Do you actually tithe/donate 10%? - Page 4

[freestylemama]

We don't. We're UCC, so we're not literalists. We give some money to our church, but no where near 10%. We give them a lot of our time and energy and some of our money. We also give to a couple of global health organizations and Plan. We try to support local agencies that serve the poor as well. Our church does a lot of good work, but we don't believe that supporting it is the only way to do good, if that makes sense. We've also made a commitment to supporting local farmers and local business and fair trade. This costs a lot more, and in some ways, I see this as a means of doing good and creating change with our money.

[ShareBear]

I do tithe 10% and have done so in the midst of poverty. If I wasn't comfortable with how my church used the money it received, I think that would be a good sign that it was time to find a different church.

(speaking from a Christian standpoint here) I think the reason we are to give of our money, specifically, and not just of our time and talents, is because we have a tendency to latch on to our money in a way that we don't latch on to our time and talents. Giving "where it hurts" by giving of our money forces us to detach a bit from money; to hold it in our hands rather than in our hearts.

I have, like previous posters, experienced increased financial prosperity when continuing to tithe in spite of difficult financial circumstances. Perhaps this is because in order to tithe, I have to be more conscious of what's going on financially (in order to even calculate what 10% would be), and perhaps because tithing helps me to detach from money, as I just suggested, and that in turn enables me to use it more wisely. I dunno.

[crunchy_mommy]

Definitely, ShareBear, I totally agree with you. In fact, when I find myself worrying a lot about money, being able to afford things, etc. then I know it is time to give more freely & generously... which helps me to get my head & my heart back in the right place.