[jfrog]

I was wanting to elaborate on my earlier post a bit... While there have been many good posts about tithes under the older testament, even without understanding all these things we can come to the realization that tithing ought not be preached. It is this type of argument I hope to convey. That true nature of the teaching of tithing can be found in the arguments listed for its support. So, lets take a moment and reflect on all the ones listed.

1. Those who do not tithe are under a curse from God.
This one is from the bible. It is probably the most quoted reference is support of tithes. Now without getting into whether the old testament scripture this is based from applies to Christians, I would like to examine this assertion. Essentially it is a claim, that if you tithe you will not be cursed and thus will be better off financially than you were before. I think any form of giving to God whether tithing or not ought to be about expecting nothing in return, or at the very least not expecting to get back money for money. If there ought to be any kind of reward to giving its in knowing that giving is a reward unto itself. It's the simple act of doing something that's not for ourselves which allows us to be confident and happy that we did something good.

2. Tithes are needed to finance our churches.
Well, it is true the churches need money to operate. Should that money come from tithes? Maybe, but it seems far more "godly or god-life" if a church is founded upon the kind of giving that doesn't expect return. (And I have never heard tithes preached without some mention of getting financially blessed in return) Furthermore, when it's insisted that a church will fail without tithes, where is faith?

3. Those who are against tithing don't even give 10%.
The only thing this statement is designed to do is take anyone out of the debate that doesn't pay 10%. It is designed on the premise that those who give at least 10% are the only ones who are doing their part to support the church.

In conclusion, The only defenses of teaching tithing all have things that don't sit well with me or that seem rather inferior to just giving. The way tithing is taught does not reflect the true nature of giving, it also emphasizes a lack of faith that a church will fail without tithes. Also, it is sooo obvious that true giving is far godlier than tithing. So I think, give expecting no return. What do you all think?