Posted by Gunnar on February 23, 1999 at 07:02:21:
In Reply to: and ... posted by Cezoram on February 22, 1999 at 08:32:42:
: I agree with that. But how does one effectively "weigh" the good it does against the negative? While giving some a sense of happiness, security, or whatever, it's stressing out others, financially and mentally; taking in lots of money while using very little of it to do good in the "secular" world -- acting very much like the "Zoramites" did in the Book of Mormon! Ultimately each individual and/or his/her family must decide if it's worth it.
Thank you for your response to my comments. I'm sure we both agree that weighing the good against the bad is often largely subjective and difficult to unequivocally determine. It is possible for something that is good for one to be undesirable or even harmful for another.
As for being financially stressed out, I'm not at all sure that being a "TBM" really poses much of a problem in that respect for the vast majority of members. Even when I was paying a full tithing when my income was quite low, I never really felt financially stressed out about it. Many respected financial advisors, even some with an entirely secular perspective, will tell you that it is actually beneficial to regularly contribute at least 10% of one's income to worthy causes or charities one believes in. Doing that on a regular basis tends to cause one to more carefully manage one's resources in order to be better able to afford to do that. Often this results in one becoming better off financially than one would otherwise be. Many people waste at least that much of their income on frivolous things they don't even remember spending it on afterwards and, in some cases, would have been better off without. There is also the benefit that helping out in what one believes to be a good cause helps one to feel better about oneself, which tends to reduce rather than aggravate stress. Besides, I am convinced that the Church uses a lot more of its resources to alleviate the secular needs of both members and nonmembers than you seem to think. I have personally witnessed evidence of that. Very often the first truckloads of relief supplies arriving in areas devastated by natural disasters come from the Mormon Church, as was the case in the 1955 floods that devastated much of Northern California, including my home town of Yuba City when I was a young boy. I have never begrudged the fast offering contributions I have made, and still make those contributions. Though I agree that there is much that is flawed and irrational about Mormon Doctrine, the Church Welfare Program seems to work well. I have too often seen it in action and even, on occasion, benefited from it and participated in it to deny that.
I certainly agree, however, with your statement: "Ultimately each individual and/or his/her family must decide if it's worth it."