Posted on 10/28/2011 12:19:53 PM PDT by Graybeard58
Kenneth L. DuVall, “The Significance of Tithing Settlement,” Liahona, Dec. 2000, 40 Tithing is an important test of our personal righteousness. President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918) said: “By this principle it shall be known who is for the kingdom of God and who is against it. … By it it shall be known whether we are faithful or unfaithful” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 276).
The question is, to whom is our faithfulness to be known? First, we must be satisfied in our own hearts that we have paid an honest tithe. It is important that we have the confirmation of the Spirit in this matter.
It is also important that we declare our tithing faithfulness to our bishop or branch president. We are asked to make this declaration during tithing settlement—an individual or family interview with the bishop or branch president during December each year. There are several important reasons why.
Declaration of tithing status. It is an eternal principle that we are accountable for what we have been given by God: our time, talents, and means. We know that we shall be “judged out of those things which [are] written in the books, according to [our] works” (Rev. 20:12; see also 3 Ne. 27:26). At the end of the year, the bishop or branch president is asked to indicate on the records of the Church the tithing status of each member in his unit. It is our privilege to exercise our accountability by declaring for him our own tithing status.
A time to show our obedience. Tithing settlement allows us the chance to demonstrate our obedience to the Lord. In addition, parents can use tithing settlement as a teaching tool. A family home evening would be a good time to talk about how the Church uses tithing and to help children prepare their own records for this meeting with the bishop. Children who hear their parents declare that they pay a full tithing gain the knowledge that paying tithing is important to their parents and should be important to the children as well.
An audit of our personal records. If we have not taken time to review our records of contributions to the Church, how do we know they are correct? A few years ago, at our year-end review of our contributions, my wife and I discovered that a check for tithing we thought we had written in July had never been given to the Church. We corrected that error immediately.
An audit of the Church records. Every April in general conference, the chairman of the Church Audit Committee stands and says that, based on a review of Church procedures and audit reports, the members of the audit committee are “of the opinion that … Church contributions received and expended during the [previous] year … have been managed in accordance with revelation and established Church policies and procedures” (“The Church Audit Committee Report,” Liahona, July 2000, 26). An important part of those audit procedures is to have us check whether our personal records match the Church’s records. We can check whether our contributions were properly distributed in the categories we selected on our donation slips.
Some people have wondered whether it is necessary to wait until the last day of the year to be sure all income is properly reported. The answer is no. The spirit of tithing settlement is just as easily served on 1 December as on the 31st. We can continue to pay donations after tithing settlement, and the ward clerk will prepare for our review and our personal financial records a final report of contributions as of 31 December.
A time for commitment. What if someone is not a full-tithe payer? What if someone hasn’t paid any tithes or offerings? The interview with the bishop or branch president can be the beginning of repentance, a time to commit to begin or to do better. Everyone who commits to sacrifice as the Lord has commanded will receive spiritual strength and experience personal growth by keeping this resolve.
After commanding His people to pay tithes, the Lord promised to “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:10; see Mal. 3:8–12). Those who have seen the fulfillment of this promise can testify that the blessings are often more spiritual than financial. When the Lord opens “the windows of heaven,” He pours out blessings suited to His children’s individual needs.
As a bishop, I saw how rich these blessings can be. Great are the blessings that come to those who faithfully pay tithing and to those who faithfully attend tithing settlement.
Exactly, Mormonism teaches that paying the tithe is an eternal law that is required for salvation.
“The law of tithing is an eternal law. The Lord Almighty never had his kingdom on the earth without the law of tithing being in the midst of his people, and he never will. It is an eternal law that God has instituted for the benefit of the human family, for their salvation and exaltation.” (Journal of Discourses 14:89.)
By contrast, Christianity teaches that we are to be good stewards of the resources that God has put under our control (Matthew 25: 14-30), but we are not required to pay a certain percentage of our profit or to declare our faithfulness to a church leader.
Well I wasn’t calling your religion nutty. I was saying that IF each member were required to disclose their income....if not, then at least THAT part is not nutty. I admittedly do not know enough from objective sources about your religion to form that opinion at this point.
Great is LDS, Inc's BILLIONS!!
How much does LDS, Inc have in assets and cash?
And if you know that answer does it bother you or not?
Of course we also taught that those without current temple recommends would be burned to death at the second coming, it was the one and only requirement to be spared.
Doctrine and Covenants 64:23
23 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.
After commanding His people to pay tithes, the Lord promised...
Ok; so much for the process.
What are the SPIRITUAL ramifications of being in one of these 3 groups to a MORMON??
1) Full tithe payer,
2) Partial tithe payer
3) Non tithe payer.
Hecky durn!
THIS would make a REALLY good topic right here!!
Oh; so the CHILDREN need to brings 'records' to the bishop, but the PARENTS don't.
Gotcha...
Um...
Those 'categories' were selected FOR you; then you get to pick between them. And no; you CANNOT check to see if they were 'properly distributed'; unless you gave MORE than the amount indicated in a certain category and the odds of that are, well, slim.
O...
K...
War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.
But; if the shoe fits...
Well; I can tell you right now, not to trust those objective sources. They probably hate us. Go HERE for the TRUTH about MORMONism!
--MormonDude(It'll tell you everything you need to know...)
HMMmmm...
Just WHERE have I heard something similar??
|
THE
DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS SECTION 132
51–57, Emma Smith is counseled (commanded) to be faithful and true; 58–66, Laws governing the plurality of wives are set forth.
51 Verily, I say unto you: A commandment I give unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay herself and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her; for I did it, saith the Lord, to aprove you all, as I did Abraham, and that I might require an offering at your hand, by covenant and sacrifice.
52 And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, areceive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God.
53 For I am the Lord thy God, and ye shall obey my voice; and I give unto my servant Joseph that he shall be made ruler over many things; for he hath been afaithful over a few things, and from henceforth I will strengthen him.
55 But if she will not abide this commandment, then shall my servant Joseph do all things for her, even as he hath said; and I will bless him and multiply him and give unto him an ahundredfold in this world, of fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, wives and children, and crowns of beternal lives in the eternal worlds.
|
I’m not. The original post characterized things as a “bill”, which I was trying to correct. Nothing more.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.