Several aging TBM's I know of paid an honest tithe their whole lives. They spent a lot of their retirement fund on serving a golden couple mission. A few years go by and their health goes. The medical bills, pharmacuticals, home healthcare, or assisted living make what's left in savings dissapear quick.

Some of the most overhead intensive times in a person's life are at the end of it. I'm seeing people or their families who wish the money that went to the church was there to help out with the expenses.

I've seen several widows of grand TBM priesthood holders sadly find out they are broke and/or in debt when the pristhood holder kicks off. He was in debt but still paying tithing.

Sad stories. I've seen several in the last few years. Life is hard enough. The church just makes it harder and really folks. What did you really get out of it? Did you even want to be there? Did you live your life for you are did you live you life to keep the church happy? Well the church is never happy and you don't have enough money or time to make it happy.

You just outlined the "golden years"of my late father and surviving mother.

A huge part of the church workforce are retired missonaries. Most the Church Office Building staff are unpaid missonaries. When there was a middle class and people didn't live as long, such couples could afford to spend their retirement savings to go serve the church. Some of these missions can be expensive if you get sent to places like Singapore or Hong Kong.

I know of a TBM in his 90's who is out of money. He served an expensive medical mission for the church. I've seen people give more to the church than I've ever seen anyone else give to charity. Their time. Their money. They busted their asses for the church only to end up with no money when they most need it.

To top that off. You have smug assholes apostles at General Conference who have access to the best medical care and money is not a problem for them or their spouse telling people being ruined by the the church, that they aren't doing enough.

It's some sick shit when you awaken to what the real situation is. If these people really cared about the membership they would leave them the hell alone. Stop taking people's money and stop bossing them around like they are slaves. This is suppossed to be serving the Lord? No. It's getting rich and stroking an ego is what it really is.

One of my former bishop faithfully paid his tithing only to live his final years in his son's spare bedroom. Sad.

Tithing sets the LDS Church apart as an immoral force in the world. Is Mormonism just another weird club with wacky tenets that we should tolerate most of the time? Not as long as it takes 10% from its members' income.

Since I quit paying tithing, my retirement savings got back on track, my kids became better positioned to finish college with little or no debt, and my charitable contributions became much more generous. Ceasing to pay tithing made an even bigger difference to my family's security than I thought it would.

For financial reasons alone, but also for reasons of peace and authentic living, quitting the LDS Church is one of the best things I could have done for my family.

And now my blankety blank in-laws expect DH to bail them out, keeping them in their big house with cruises and cell phones and computers. Oh and dont put us in one of those awful homes. I wish I trusted DH to resist their demands.

No church needs 10% of anyone's income. I had previously seen estimates of US church donations averaging 2.7% of a donor's income. 2008 data suggest that donations dropped to 2.4% based on reporting from a third of American churches.

http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/10/study_reveals_church_giving_at.html

Most of the churches that responded to the survey have a paid ministry, paid office staff, and paid maintenance services. That means that the Mormon church could easily get by with even fewer dollars donated.

Even if retirees have saved a great deal of money (and many have not,) they face erosion of those savings through inflation over increasingly longer lifespans. And as you noted, health care costs can eat up a substantial amount of savings as well.

Yup. You just described my parents. Whatever my dad gave to the cult over they years would come to WAY more than 10%. Basically his life's savings except that he never saved anything because he was giving shit to TSCC and spending it on missions, etc. instead.

Now they have Social Security and their home, and they might have a debt against their home since they haven't done a reverse mortgage, which one would think could really help them. We were all asked to put in some money toward a housekeeper to help my mom, which she needs. But when I asked if they were still paying tithing (on the SS when my dad paid on his gross while working), no one would tell me, which I took to mean yes. Just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm already the butt of family eviltalk, so, you know, give 'em something to talk about.

Where are all those blessings for all the $$$ they gave to the cult? Where's the "fire insurance" payoff after all those premiums? I know, I know, they now know the blessings will come AFTER they die. What a racket. I wish they'd arrest the whole lot of the G.A's (Goodfornothing A-holes) for fraud and elder abuse.

Daddy's greatest fear.

This is what I've seen, sometimes in relatives I'm afraid to say. The elderly too rarely get an adequate nest egg in the church and then, when it does dissipate, insult is added to injury when they still want to tithe whatever social security or other type of small pension is left. Those who were otherwise doing better would often lose a bundle on a mission only to find their way into the category above. The promised "blessings" that make up for this sacrifice never seem to materialize as the church seems to suggest that it should. I've never encountered a single verifiable example of where it has that amounts to what's given. In a church with a few million people, though, there are enough really lucky breaks to keep the illusion going every few issues of the Ensign I'd imagine. Churches aren't required to tell you that such results aren't typical and it isn't reasonable to expect them.

TBM Mormons deserve what they get ------ especially those that have an idea that Mormons are leaving the church because they find out negative information. Let them give their time and money away to a scam and suffer here on earth and put the church ahead of their children when it comes to spending money ----- I live in Utah and enjoy camping, fishing, skiing, and spending time at a few vacation locations that are not really that crowded by TBMS who are attending every Sunday, going on missions, serving in the temple, etc. ....! Most of the TBM friends I have go on few vacations and only one at the most out of state each year. (Many dual income and professional TBMS are exceptions)

When I was a TBM it was just sort of ingrained in you that you saved your money (after tithing) to pass on to your children and grandkids for education then have some for a few vacations in your old age in between missions and temple work ----- Praise God I found out the truth! I go on 'mini vacations' normally almost every week during the summer (fish and camp at locations with access to hot tub and swimming pools) and 3-5 major vacations every year along with getting annual ski passes. Praise God also that few Mormons take/have the time to get ski passes and crowd up the slopes on weekdays and Sundays or crowd me out of my fishing and camping spots!

Unfortunately, I think many Mormons consider tithing to be their retirement plan. If they just pay tithing, they'll be blessed when they need it. The church reminds its members to save, but after living expenses and tithing are paid, many have no money to save.

My husband has family members who are in their early seventies. They are faithful tithe payers who had their own business for years that recently went under. They had no savings and lost their house. They now live in their son's basement.

A very similar story to want2bx above.

In laws were fairly successful, owned a family business and when the economy declined, we were told that they were losing everything. Father in law passed during that time, and now mother in law is living in her daughter's basement.

But, on the other side, DH and I believe that sister in law is hiding money and had been doing so all along. She had father in law sign money and part of the business over to her over the years, so wwe are sure she is still taking what she can.

Mormons are so blinded by looking successful, it is really sad.