despite the mythology and propaganda constantly spread around. There is even a rough formula for church founders to follow when paying a pastor, which is an average of around $8 a year for the average weekly attendance over the year. So, a church with a steady weekly attendance of 200 would likely not be paying a pastor anything at all, or very little. For well established churches, around $40K or so a year for a full time pastor who also manages the church's business and the like seems to be the ballpark compensation, which is still less than a company exec would pull down for a private business of similar size.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

It does say in the Bible to give to God 10% off the top......before taxes, before Social Security, before 401K's, etc. Many people do NOT, probably because they have more than enough taken from their pay already and they think God's payment is optional

There are different kinds of offerings......a freewill offering is optional, sin offering is a type of 'payment' for sins, etc.


Nobody can buy their way into Heaven.......our ticket was bought & paid for with the blood of the Lamb.

This is why I don't feel any concern or sympathy for those who send money to the 'prosperity gospel' types; they're being even more dishonest re the theology.

Yet another thought comes to mind as well...........we are told to give, period........what the receiver does with said gift will fall on their shoulders, not ours IF we gave in good faith

 

[rightwinger]

If God wants the money.......He can take it

 

[rightwinger]

My father was a hard working man, we went to the local Methodist church. While we were struggling to make ends meet, the pastor of the church always came in with a new suit, and drove a top of the line Cadillac. We didn't stay long in the Methodist church.

Nothings says pastors and ministers have to live out of dumpsters or take oaths of poverty, and neither do Christians. Did you ever see the pastor's tax returns?Most, the vast majority, are not employees, they're 'private contractors' and pay their own SS and payroll taxes as 'self-employed'.

From reading the annual salary surveys of pastors and ministers, it's immediately obvious being a preacher is most definitely not The Road To Riches, despite the mythology and propaganda constantly spread around. There is even a rough formula for church founders to follow when paying a pastor, which is an average of around $8 a year for the average weekly attendance over the year. So, a church with a steady weekly attendance of 200 would likely not be paying a pastor anything at all, or very little. For well established churches, around $40K or so a year for a full time pastor who also manages the church's business and the like seems to be the ballpark compensation, which is still less than a company exec would pull down for a private business of similar size.

If you do it right....It is the road to riches

 

[Picaro]

My father was a hard working man, we went to the local Methodist church. While we were struggling to make ends meet, the pastor of the church always came in with a new suit, and drove a top of the line Cadillac. We didn't stay long in the Methodist church.

Nothings says pastors and ministers have to live out of dumpsters or take oaths of poverty, and neither do Christians. Did you ever see the pastor's tax returns?Most, the vast majority, are not employees, they're 'private contractors' and pay their own SS and payroll taxes as 'self-employed'.

From reading the annual salary surveys of pastors and ministers, it's immediately obvious being a preacher is most definitely not The Road To Riches, despite the mythology and propaganda constantly spread around. There is even a rough formula for church founders to follow when paying a pastor, which is an average of around $8 a year for the average weekly attendance over the year. So, a church with a steady weekly attendance of 200 would likely not be paying a pastor anything at all, or very little. For well established churches, around $40K or so a year for a full time pastor who also manages the church's business and the like seems to be the ballpark compensation, which is still less than a company exec would pull down for a private business of similar size.

If you do it right....It is the road to riches

Obviously the vast majority aren't 'doing it right', then, so obviously they must be sincere, completely unlike Democrats and their Party leaders, and the vast majority of 'atheists' who post here. And, the vast majority of the wealthy ones aren't getting rich from tithes, salaries, etc., either; they have other sources of income, and most don't take a dime from their churches, so why does this concern atheists at all?

 

[rightwinger]

My father was a hard working man, we went to the local Methodist church. While we were struggling to make ends meet, the pastor of the church always came in with a new suit, and drove a top of the line Cadillac. We didn't stay long in the Methodist church.

Nothings says pastors and ministers have to live out of dumpsters or take oaths of poverty, and neither do Christians. Did you ever see the pastor's tax returns?Most, the vast majority, are not employees, they're 'private contractors' and pay their own SS and payroll taxes as 'self-employed'.

From reading the annual salary surveys of pastors and ministers, it's immediately obvious being a preacher is most definitely not The Road To Riches, despite the mythology and propaganda constantly spread around. There is even a rough formula for church founders to follow when paying a pastor, which is an average of around $8 a year for the average weekly attendance over the year. So, a church with a steady weekly attendance of 200 would likely not be paying a pastor anything at all, or very little. For well established churches, around $40K or so a year for a full time pastor who also manages the church's business and the like seems to be the ballpark compensation, which is still less than a company exec would pull down for a private business of similar size.

If you do it right....It is the road to riches

Obviously the vast majority aren't 'doing it right', then, so obviously they must be sincere, completely unlike Democrats and their Party leaders, and the vast majority of 'atheists' who post here. And, the vast majority of the wealthy ones aren't getting rich from tithes, salaries, etc., either; they have other sources of income, and most don't take a dime from their churches, so why does this concern atheists at all?

Sorry.....No money in atheism

 

[RodISHI]

If someone doesn't have a fav charity or church that supplies the needs to the poor tithing can be done by helping another person you know is in need. Even stopping along the road to help someone stranded is a tithing of your time. I used to like to give to the Salvation Army as they have always been among the most honorable among large charitable orgs, IMO

 

[Mikeoxenormous]

It does say in the Bible to give to God 10% off the top......before taxes, before Social Security, before 401K's, etc. Many people do NOT, probably because they have more than enough taken from their pay already and they think God's payment is optional

There are different kinds of offerings......a freewill offering is optional, sin offering is a type of 'payment' for sins, etc.


Nobody can buy their way into Heaven.......our ticket was bought & paid for with the blood of the Lamb.

This is why I don't feel any concern or sympathy for those who send money to the 'prosperity gospel' types; they're being even more dishonest re the theology.

Yet another thought comes to mind as well...........we are told to give, period........what the receiver does with said gift will fall on their shoulders, not ours IF we gave in good faith

I give to the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity and the Fisher House. I find those charitable organizations have a better record of providing for the poor, than the Uber wealthy Catholic Church.

At least they aren't housing a child rapist behind the Vatican walls.
How cardinal disgraced in Boston child abuse scandal found a Vatican haven

 

[RodISHI]

It does say in the Bible to give to God 10% off the top......before taxes, before Social Security, before 401K's, etc. Many people do NOT, probably because they have more than enough taken from their pay already and they think God's payment is optional

There are different kinds of offerings......a freewill offering is optional, sin offering is a type of 'payment' for sins, etc.


Nobody can buy their way into Heaven.......our ticket was bought & paid for with the blood of the Lamb.

This is why I don't feel any concern or sympathy for those who send money to the 'prosperity gospel' types; they're being even more dishonest re the theology.

Yet another thought comes to mind as well...........we are told to give, period........what the receiver does with said gift will fall on their shoulders, not ours IF we gave in good faith

I give to the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity and the Fisher House. I find those charitable organizations have a better record of providing for the poor, than the Uber wealthy Catholic Church.

At least they aren't housing a child rapist behind the Vatican walls.
How cardinal disgraced in Boston child abuse scandal found a Vatican haven

I found habitat to be somewhat of a nepotism type org providing jobs for the ubers elities type kids. That is what I observed here at our closest local. I don't know anything about Fisher House.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

It does say in the Bible to give to God 10% off the top......before taxes, before Social Security, before 401K's, etc. Many people do NOT, probably because they have more than enough taken from their pay already and they think God's payment is optional

There are different kinds of offerings......a freewill offering is optional, sin offering is a type of 'payment' for sins, etc.


Nobody can buy their way into Heaven.......our ticket was bought & paid for with the blood of the Lamb.

This is why I don't feel any concern or sympathy for those who send money to the 'prosperity gospel' types; they're being even more dishonest re the theology.

Yet another thought comes to mind as well...........we are told to give, period........what the receiver does with said gift will fall on their shoulders, not ours IF we gave in good faith

I give to the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity and the Fisher House. I find those charitable organizations have a better record of providing for the poor, than the Uber wealthy Catholic Church.

At least they aren't housing a child rapist behind the Vatican walls.
How cardinal disgraced in Boston child abuse scandal found a Vatican haven

The Catholic church does have it's downside true........but they also do a lot more charitable work in local communities

 

[Picaro]

Yet another thought comes to mind as well...........we are told to give, period........what the receiver does with said gift will fall on their shoulders, not ours IF we gave in good faith

That seems to be the main Catholic approach for those who support the Vatican lines; for them the Church is serving a purpose and following the ordained path, and no individual can change its course, corrupt or no. My personal opinion is they shouldn't tolerate it if they know of it, given many of the actions of Jesus and the Apostles, but I leave it to them to run their internal affairs; if they don't mind, I don't. I've never seen the Catholic Church as the monolithic dictatorship it's historically claimed to be; there are plenty of intellectuals and scholars in it that represent a variety of thought and practice, and nobody has contributed more to charity work and education than they have over the centuries, so much of the Catholic bashing is just rubbish as well, mostly based on old Protestant propaganda that still gets repeated as 'fact' to this day. They could definitely work on losing the bureaucratic ass covering mentality at the upper levels of management, for sure.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Yet another thought comes to mind as well...........we are told to give, period........what the receiver does with said gift will fall on their shoulders, not ours IF we gave in good faith

That seems to be the main Catholic approach for those who support the Vatican lines; for them the Church is serving a purpose and following the ordained path, and no individual can change its course, corrupt or no. My personal opinion is they shouldn't tolerate it if they know of it, given many of the actions of Jesus and the Apostles, but I leave it to them to run their internal affairs; if they don't mind, I don't.

Wait......what shouldn't they tolerate? I'm guessing you mean the abuses??


If so.......we are told to forgive sins and judgement is His, not ours.

 

[Picaro]

My father was a hard working man, we went to the local Methodist church. While we were struggling to make ends meet, the pastor of the church always came in with a new suit, and drove a top of the line Cadillac. We didn't stay long in the Methodist church.

Nothings says pastors and ministers have to live out of dumpsters or take oaths of poverty, and neither do Christians. Did you ever see the pastor's tax returns?Most, the vast majority, are not employees, they're 'private contractors' and pay their own SS and payroll taxes as 'self-employed'.

From reading the annual salary surveys of pastors and ministers, it's immediately obvious being a preacher is most definitely not The Road To Riches, despite the mythology and propaganda constantly spread around. There is even a rough formula for church founders to follow when paying a pastor, which is an average of around $8 a year for the average weekly attendance over the year. So, a church with a steady weekly attendance of 200 would likely not be paying a pastor anything at all, or very little. For well established churches, around $40K or so a year for a full time pastor who also manages the church's business and the like seems to be the ballpark compensation, which is still less than a company exec would pull down for a private business of similar size.

If you do it right....It is the road to riches

Obviously the vast majority aren't 'doing it right', then, so obviously they must be sincere, completely unlike Democrats and their Party leaders, and the vast majority of 'atheists' who post here. And, the vast majority of the wealthy ones aren't getting rich from tithes, salaries, etc., either; they have other sources of income, and most don't take a dime from their churches, so why does this concern atheists at all?

Sorry.....No money in atheism

Of course there is. You're just not admitting it. Ask Mao, Stalin, Hitler, and Wall Street about the wealth to be had via mindless self-indulgence and greed. Which one of the propagandists who entirely influence you and the other Democrats said this:

Socialism is precisely the religion that must overwhelm Christianity. … In the new order, Socialism will triumph by first capturing the culture via infiltration of schools, universities, churches and the media by transforming the consciousness of society.

 

[Picaro]

Yet another thought comes to mind as well...........we are told to give, period........what the receiver does with said gift will fall on their shoulders, not ours IF we gave in good faith

That seems to be the main Catholic approach for those who support the Vatican lines; for them the Church is serving a purpose and following the ordained path, and no individual can change its course, corrupt or no. My personal opinion is they shouldn't tolerate it if they know of it, given many of the actions of Jesus and the Apostles, but I leave it to them to run their internal affairs; if they don't mind, I don't.

Wait......what shouldn't they tolerate? I'm guessing you mean the abuses??

Yes, and corruption in the Vatican bank, etc., etc.

If so.......we are told to forgive sins and judgement is His, not ours.

No doubt Jesus forgave those he drove from the Temple steps; he just didn't seem to think forgiveness meant do nothing at all to stop them from cheating or abusing people.

 

[rightwinger]

My father was a hard working man, we went to the local Methodist church. While we were struggling to make ends meet, the pastor of the church always came in with a new suit, and drove a top of the line Cadillac. We didn't stay long in the Methodist church.

Nothings says pastors and ministers have to live out of dumpsters or take oaths of poverty, and neither do Christians. Did you ever see the pastor's tax returns?Most, the vast majority, are not employees, they're 'private contractors' and pay their own SS and payroll taxes as 'self-employed'.

From reading the annual salary surveys of pastors and ministers, it's immediately obvious being a preacher is most definitely not The Road To Riches, despite the mythology and propaganda constantly spread around. There is even a rough formula for church founders to follow when paying a pastor, which is an average of around $8 a year for the average weekly attendance over the year. So, a church with a steady weekly attendance of 200 would likely not be paying a pastor anything at all, or very little. For well established churches, around $40K or so a year for a full time pastor who also manages the church's business and the like seems to be the ballpark compensation, which is still less than a company exec would pull down for a private business of similar size.

If you do it right....It is the road to riches

Obviously the vast majority aren't 'doing it right', then, so obviously they must be sincere, completely unlike Democrats and their Party leaders, and the vast majority of 'atheists' who post here. And, the vast majority of the wealthy ones aren't getting rich from tithes, salaries, etc., either; they have other sources of income, and most don't take a dime from their churches, so why does this concern atheists at all?

Sorry.....No money in atheism

Of course there is. You're just not admitting it. Ask Mao, Stalin, Hitler, and Wall Street about the wealth to be had via mindless self-indulgence and greed. Which one of the propagandists who entirely influence you and the other Democrats said this:

Socialism is precisely the religion that must overwhelm Christianity. … In the new order, Socialism will triumph by first capturing the culture via infiltration of schools, universities, churches and the media by transforming the consciousness of society.

They were just going about their business

They were not saying....send me money because I am an atheist

Jesus was a Socialist

 

[Picaro]

They were just going about their business

They were not saying....send me money because I am an atheist

Yes, the business of lying, extortion, murder, and seizing governments and their treasuries, and accumulating personal power.

Jesus was a Socialist

Rubbish.

 

[RodISHI]

Nothings says pastors and ministers have to live out of dumpsters or take oaths of poverty, and neither do Christians. Did you ever see the pastor's tax returns?Most, the vast majority, are not employees, they're 'private contractors' and pay their own SS and payroll taxes as 'self-employed'.

From reading the annual salary surveys of pastors and ministers, it's immediately obvious being a preacher is most definitely not The Road To Riches, despite the mythology and propaganda constantly spread around. There is even a rough formula for church founders to follow when paying a pastor, which is an average of around $8 a year for the average weekly attendance over the year. So, a church with a steady weekly attendance of 200 would likely not be paying a pastor anything at all, or very little. For well established churches, around $40K or so a year for a full time pastor who also manages the church's business and the like seems to be the ballpark compensation, which is still less than a company exec would pull down for a private business of similar size.

If you do it right....It is the road to riches

Obviously the vast majority aren't 'doing it right', then, so obviously they must be sincere, completely unlike Democrats and their Party leaders, and the vast majority of 'atheists' who post here. And, the vast majority of the wealthy ones aren't getting rich from tithes, salaries, etc., either; they have other sources of income, and most don't take a dime from their churches, so why does this concern atheists at all?

Sorry.....No money in atheism

Of course there is. You're just not admitting it. Ask Mao, Stalin, Hitler, and Wall Street about the wealth to be had via mindless self-indulgence and greed. Which one of the propagandists who entirely influence you and the other Democrats said this:

Socialism is precisely the religion that must overwhelm Christianity. … In the new order, Socialism will triumph by first capturing the culture via infiltration of schools, universities, churches and the media by transforming the consciousness of society.

They were just going about their business

They were not saying....send me money because I am an atheist

Jesus was a Socialist

Surely not as he said, Buy from me.

You'll need to find another excuse as trying to push "but Jesus" excuses when you don't believe won't work out for ya.

 

[Mikeoxenormous]

It does say in the Bible to give to God 10% off the top......before taxes, before Social Security, before 401K's, etc. Many people do NOT, probably because they have more than enough taken from their pay already and they think God's payment is optional

There are different kinds of offerings......a freewill offering is optional, sin offering is a type of 'payment' for sins, etc.


Nobody can buy their way into Heaven.......our ticket was bought & paid for with the blood of the Lamb.

This is why I don't feel any concern or sympathy for those who send money to the 'prosperity gospel' types; they're being even more dishonest re the theology.

Yet another thought comes to mind as well...........we are told to give, period........what the receiver does with said gift will fall on their shoulders, not ours IF we gave in good faith

I give to the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity and the Fisher House. I find those charitable organizations have a better record of providing for the poor, than the Uber wealthy Catholic Church.

At least they aren't housing a child rapist behind the Vatican walls.
How cardinal disgraced in Boston child abuse scandal found a Vatican haven

I found habitat to be somewhat of a nepotism type org providing jobs for the ubers elities type kids. That is what I observed here at our closest local. I don't know anything about Fisher House.

Operation Fisher House 2017

the Fisher House Foundation to help build houses for the families of our injured veterans as they return home for treatment. Group homes at Bethesda, Walter Reed, the VA, Dover AFB, and more than 50 locations across the country provide a comfortable place for loved
ones to live while remaining close to their injured family member.

I am a veteran of the Air Force, and want to give back to the military for those members who sacrifice so much to keep this country safe. By providing a place to stay for those in need of family support, the Fisher House is a special place..

 

[Mikeoxenormous]

Yet another thought comes to mind as well...........we are told to give, period........what the receiver does with said gift will fall on their shoulders, not ours IF we gave in good faith

That seems to be the main Catholic approach for those who support the Vatican lines; for them the Church is serving a purpose and following the ordained path, and no individual can change its course, corrupt or no. My personal opinion is they shouldn't tolerate it if they know of it, given many of the actions of Jesus and the Apostles, but I leave it to them to run their internal affairs; if they don't mind, I don't.

Wait......what shouldn't they tolerate? I'm guessing you mean the abuses??


If so.......we are told to forgive sins and judgement is His, not ours.

Also we are told to repent, yet there are a few who hide behind the walls, so they wont be punished for their sins...