Tithe?

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Please explain to me about Tithe. Being SDA I was always taught to Tithe. Is this wrong? and why?
 
dreamfleur said:
Please explain to me about Tithe. Being SDA I was always taught to Tithe. Is this wrong? and why?
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We are all suppose to tithe. We are called to give 10% but we have the freedom to give in various ways. No one checks on us. It is totally on the homor system.
 
I have read in other threads that it is somehow tied into the old covenant and that it is somehow bad because you are then not believing that Jesus came to begin a new covenant. Is this correct?
 
Tithing is a good practice and it is not sinful or improper. Catholics have a very open approach to tithing, much along the lines of “each according to their means and talents”. Therefore Catholics are called to give of their: time, treasure and talents. I’ve heard of some Christian denominations that actually ask to see a w-2 in order to join, which I think is outrageous.

Hope this helps.
 
A true Tithe is 10% of your gross earnings. It is based on the Law that the jews were given.

Some churches-non-catholic- are very strict about this if you want to be a member.

Catholic churches, at least the one I am familiar with, request 5%, but it is not binding, even if you belong to the parish.

Offerings are above and beyond the tithe.

but the truth be told, some churches are led by faith-filled finacially smart men who get a decent salary and that’s that. Others are led by thieves. Some wear the roman collar, some don’t.

And that is the way it is folks.
 
dreamfleur said:
I have read in other threads that it is somehow tied into the old covenant and that it is somehow bad because you are then not believing that Jesus came to begin a new covenant. Is this correct?
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The first part is correct. Tithing is tied to the old covenant, and we are no longer required to give 10% of our gross. However, for us Catholics, we are obligated to help with the financial needs of the Church, which is different than tithing, because we are supposed to give what we can (often people give too little, of which I too am guilty of, but my current circumstances I feel do not permit me to give as much as I’d like). We are free to give in the areas we see fit, and the money doesn’t even need to go directly through the physical Church. For instance, we can give directly to charities if we desire, but one should also give to their local parish and diocese for helping towards the upkeep of the church building and diocesan activities.
 
I tithe myself. If I have $20, I give $10. If I have nothing then I offer up my prayers to our Lord and give Him thanks. I also try and help at the local parish with my time and help teach R.C.I.A. As posted before, we can give tithings with our talents that God gave us. Yes, alot of churches ask for tithings and some require it to be blessed but we do what we can 🙂
 
In principlle, tithing is a good thing. The “first fruits” of our labor belong to the Lord.

Is it necessary? No…It is an old covenant principle…I would think that Christians who give grudginly should not do it…in Christ we have freedom…freedom to support our chosen tradition…and freedom to not support our chosen religous tradition.

It is not how much one gives…but HOW one gives…read the story of the “widow’s mite”
 
Doxiemom said:
A true Tithe is 10% of your gross earnings. It is based on the Law that the jews were given.

Some churches-non-catholic- are very strict about this if you want to be a member.

Catholic churches, at least the one I am familiar with, request 5%, but it is not binding, even if you belong to the parish.

Offerings are above and beyond the tithe.

but the truth be told, some churches are led by faith-filled finacially smart men who get a decent salary and that’s that. Others are led by thieves. Some wear the roman collar, some don’t.

And that is the way it is folks.
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No, Doxiemom, it is never 5%. 🙂

Catholics are not explicit about this. In the modern days, many things can translate to income not just the petty cash that is being enumerated at the end of the week or year. Thus for us that may include our time, our talent and of course our money that we can give in service to the Church. And yes, nobody check on us probably because nobody should know – something about the right hand and the left hand not knowing what each is doing.
 
Reuben_J said:
No, Doxiemom, it is never 5%. 🙂

Catholics are not explicit about this. In the modern days, many things can translate to income not just the petty cash that is being enumerated at the end of the week or year. Thus for us that may include our time, our talent and of course our money that we can give in service to the Church. And yes, nobody check on us probably because nobody should know – something about the right hand and the left hand not knowing what each is doing.
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Well, my close catholic relative’s envelope says they request 5%, but it is up to that family to do what they can do. No pressure. perhaps it is different from diocese to diocese???
 
Doxiemom said:
Well, my close catholic relative’s envelope says they request 5%, but it is up to that family to do what they can do. No pressure. perhaps it is different from diocese to diocese???
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Yes, maybe certain diocese will do that but it is not as rule. That’s what I was saying. And if that is true, it it is also not very usual AFAIK. And why 5%? Why not 10% or 7 or 8%? Yes, we are asked to give, to donate generously. Especially if there is a specific project that a diocese is embarking on, fund drive may be initiated. It is possible an appeal about tithing is used but then again I would say it is unCatholic to state what percentage we have to give, under pressure or not.
 
Lutherans are not on any obligation to tithe or give a certain amount but to give as God blessed you. Our church sets a budget and the members always seem to meet the budget without and pressure from the pastor or the board of elders. The church has been doing it this way for the past thirty years. Maybe we are lucky because our church is in Silicon Valley.
 
This is my understanding of giving in the Catholic Church. We call it sacrificial giving, as it should be a sacrifice for us. I think it is taught that 5% of income should be given sacrificially to our local parish and the rest of our giving, including catholic school tuition, should make up the other 5%.

There will never be anyone who audits you to determine the amount you make or the % of your income that you are giving away.

I do know that giving back to God should be a prepared preplanned act. My gift should be a part of my overall preparation for the celebration of the Mass. My gift is truly being offered as a sacrifice to God at Mass. One of the concepts in use of envelopes for giving is that we are taking the time to wrap our gift to God.

These are some thoughts I had as I read this thread.

Stan
 
I have never heard of 5% in the C.C. It could be just the diocese asking for 5% because of the economy and dont want people suffering (They will bump it up another 5% when things get better ;))
 
Doxiemom said:
A true Tithe is 10% of your gross earnings. It is based on the Law that the jews were given.

Some churches-non-catholic- are very strict about this if you want to be a member.

Catholic churches, at least the one I am familiar with, request 5%, but it is not binding, even if you belong to the parish.

Offerings are above and beyond the tithe.

but the truth be told, some churches are led by faith-filled finacially smart men who get a decent salary and that’s that. Others are led by thieves. Some wear the roman collar, some don’t.

And that is the way it is folks.
Click to expand...
Not quite. The tithe, as prescribed in the Torah, is 10% of the increase, and only on agricultural income (which is why Jesus talked about the Pharisees’ scrupulosity in tithing mint and cumin). The “increase” is whatever you have this year is more than what you had last year. So if I sowed a bushel of wheat and reaped 10 bushels, the increase is 9 bushels, and the tithe is 0.9 bushels. If the ewes in my flock had 10 lambs, that’s the increase, and the tithe is one lamb. There is nothing-zero-zip-nada in the Old or New Testaments about tithing any other income, except for saying that Abraham gave a “tithe” of the spoils of his war with the five kings to Melchizedek.

Anything that has been added to the law of the tithe, as it is stated in the Torah, is human tradition and can be followed or abandoned, however one pleases. That said, giving 10% of one’s income is a good place to start. 10% of the “increase,” as the Torah taught, would be 10% of whatever lands in your bank account; the “increase” is what you actually get. If you are moved to give 10% of your gross income, go right ahead. But the Biblical tithe is 10% of the increase of the agricultural harvest, period.
 
The “tithe” is the MINIMUM owed to God…but it’s not a “tithe” unless given willingly out of a deep graditutd for the proviision God makes for us…it’s not just money…it’s time, service and a host of other things…it is all too “human” to reduce it to “money” alone.
 
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