Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
Add to that the factor that in many churches it is basically a requirement to tithe.. not necessarily that you will be kicked out of the church if you do not tithe, but your social status will be lower if it is know, the pastor will take you aside and tell you that you are disobeying God and that your relationship with God is being harmed because you aren't giving, that you can't receive the fullness of God's benefits without tithing, and you will even be restricted from being active in the church (i.e. you can't be a musician, sing, teach Sunday school, preach, teach, greet, etc) unless you are tithing.
So people will fell compelled (coerced?) to tithe even if it harms them.
|
I thought I'd remind you of what you said. In all denominations I have experienced your points have never been relevant. 'Giving' can be in many forms including service for the church itself therefore I don't see where social status lowers or increases. I do however believe that desires to pressure into tithing can exist and it really comes down to the type of leader, its whether that existence is in large numbers or not, we already agree to disagree on that.