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Yes. And I think I know your next question. So... go ahead and ask it.
LDS church seems to be more organized, and the church even operates a university(BYU). Mormons pay less tuition because they have donated a lot of money to support the church already. An organized church of this size needs more money to support itself, if how do they make sure they have enough money collected from church members, if church members are not required to pay tithing?
Personally, I can't fully trust in organized religions, and I can't really trust the government for similar reasons.
I don't attend church I attend a Mosque. Nearest Mosque to me is 112 miles costs about $50 in gas money.
There are no collections in the Mosque I go to. Mosques usually do not have any collections unless it is for a special purpose such as a person is known to have a severe hardship and is in need of assistance.
Just curious ... who pays for the maintenance and utilities of the Mosque?
Then to answer your question, it "costs" nothing. Many people choose to give 10% of their income. I preached a sermon last week that said you HAD to give nothing. You MAY choose to give $1, or you may choose to give $1000. That's between you and God. You MAY even choose to give nothing.
If you honestly want to give SOMETHING but don't know what? A few dollars, $10, $20 would be fine. If you are well off and want to give more....go ahead. It's entirely up to you. If you go to a church that TELLS you that you HAVE to give a set amount I would suggest going to another place.
That is pretty much what I grew up with, but I do know that some conservative churches push the Old Testament 10% tithe as either a guideline or an obligation (for members, not guests). I also once attended a church that taught that if people gave 10% under the auspices of the Law, they should do better than that under grace. I seem to recall 15 or 20% being mentioned, and as an across the board obligation. Of course no one could make you do that but the idea was to make you feel cheap and selfish if you didn't.
In practice, I'm sure that any church would be thrilled if they could guesstimate they were getting an average of 10% of their congregation's net income, much less their gross.
And I recall that was another whole debate ... x% of what, exactly? And the answer at that one church was, if you love god and are grateful for what he's done, the answer is obvious based on "render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caeser's, and unto God the things that are God's": you should give out of your gross. Give until it hurts. Give to prove your faith.
But, Vizio, I will grant you, most churches I had contact with kept it very respectful and informal. I would guess that you would not attract too many members if it were otherwise.
Just curious ... who pays for the maintenance and utilities of the Mosque?
In many places the Imam is the one who has built the Mosque and pays all the bills for it's upkeep;
Here in the US it is more common for several of the more wealthy Muslims in a neighborhood, to form a local Islamic society and together pay all the bills' Another common Practice is for the Mosque to simply be a room in the Imam's house.
Some Imam's in the US will gladly accept donations from anybody to help pay the bills.
Another practice is for a neighborhood to build a large Islamic Center that will contain such things as Book Stores, a School, a Grocery store, a Mosque, Rental Halls etc which generate the income to support the Mosque.
A few US mosques do have a collection box just inside the Men's door for those who care to help with the Mosque bills.
During the actual prayer times there are no sermons, collections or asking for donations. However, Up until the Athan is called the Imam may give a sermon or talk about whatever He desires, some do ask for donations then. However, Most Muslim do not go to the Mosque until the Athan is called and even then, many prefer to stay out in the Yard rather than go into the Mosque.
LDS church seems to be more organized, and the church even operates a university(BYU). Mormons pay less tuition because they have donated a lot of money to support the church already. An organized church of this size needs more money to support itself, if how do they make sure they have enough money collected from church members, if church members are not required to pay tithing?
Members are encouraged to pay tithing. They are not required to. I went for several years without paying a dime in tithing and nobody said one word about it. Tithing funds are used to build and maintain churches, temples, schools, etc., to print scriptures and miscellaneous teachings materials and for other miscellaneous purposes.
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