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There are many place one can "give" money hat will help and probably do more than leaving a wad of cash with some church that has huge mortgages and expenses unrelated to feeding the poor, housing the homeless and caring for the marginalized.
That said, tithing is not just to help missionaries, etc. Any contributions to help other causes related to or supported by a church would be asked for separately from the members tithes. Tithing maintains the buildings and pays the utility bills and covers landscaping costs. It would be nice if those expenses were covered another way, but not very realistic as peoples lives become more and more rushed.
Tithing also covers the Pastor's salary. Many church's also provide a prospective pastor with a home, on or near the church grounds. This keeps the shepherd more readily available to his flock, and possibly attracts a higher quality candidate for the job of pastor.
Many people who will be tithing large sums of money (as has been said) use a bank check. At tax time, the check is proof of the claimed donation on the deduction list if a parishioner is ever audited by the IRS. These people may be donating very large sums of money but will simply pass the plate to the next parishioner at the service.
Tithing in the service, besides helping those who cannot donate large sums feel like they are contributing, also gives the next generation a hands-on feeling that they are contributing, like when a six year old puts 50 cents from their allowance into the plate each Sunday.
That said, tithing is not just to help missionaries, etc. Any contributions to help other causes related to or supported by a church would be asked for separately from the members tithes. Tithing maintains the buildings and pays the utility bills and covers landscaping costs. It would be nice if those expenses were covered another way, but not very realistic as peoples lives become more and more rushed.
Tithing also covers the Pastor's salary. Many church's also provide a prospective pastor with a home, on or near the church grounds. This keeps the shepherd more readily available to his flock, and possibly attracts a higher quality candidate for the job of pastor.
Many people who will be tithing large sums of money (as has been said) use a bank check. At tax time, the check is proof of the claimed donation on the deduction list if a parishioner is ever audited by the IRS. These people may be donating very large sums of money but will simply pass the plate to the next parishioner at the service.
Tithing in the service, besides helping those who cannot donate large sums feel like they are contributing, also gives the next generation a hands-on feeling that they are contributing, like when a six year old puts 50 cents from their allowance into the plate each Sunday.
What need does god have with money? Chapter and verse where Jesus took money from other people?
What monetary rewards did John the Baptist receive?
Rather condescending coming from a person who confused median and average.
As Mensa asked, please point out any errors that I have made. I would be happy to admit ardor and correct.
Fake numbers. A church is unlikely to fall at the 'median' in membership, so it's just an exercise in false conclusions. As for 'inflation' not being relevant to '$61 K' , that's an error, too; buying power very much affects disposable incomes, nor does it represent take home pay. Nor are tithes going to some central offices where they get equally disbursed.
It's an absurd premise all around.
And, you're confused as to what median and average and mean are. I'm not th eleast bit confused by the differences nor the similarities.
Just the odd thought I had. I have left churches that seemed to focus on "Donate,(Monetarily) tithe, (Monetarily) sacrifice (Monetarily)"...It's "We need this for this project, or that project. We fed 1200 family's last year, we're looking at feeding 2000.....Let's send kids to camp, give $50 we need to send socks to some country, donate $50"...
I know I should just dump my 10% in and leave it alone. But this just makes me wonder why I go when I know I'll be "Asked" to give/tithe/donate more....
Each family that joins our synagogue pays yearly membership dues, and most synagogues that I've been to also have a building fund that is paid into in addition to the dues. Each family knows what their portion of the operating cost and upkeep of the synagogue is. We do have fundraisers and other drives to raise money through out the year, but what we give is typically kept between the individual and the synagogue office. The only time I've seen what someone is giving is when we're dropping tzedakah in the box after weekday morning minyan, and that's typically just a single or two.
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