Tithing

[miss morelia]

Hi guys. I was wondering if anyone could answer a few questions I have regarding tithing.
While I understand what tithing is, I am a little unclear on exactly where it goes. Does this money go toward maintaining the church and funding church activities and charities and such or does this money go toward paying preachers/pastors/priests ect. What steps are taken to ensure it goes to the appropriate place especially in smaller churches? Thanks.

 

[psychoslice]

The best idea is to ask your own church, as all churches who tithe may spend the money in different ares.

 

[StarryNightshade]

At my UU church, the tithings go to fundraisers, charities, building maintenance, planning trips for the various church groups (youth, young adult, humanist, etc.), and various other things of that nature. I'm not sure about the minister's salary. She has a Doctorate and I think is paid via the Unitarian Universalist Association.

I would guess that what a church does with it's tithings is relative from congregation to congregation.

 

[s2a]

Within my own limitations of understanding."tithing" typically funds the general focus/drive of the church itself.

Kinda like politics, it would seem...

 

[Ingledsva]

Hi guys. I was wondering if anyone could answer a few questions I have regarding tithing.
While I understand what tithing is, I am a little unclear on exactly where it goes. Does this money go toward maintaining the church and funding church activities and charities and such or does this money go toward paying preachers/pastors/priests ect. What steps are taken to ensure it goes to the appropriate place especially in smaller churches? Thanks.

It maintains the church usually, and pays the preacher, and depending on the church and the amount of money, can go toward other church projects.


However, don't be afraid to ask them where the money goes, AND CHECK!


We just had a big scandal up here concerning such. A preacher was collecting money for "charities," and actually stealing all of it. He was going on fancy vacations, and socking-away the money . He actually had a downtown charity office in Anchorage, and sent out money raising flyers, etc.


*

 

[Tumah]

If you were specifically wondering about Christian tithes, it might have made more sense to ask in the Christian DIR.

 

[Vinayaka]

The old tradition in Hinduism was to tithe one sixth, as a general rule. It could go to your local temple, a renunciate order, a charity, just about anything of a religious nature, but I agree with Tumah, if it's about Christian tithing, then it should be in the Christian DIR. But the idea in Hinduism is you give without any thought of reward. You just give, and don't really care how it's spent, because you trust the people/organisation you're giving to. So we're a bit selective also.

 

[rusra02]

Hi guys. I was wondering if anyone could answer a few questions I have regarding tithing.
While I understand what tithing is, I am a little unclear on exactly where it goes. Does this money go toward maintaining the church and funding church activities and charities and such or does this money go toward paying preachers/pastors/priests ect. What steps are taken to ensure it goes to the appropriate place especially in smaller churches? Thanks.

Tithing, while a feature of the Mosaic law, IMO is not a Christian requirement. Recent news reports indicate such giving often supports an opulent lifestyle for the church leaders.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Most of the tithes I collect from my worshipers are used for booze and cigarettes. I'm not as snazzy or classy as all the priests, ministers, and reverends who use them to buy Cadillacs, $10,000 suits, and diamond-encrusted gold watches, but I feel like my drunken ramblings really make people feel part of something larger than themselves.

 

[miss morelia]

Thanks guys. I was refering to tithing in general regardless of the religion.
While looking into the churches in my local area I couldn't help but notice that the one place of worship that placed a big emphasis on tithing the church leaders did seem to have a lifestyle that most other people in the town simply can't afford and since neither of them have jobs outside the church it did make me wonder.

 

[chinu]

Generally human mind spends 24 hours of day in different kind of worldly thoughts such as family, work, eating, sleeping etc..
Spending of 2.4 hours out of 24 hours in a day in the memory of God/Creator/or whatever you like to call it, is true Tithing, Imo.

 

[Vinayaka]

Thanks guys. I was refering to tithing in general regardless of the religion.
While looking into the churches in my local area I couldn't help but notice that the one place of worship that placed a big emphasis on tithing the church leaders did seem to have a lifestyle that most other people in the town simply can't afford and since neither of them have jobs outside the church it did make me wonder.

That's very understandable. Tithing, historically, is only spent on religious work. A priest/pastor/rabbi, etc salary should be fair though. A good measure, I think, is the average house in the neighbourhood.

And adding to what Chinu said, many Hindus give 10% of the time that they work to working for the faith (seva in Hinduism) So if you work 40 hours a week, you volunteer 4 hours a week.

 

[Tumah]

Thanks guys. I was refering to tithing in general regardless of the religion.
While looking into the churches in my local area I couldn't help but notice that the one place of worship that placed a big emphasis on tithing the church leaders did seem to have a lifestyle that most other people in the town simply can't afford and since neither of them have jobs outside the church it did make me wonder.

In that case, tithing in Judaism (1/10 of any income) is given to charity organizations that benefit the community or to the poor, not Rabbis of synagogues.