From the church "news room" - http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/first-presidency-approves-online-tithing-donations?adbid=10153135102182013&adbpl=fb&adbpr=53305042012&cid=social_20150430_44914196&short_code=2wf8p


"For Latter-day Saints, tithing is a natural and integrated aspect of their religious belief and practice. By the biblical definition, tithing is one-tenth, and Church members interpret this as a tenth of their “increase,” or income, annually. It is paid on the honor system. No one asks to see income statements or pay slips.

Tithes and other charitable donations help the Church carry out its mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, caring for the poor and strengthening members’ faith and commitment to Jesus Christ. (Learn more about tithing and charitable donations)"

I love the "no one asks..." Bull shit! They may not audit like the IRS, but they hold you and your family eternally hostage. Spreading the gospel? No - the kids and their families pay for the privilege to generate new revenue streams. Caring for the poor? Pennies on the dollar. Nope, mostly goes to build the real estate portfolio. They can't even lie convincingly.

..."Requires Auto-Pay. Cancel anytime!"


http://paysimple.com/faq.html

How come I've never heard of them!?? I know about PayPal but PaySimple!?? It looks like a scammer's dream...

Oh, GAWD! Let's hope a Nigerian hacker siphons the account. The money would probably be better spent.

.......IF there really was a god......

( that benevolently meddled in human affairs, then a lot more stuff like that would happen )

Yes, hackers, the field is white and ready to harvest

Or as I render that: the flock is white all ready to fleece.

My thoughts exactly. If it's not secure enough, then it's a hacker's dream.

I don't understand what the controversy is about. I would imagine that ward clerks would be happy with this?

...well, they might be, but wouldn't this just add another layer of work/complexity to the annual audit? Will SL forward the electronic receipts to the local WC/BP? Or will the Ward Clerk/Bishop have to electronically access the online-billing/payment accounts of members? And if so, will they have to balance and compute actual check or cash payments with the online payments?... some of which might be recurring or annual estimations, which will still need to be submitted to SL for local Branch/Ward funding.......I don't know either. Sounds like a good idea, but might make the local leaders suicidal if it goes horribly wrong..........like some rogue Ex-mo hacker gaining access to both Church and member accounts.

I'm guessing there will be less reporting down to the ward level. They don't want bishops and clerks to notice declining tithing revenue, so they'll blame it on more members paying online. I can't think of any other reason for TSCC to pay money to implement this. It's certainly not just for convenience, and I can't imagine that they would think this could increase revenue...

It is done. The local idiosyncratic aspects of Mormonism and any remote sense of autonomy is over.

Really, why bother with a real person for a temple recommend? Just fill out an online questionnaire and have it reviewed by Salt Lake and an email arrives with your printable card - autosigned by the prophet!

Elder Berry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
... any remote sense of autonomy is
> over.
>
> Really, why bother with a real person for a temple recommend? Just fill out an online questionnaire
and have it reviewed by Salt Lake and an email arrives with your printable card - autosigned by the ["profit"]!

That would give men more time with their families and that wouldn't be good.

Yes The Internet was God's way of increasing Mormon busywork by flooding the morg with members gotten online and not a way to decrease Mormon busywork.

Hasten, hasten, God is online.

crathes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I love the "no one asks..." Bull shit!


They "condition" their people from early childhood to tell the Bishop their inner most secrets through confession and personal "worthiness" interviews, throughout adulthood(!), then when it comes time to settle up the tithing, the Bishop gets them in a room alone, looks them in the eye and says "Did yo u pay a full tithe, remember....I'm acting for THE LORD, so you should just pretend Jesus Christ himself is asking." No one asks in deed!

They hate the internet right up to the point of using it to make a buck.

crathes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
Quote from LDS Inc propaganda

> "For Latter-day Saints, tithing is a natural and
> integrated aspect of their religious belief and
> practice. By the biblical definition, tithing is
> one-tenth, and Church members interpret this as a
> tenth of their “increase,” or income,
> annually.

and that is just one more way that MORmONS are WRONG.

most members income is consumed "or" consumable for their support , to facilitate their existence, so it is subsistence, NOT increase.

Ten percent membership dues on the average member's mostly consumed gross income is NOT the same as biblical tithing which is based on increase. Just one more gross MORmON misrepresentation ( LIE ).

They forgot to mention it is an essential requirement to reach the celestial kingdom, attend the temple (plus underpants requirement) and annual shakedown with the local car dealer or dentist...

The bishop is happy to take income from those paying gross, not net, teen auto-pay minimum wage, and the Christmas bonus, sales bonus... What's next? Auto pay budget, fast offering, Scouting/YW fees, international disaster fund, inheritance and retirement pay-already tithed on, Christmas punch and rolls for annual potluck dinner, flowers for Mother's Day, local donations, the bishop's multi-level marketing "investment?"

Next they will have retired accountants on missions going to rest homes to attach the leaches in SLC to elderly accounts, as a new policy to confused grandma or grandpa who want to go to heaven and be with family and Jesus and Joseph Smith...

Good news, some people will leave the church over this impersonal corporate protocol, seeing the the "church" for what it is, a giant money sucking vacuum ending up in SLC, like any other for profit prophet.

where is the optoutLDStithing dot com link?

prophecy fulfilled in our dispensation

Mormon 8:32-33

32 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins.

33 O ye wicked and perverse and stiffnecked people, why have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Why have ye transfigured the holy word of God, that ye might bring damnation upon your souls? Behold, look ye unto the revelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day when all these things must be fulfilled.

<<Church members interpret this as a tenth of their “increase,” or income, annually.>>

It's not the member who define it that way.

Of course they do; they have been instructed to.

As a convert, I was never told tithing was 10% of your "increase". I was told it had to be 10% of your gross income. Glad I left this money-sucking church.

Nice exploration here:

http://puremormonism.blogspot.com/2012/12/are-we-paying-too-much-tithing.html

"Joseph Smith had not even been in his grave a month before the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued an edict declaring that instead of giving of their surplus, the Saints were to henceforth give "a tenth of all their property and money...and then let them continue to pay a tenth of their income from that time forth." There was no exemption for those who had already given all their surplus. The new rule was a tenth of everything right off the top."

And everyone's favorite jerk bishop: " “If paying tithing means that you can’t pay for water or electricity, pay tithing. If paying tithing means that you can’t pay your rent, pay tithing. Even if paying tithing means that you don’t have enough money to feed your family, pay tithing. The Lord will not abandon you.”

It's not just the jerk bishop. This same sentiment was officially expressed in General Conference by the asshat stooge Lynn Robbins.

April 2004 GC (Ensign, May 2004, pp. 34-36):

"Tithing: A Commandment Even for the Destitute"

"One of the first things a bishop *must* do to help the needy is ask them to pay their tithing. Like the widow [of Zarephath], if a destitute family is faced with the decision of paying their tithing or eating, they should pay their tithing. The bishop can help them with their food and other basic needs until they become self-reliant."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2015 08:55PM by Book of Mordor.

I noticed this in the Question and Answer area of the official instructions



Q12. I would like to have my donation refunded. How do I do that?

A12. Donations are a free-will offering and cannot be refunded.



So, there you have it.....

"No one asks to see income statements or pay slips." Anyone who has followed Ken Clark's exit story knows that this just is not true.

Good point. Ken Clark's story is the first thing that came to my mind reading this post.

And even thought that's not a standard practice, the LDS Church is much more invasive about this sort of thing than many other churches.

Mainline churches may ask you for a pledge in order to help plan the budget. But tithing settlement and the temple recommend question are really putting people on the spot and making a blatant connection between a person's spiritual well-being and how much they contribute. And of course, you should never ask for specifics from them on where the money goes.

They don't ask directly but between the lines they do. There was a time when I was really short on money and needed welfare to cover all my basics like rent, electricity, health insurance. However I had a small job were I made $50/week. I tithed only from that money because the welfare was for specific needs. I can't tithe my $250 rent and tell my landlord he should have faith for the missing 10%.
During tithing settlement the Bish asked me why I don't pay a full tithe. I said I do and he was like: You cannot exist by $200 bucks. I never discussed my situation that I had to go on welfare with him or anyone else. But now I told him and he said I need to tithe from all my "income" and this were around $900. He was absolutely sure I can provide all my food and other needs from $110 IF I HAVE ENOUGH FAITH! Tithing my 200or 250 bucks was actually impossible but wanting me to tithe "full" from it was actually cruelty. And the best at all: He said I need to pay the missing tithe from the whole year to remain in a "good stand" -
By the way noone ever offered me any help from fastoffering or what ever during that time.

What kind of a loving and caring God wants you to starve so they can build a shoppingmall or another ugly temple, or provide Mr. Profits and his wacky 15 friends lifestyle?
For me it was just another crack in my shelf....