Tithe (Mormonism)

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Tithe forms and envelopes used in the LDS Church.

The tithe (Engl. Tithe ) is a requirement in many churches of Mormonism . Believers pay tithe to their church, usually ten percent of their income. Titling is based on biblical practice and the modern revelations of Joseph Smith and his accepted followers. For many of these churches, tithe replaced the commandment of the United Order . The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints used tithe in the 1900s and 1960s to pay off their debts.

Background and origin

Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery made a commitment on November 29, 1834, in accordance with the biblical example of tithe, to serve poor members of the Church out of their income. However, at the time of the Church of Christ , despite the wording of the Old English term tithe, one-tenth below the tithe meant any commodity or money and any amount. For example, tithe was defined by the Presiding Bishopric in 1837 as two percent of the annual value of a household.

While in Missouri , Smith received a revelation. His followers are to build a city ​​of Zion and a temple . Needing money for all of these endeavors, Smith gathered with some church leaders and prayed. It did so on July 8, 1838. He wrote God's answer in the Doctrine and Covenants . It is section 119 in the LDS Church edition and section 106 in the Communion of Christ edition . This describes three types of tithe. The first means "all of your additional property". The second means "all who gather in Zion should pay tithing" and the third means "one tenth of their annual income". Revelation states that the additional property will be needed for the vision and general expenses of the Church.

After receiving tithing of this revelation, Smith employed Brigham Young to collect the Mormon "extra belongings". Smith did not define the "additional property". He let the people decide for themselves. In November 1841, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles resolved that "additional property" actually meant "one-tenth of the income."

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest Mormon church.

Historical and modern definitions

Brigham Young defined tithe as ten percent of a property after conversion and ten percent of annual income thereafter. He also introduced an "immigration tithe". That was ten percent of the property upon arrival in Deseret State . However, Young admitted that no one pays tithing as directed in the Doctrine and Covenants . John Taylor eliminated the immigration tithe on January 1, 1875.

LDS Church today defines tithe as ten percent of annual income. Each member decides what "income" means.

history

The introduction of tithing and fasting money marked a turning point in the history of the LDS Church. Before that, the members were organized in the United Order and lived in community of property based on the model of the Jerusalem early church . The new system was intended for a period of economic stability. During the first period of the Church in Utah, tithe could be paid in several forms. The “property tithe” included all property that was owned at the time of conversion. This form of tithing was reintroduced in the September 1851 conference because of unsatisfactory income. “Working tenth” was the provision of labor every tenth day for church projects. Tithe could also be paid in its original form. In the form of farm animals, products or slaves. Contributions in United States currency, foreign currency, or gold were also accepted. The LDS Church was in a debt crisis after the panic of 1893. Lorenzo Snow became President of the Church in 1898 and worked to resolve the Church's financial problems. The tithe monies decreased, so Snow traveled to southern Utah in 1899 and called on members to pay a full tithe. He traveled back to Salt Lake City and went on preaching that the full tithe should be paid. The church's tithe income increased again. Snow's successor, Joseph F. Smith , continued to preach the importance of tithing. The LDS Church paid all of its debts by the end of 1906. In 1908, the First Presidency reformed the payment of tithe. She switched to a cash-only system. During the 1950s, the LDS Church began a building program. This again led to debt and a deficit. The Apostle N. Eldon Tanner stopped the building program in 1963. He did so in order to build financial reserves for the Church. At that time, church leaders were again preaching the importance of tithe.

Intention and method of ingestion

The LDS Church uses the proceeds from the tithe for its meetinghouses and temples. It is also used to pay for the mission program and educational institutions. The proceeds of the tithe in the United States will be brought to Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City. Revenue outside of the United States will remain in its country of origin. This is done to save long airtime and transmission fees. In 2015, the Church provided an online facility for members in the United States to pay tithing and other donations.

Today the Church works with unpaid lay ministers at the regional level. According to Gordon B. Hinckley , church leaders today are paid a "living" paid out of the Church's business income.

The tithe in interviews

The agreement of the tithe

During the Utah Period, tithe was agreed on December 31st of each year. Members reported their salary to their bishop and agreed to tithe. If the tithe was less than expected, members were asked how they were going to raise the missing amount. Any overpayment was carried over to the next year and deducted from the amount in the next year.

Today, every bishop arranges a one-on-one meeting with each member about paying tithing. In the interviews, the members announce their tithing status and the bishop writes this on church documents.

Temple recommendation slip

During the temple recommendation certificate interview, members are asked if they pay the full tithe. However, it can be agreed that the tithe will be paid at a later date. Payment of full tithe for temple attendance has been in existence since the Nauvoo Temple period .

Fellowship of Christ

The fellowship of Christ is the second largest Mormon church.

New converts are expected to keep an inventory of their property. Your first tithe is one-tenth of your property. This can be paid at any time. Thereafter the members pay the tithe annually. They calculate their income, deduct their living expenses and give the church ten percent of the remaining amount. The fellowship of Christ defines tithing as a donation of money to support local work, mission centers, and the worldwide mission of the Church. Donations can include tithing. Poorer members can give in any intended amount of money.

Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerites)

The Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerites) do not practice tithe. They have fewer than 20 members and instead practice the United Order . They believe that Joseph Smith never received revelation for tithing. Because this revelation was not presented to Church members until after Smith's death.

further reading

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Jump up ↑ Joseph Smith, Heman Conoman Smith: History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . Board of Publication of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1897, p. 529.
  2. ↑ a b c d Steven C. Harper: 'The Tithing of My People' D&C 119-20 . In: Revelations in Context . LDS Church. January 13, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b c d e D. Michael Quinn : LDS Church Finances from the 1830s to the 1990s . In: Sunstone . June 1996, pp. 17-26.
  4. ↑ a b Joseph Smith: Section 119 . In: Doctrine and Covenants . 2015.
  5. ↑ a b c d E. Jay Bell: The Windows of Heaven Revisited: The 1899 Tithing Reformation . In: Mormon History Association, University of Illinois Press (Ed.): Journal of Mormon History . 20, No. 1, 1994, pp. 53-54. JSTOR 23286314 .
  6. ↑ How is tithing calculated? . In: FairMormon . Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  7. ^ Stanley D. Brunn: The Changing World Religion Map: Sacred Places, Identities, Practices and Politics . Springer, February 3, 2015, ISBN 978-94-017-9376-6 , pp. 1213-5.
  8. ^ A b c Arrington : Great Basin Kingdom: An Economic History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900 . University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City 1993, ISBN 9780874804201 .
  9. ^ Kristen Rogers-Iversen: Utah settlers' black slaves caught in 'new wilderness' , The Salt Lake Tribune. September 2, 2007. 
  10. ^ Don B. Williams: Slavery in Utah Territory: 1847-1865 December 1, 2004, ISBN 9780974607627 , p. 52.
  11. ↑ Dennis B. Horne: Reexamining Lorenzo Snow's 1899 Tithing Revelation . In: Mormon Historical Studies . 14, No. 2, 2014, pp. 143–152.
  12. ^ Moving Forward into the New Century . In: Church History In The Fulness Of Times Student Manual . LDS Church, pp. 481-494 (accessed September 9, 2016).
  13. ↑ Thomas G. Alexander: Mormonism in Transition: A History of the Latter-Day Saints, 1890-1930 . University of Illinois Press, 1996, ISBN 978-0-252-06578-1 , pp. 100-101.
  14. ^ Thomas Frederick Wilson: The Power “to Coin” Money: The Exercise of Monetary Powers by the Congress . ME Sharpe, 1992, ISBN 978-0-87332-795-4 , p. 167.
  15. ↑ Tithing . In: Gospel Topics . LDS Church.
  16. ↑ Church Approves Electronic Method to Submit Tithing and Other Donations . In: Mormon Newsroom . April 29, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  17. ^ Gordon B. Hinckley : Questions and Answers . October 1985. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  18. ↑ tithing settlement . In: LDSTech . LDS Church. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  19. ^ Edward L. Kimball: The History of LDS Temple Admission Standards . In: Journal of Mormon History . 24, No. 1, 1998, pp. 135-176. JSTOR 23287671 .
  20. ^ Robert F. Bohn: A Modern Look at Tithable Income . In: Sunstone . No. 43, January-February 1984, pp. 16-24.
  21. ↑ Tithing . Community of Christ. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  22. ↑ Jason Smith: Divergent Churches . In: W. Paul Reeve, Ardis E. Parshall (Eds.): Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia . ABC-CLIO , 2010, ISBN 978-1-59884-107-7 , p. 236.
  23. ^ A b Rupert J. Fletcher, Daisy Whiting Fletcher: Alpheus Cutler and the Church of Jesus Christ . Church of Jesus Christ, Independence, MO 1973, OCLC 902590 .