I’m Allergic To The Giving Of Tithes

I recently underwent an allergy test and it turns out I’m allergic to several things. A combination of sandwiches, dust mites, and applesauce for lunch is now disastrous for my health. Annoying, but manageable.

However, there are other allergies that trouble me much more. In recent years, for instance, I’ve developed a severe allergy to certain rules in the church. I won’t list them all here today, but I would like to highlight one in particular, namely the obligation to pay tithes.

For those unfamiliar with this concept, let me briefly explain: In some churches, members are required or strongly encouraged under Biblical pressure to give a tenth of their net or gross income to the church.

Tithing As An Unsocial System

While I firmly believe in the principle of giving, frankly, the obligatory giving of tithes is an unsocial system. Certain churches have not thought this through properly. Imagine if the tax service asked everyone for the same percentage of their income! The obligatory payment of tithes demands disproportionate sacrifices from church members. For a family with two earners, paying their tithes means they can order their new car a few weeks later.

For a single mother living on welfare, paying her tithe means her children can’t buy new shoes, let alone be members of a sports club, or simply that there is no or too little food in the house. It’s a huge difference, whether you are obliged to give from your wealth or from your poverty.

Fair Distribution

I believe that churches, which mandate the giving of tithes, should not only exempt people on welfare from this requirement but should financially support these people. Instead of the incoming money going towards the (excessive) salary of the pastor or a new building, this money could be shared with the poor in the community. That is what true worship looks like: caring for widows and orphans!

Do the poor have nothing to give? Of course, they do! But money is not the only thing that can be given. People can give so much in time, love, and all their talents, which poorer people abundantly possess!

There! Now that I’ve got this off my chest, I can finally eat my gluten-free sandwich in a dust-free spot. And my apple? I’ll chop it up and feed it to the rabbit.