Your tithes were already paid.

[Rudy]

Originally Posted by Nitehawk013

Maybe Bro. Blume and Benincasa legitimately are foreign to the theological extortion going on every Sunday in thousands of Apostolic churches. Perhaps they don't preach tithe as a heaven or hell issue, condemning those who do not pay up to a devil's hell. If that is the case, then I suppose they would feel that the rest of us anti-tithers are "straining at a gnat".

For those of us who see and hear it all the time though, I assure you it is a big deal.

I pay my "tithe" to my church as my Pastor preaches and expects from everyone, especially the ministry. However, I know elderly women who have had to choose between food and tithing. I know of couples who struggle every single month to pay their bills, drive cars barely staying on the road, but are so afraid of burning in hell over the stupid tithe doctrine that they would never dream of taking care of their own family needs before giving the "tithe" that they cannot afford to pay. Many of them pay the "tithe", and then have to finance monthly bills via credit cards because they don't make enough money to even break even. I have heard of local Pastors who were asked, "if you knew so and so couldn't buy groceries, would you tell them to keep the tithe instead of giving it to you, or would you at least give it back to them after they were faithful to give it"? Their response was that they would not give it back to them. God ordained tithing and that tithe belonged to them. God will take care of the person who needs groceries.

Some of you think that men like Rudy, Originalist and I (and even Sean, though his candor make shim hard to defend sometimes) are making too much of this issue. Fighting against it too hard. Well, I would say that maybe you simply don't see it in your churches and so you don't recognize the pain this pathetic, foul doctrine causes to many within the church.

Some issues will always persist. Even without tithing, some people will make ignorant financial decisions and struggle. No argument here. However, there are some that are trying to be wise and responsible and cannot afford to see 10% of their income gone every paycheck. And those people have no voice. That is garbage! Too often their only choice is to either give or be repeatedly condemned and belittled form the pulpit until they leave church altogether.

Don't believe me? That is fine. As I said, maybe you don't see it in your church(es). I have seen it and heard it though. And I assure you, seeing people leave church over something as stupid as this horrific, weak and obsolete tithing nonsense is heartbreaking.

I think some are pushing for 15% nowadays. You're robbing God in offerings.