Do we have to tithe to the church?

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Pixle_Catholic

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It is common for people to tithe 10% or more of their income to the church. Would it still count as tithe if we took that same 10% and rather than putting it in the offering plate, donate it to a homeless shelter, buy food for less fortunate families…etc
 
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While the Church does not teach that one has to tithe, I.e. give 10 %, it is good that you want to do so. To answer your question, it is acceptable to donate to food banks, etc. However, your local parish still has bills, electric, salaries, etc. I’ve read that, if one tithes, one guideline is that one should give 5% to your parish and 5% to the other organizations. That way you can support your parish and the other organizations.

Pax
 
fredystairs said:
While the Church does not teach that one has to tithe, I.e. give 10 %, it is good that you want to do so. To answer your question, it is acceptable to donate to food banks, etc. However, your local parish still has bills, electric, salaries, etc. I’ve read that, if one tithes, one guideline is that one should give 5% to your parish and 5% to the other organizations. That way you can support your parish and the other organizations.

Pax
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Right.

The Church does not teach that you have to give a specific percentage.

In the United States today, just by paying taxes you’re paying a small percentage of your income to charity because the government has taken over part of the charitable function.

We have to give something to our Church and we’re expected to support other charities. And, as the other poster said, what charities we support and to what extent is a matter between us and God.
 
Supporting the Church is one of the precepts of the Church. Give some.to your parish, some to.other charities
 
Pixle_Catholic said:
It is common for people to tithe 10% or more of their income to the church.
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It’s common. But it’s not Church teaching that we must tithe 10% of our income.

It is Church teaching, however, that we are to support the material needs of the Church. Everyone discerns that for themselves.
Pixle_Catholic said:
Would it still count as tithe if we took that same 10% and rather than putting it in the offering plate, donate it to a homeless shelter, buy food for less fortunate families…etc
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No.

We are to support the Church.

It is noble to ALSO support charities and perform the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. It complements what we do for the Church, but it doesn’t replace our obligation to support the Church.
 
fredystairs said:
While the Church does not teach that one has to tithe, I.e. give 10 %, it is good that you want to do so. To answer your question, it is acceptable to donate to food banks, etc. However, your local parish still has bills, electric, salaries, etc. I’ve read that, if one tithes, one guideline is that one should give 5% to your parish and 5% to the other organizations. That way you can support your parish and the other organizations.
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If someone chooses to tithe, I second that this is a good guideline
 
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signit said:
just by paying taxes you’re paying a small percentage of your income to charity
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Taxes are enforced. Charity which is enforced is not charity, which is one of the reasons why socialism is uncatholic.
 
Maximian said:
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signit:
just by paying taxes you’re paying a small percentage of your income to charity
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Taxes are enforced. Charity which is enforced is not charity, which is one of the reasons why socialism is uncatholic.
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The precept is satisfied by supporting the material needs of the Church, which is done, for example, in Germany by paying taxes.
 
fredystairs said:
I’ve read that, if one tithes, one guideline is that one should give 5% to your parish and 5% to the other organizations
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I heard from my EC priest - it’s like 5% to the parish, and 3% to the diocesan bishop and diocese related stuff, and 2% other charities
 
Well you obviously have not seen the separate thread I started denouncing the evils of the German Church Tax
 
Maximian said:
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signit:
just by paying taxes you’re paying a small percentage of your income to charity
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Taxes are enforced. Charity which is enforced is not charity, which is one of the reasons why socialism is uncatholic.
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I was referring to the amount.

I’m saying that the amount we have to give to the poor today may be less today because we’re already paying in taxes to provide a social safety net for the poor.

Whereas in olden days there was no social safety net and the poor were more reliant on private donations; therefore, it was necessary to give more.
 
The Code of Canon Law says:
Canon 222

§1. The Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the Church so that the Church has what is necessary for divine worship, for the works of the apostolate and of charity, and for the decent support of ministers.

§2. They are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor from their own resources. (source)
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Referencing the above canon in footnote 86, paragraph 2043 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, in part:
The fifth precept (“You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church”) means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.86 (source)
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Notice that it does not specify a specific amount or percentage but but rather says, “each according to his own ability.”
 
Providing for the temporal needs of the Church and giving alms are not the same thing. Both are important. As others mentioned above, there is no prescribed amount or even way to provide for the Church’s needs–ie, it doesn’t even have to be monetary (although money is certainly needed).
 
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Mark 12:41-44
He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”
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Is there a way to give my church such that the money would stay with the church and not systematically go to others (diocese at large, the bishop, Rome)?
 
A significantly larger part of my donations go to an overseas order which I feel is helping children that have virtually no opportunity whatsoever compared to any child here in the US.
 
having observed, err, hated discussions among protestants on this, my takeaway was that the tithe applied to a particular cate of priests, who in turn derived their income from the specified income of others.

It was so heavy in quoting from their preferred translations, though, that I didn’t track any of it down.
 
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