Question for Christians: Tithing

[Taz]

Tithing is another way to say "I'm too chickenshit to charge an entry fee, so I'll wait until you all sit down then shove a collection plate in your face in front of everyone to strong-arm and guilt some dough out of you."

 

[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.

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

That is true.

And to forgive doesn't mean the offender shouldn't repent nor escape punishment.

Also, we are not called to be doormats either

 

[JoeB131]

Charity like forgiving others benefits the one doing the giving as much or maybe even more than it does the one who receives it.

So God makes some people miserable so that other people can feel better about themselves by giving them money after a church takes its cut?

seriously, is this what you are arguing?

The Catholic Church has billions of dollars locked behind the doors of the Vatican, the pope eats lobster and steak, yet he tells the rest of us we should do without. When man made religion, not God, it was mans way to control us and reap from us, while they sit back and enjoy comfortable living...

Do you actually have evidence the Pope is eating Lobster? Or is this just more of your crazy talk?

 

[rightwinger]

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.

Again...not done in the name of atheism

Jesus was as Socialist as they come

 

[JoeB131]

Back when Moses finally got the Hebrews out of Egypt and on their way to the promised land, Moses, who had a speech impediment, made Aaron(his brother) as the first priest of the new Israelites. For every sacrifice to God, one must give a sacrifice to Aaron in a tithe. At that moment Aaron never had to work at hard labor ever again.

Um, yeah, on that topic.

Dwindling In Unbelief: God burns Aaron's sons to death for offering "strange fire"

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And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Leviticus 10:1-2

Aaron's sons offered some sort of strange fire to God, and it pissed God off so much that he burned them to death.

I guess the moral of the story is this: Don't play with fire or God will burn you to death. God fights fire with fire.

But I like Moses' explanation even better. Here's what he said to Aaron right after God burned Aaron's sons to death.

Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. Leviticus 10:3a

God burned Aaron's sons alive so that God would "be sanctified in them" and so that he would "be glorified."

That helps.

Moses warned Aaron not to mourn the death of his sons (by uncovering his head or tearing his clothes) or God would kill him too, along with all the people.

And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people. Leviticus 10:6

So Aaron did as he was told, and watched in silence as his sons were burned to death by God.

So, hey, Jim, tell us against what a sweet deal Aaron got for his family by being a priest.

 

[rightwinger]

 

[JoeB131]

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.

Say the guy who wants to send one to the Senate?

Okay, for the record, the Cardinal from Boston was never personally accused of molesting children, just covering up for the guys who did. I don't really spend a lot of time defending the Roman Catholic Church for making my childhood a fairly miserable experience, but these Fundies being holier than thous is a bit sickening.

 

[Weatherman2020]

There is no question, this is a none issue. God told us.

2 Corinthians 9:7

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

 

[ding]

Charity like forgiving others benefits the one doing the giving as much or maybe even more than it does the one who receives it.

So God makes some people miserable so that other people can feel better about themselves by giving them money after a church takes its cut?

seriously, is this what you are arguing?

The Catholic Church has billions of dollars locked behind the doors of the Vatican, the pope eats lobster and steak, yet he tells the rest of us we should do without. When man made religion, not God, it was mans way to control us and reap from us, while they sit back and enjoy comfortable living...

Do you actually have evidence the Pope is eating Lobster? Or is this just more of your crazy talk?

That isn't my argument. That is you misstating my argument.

 

[JoeB131]

That isn't my argument. That is you misstating my argument.

I think I hit the nail pretty much on the head.

God doesn't need the money, according to you. He's FUCKING GOD!!!

No, no, the reason why we have charity is so that rich people can feel better about themselves giving a pittance to poorer people, who are only poor because God has put their their lives in a bad place to start with.

Again, the problem with the Abrahamic God is that he often comes off like a Batman Villian! Let's create a bad situation and have people make horrible choices.

 

[Bonzi]

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

God loves a cheerful giver....
He wants us to give because we are happy to

 

[Bonzi]

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

Oh good grief....you should be a pretzel maker....

 

[Bonzi]

That isn't my argument. That is you misstating my argument.

I think I hit the nail pretty much on the head.

God doesn't need the money, according to you. He's FUCKING GOD!!!

No, no, the reason why we have charity is so that rich people can feel better about themselves giving a pittance to poorer people, who are only poor because God has put their their lives in a bad place to start with.

Again, the problem with the Abrahamic God is that he often comes off like a Batman Villian! Let's create a bad situation and have people make horrible choices.

You're right, He doesn't, but we do....of our own making.....

 

[ding]

That isn't my argument. That is you misstating my argument.

I think I hit the nail pretty much on the head.

God doesn't need the money, according to you. He's FUCKING GOD!!!

No, no, the reason why we have charity is so that rich people can feel better about themselves giving a pittance to poorer people, who are only poor because God has put their their lives in a bad place to start with.

Again, the problem with the Abrahamic God is that he often comes off like a Batman Villian! Let's create a bad situation and have people make horrible choices.

You must have confused my post with someone else's. I wrote, "Charity like forgiving others benefits the one doing the giving as much or maybe even more than it does the one who receives it."

Can you explain how you got from that to what you wrote?

 

[Taz]

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

God loves a cheerful giver....
He wants us to give because we are happy to

Pedophiles have expense too.

 

[ding]

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

God loves a cheerful giver....
He wants us to give because we are happy to

Pedophiles have expense too.

I'll have to take your word on that.

 

[Taz]

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

God loves a cheerful giver....
He wants us to give because we are happy to

Pedophiles have expense too.

I'll have to take your word on that.

Why else would they pass the collection plate?

 

[rightwinger]

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

God loves a cheerful giver....
He wants us to give because we are happy to

God has my bank account number and password

If he needs the money he is cheerfully welcome to take it

 

[RodISHI]

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

God loves a cheerful giver....
He wants us to give because we are happy to

God has my bank account number and password

If he needs the money he is cheerfully welcome to take it

Dangle outta your own mouth too...let us know when someone strips it and you have bowed down to praise Jehovah for letting you know his words given through the prophets were true.

 

[rightwinger]

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

God loves a cheerful giver....
He wants us to give because we are happy to

God has my bank account number and password

If he needs the money he is cheerfully welcome to take it

Dangle outta your own mouth too...let us know when someone strips it and you have bowed down to praise Jehovah for letting you know his words given through the prophets were true.

God is all powerful

He is fully capable of making an electronic funds transfer