But you caught it four square.

And I wonder if *that* kind of story gets told, in order to insulate ourselves from a nagging perception that the present definition of tithing as 10% of one’s income, regardless of one’s affluence, is regressive.

If the main blessing that comes from tithing is spiritual comfort or other intangibles, then a thought presents itself: These spiritual blessings (in most descriptions) are roughly equal irrespective of how much tithing you pay; you either have them or you don’t. To a rich man making $500,000, those blessings cost $50,000 — which, unless he’s living the kind of ostentatious lifestyle a Saint shouldn’t be living in the first place, he won’t even miss. To a poorer man, those blessings cost a far greater fraction of his disposable income — likely all of it, and more. Nobody ever told a heartbreaking story about a rich couple pawning their wedding ring to pay tithing.

In other words, if the blessings from paying tithing are spiritual or otherwise intangible, and they are essentially the same regardless of the amount paid, then tithing imposes a far greater hardship on the poor than on the rich.

I believe that the “tithing as investment” folklore evolved to keep this fact from bothering us. If tithing really does produce a net (temporal) return on investment, then it isn’t a hardship at all; the poor man truly “can’t afford” not to pay tithing, because he’ll surely get at least a dollar back for every dollar he pays.

Thanks for (and to) everyone who commented.

I think we do an immense disservice by telling stories of immediate reward for virtue. If they were true, they must lead us to ask if there really was some “hidden sins” in the believing Ammonihahites, who were burned in the furnace; they should, by logic, lead us to question the worthiness of those early Christian martyrs, who faced death rather than recant.

But I don’t want to heap ridicule. After all, it is true that sometimes virtue is rewarded, most often when it is its own reward.

The only thing between my daughter and suicide apparently were her having felt the witness of the Spirit, and the love of God. Her depression was induced to some extent by school bullying; she has a strong sense of right and wrong, and she stands up for the rights against the wrongs. And you never won popularity contests that way. I am so grateful she had that testimony. She is returning from her mission in less than two months, and it has been a wonderful time for her. Yes, her faith has pulled her through the furnace.

I think of people like your daughter who seem to be friendless and standing alone, but this is the farthest thing from the truth. I know there are legions of friends surrounding her on the other side of the veil, cheering her on for being the person she is. I really believe there is a peace that passeth all understanding for those who suffer and are afflicted because they have chosen to do the right thing. Even though the suffering can be very deep and painful, that peace is there to carry them through the darkest of times. I also think that those who torment or afflict others will pay dearly for what they have done. It may take years or be in the next life, but it will haunt them someday.

I love the book by Carlfred Broderick called “The Uses Of Adversity”. It talks about how things don’t go well just because we are doing the right things. It really relates to this topic and I recommend it. It is a very quick read and well worth it.

Excellent point.

I’m treating a 13 year-old who developed major depression after school bullying that was intense enough to result in a time of home schooling at the end of last school year. His church group was supportive and not associated with the bullying, but he became too depressed to even enjoy going to church activities.

Sticking up for someone who is being bullied can also be defeating when the victim you are sticking up for is antagonistic towards you in spite of your concern. The sacrifice in that case is even more demonstrative of Christ’s teachings.

One of my favorite Book of Mormon scriptures is the discussion of faith and hope in Moroni. My take is that life is difficult and unfair – maybe more so if we choose discipleship. The only thing we can hope for is that through the Atonement, we can be saved in the end. My ancestor wrote that he and his family were driven from their homes 5 times for the Gospel sake but, in his words, ‘he never felt to murmur’. I would have liked to heard him give a talk about sacrifice and the blessings of the gospel.

Elder Holland told a story a few years ago (April 2000 General Conference) about a pioneer couple who saved their whole lives for a better home, then donated the money for windows in the St. George Tabernacle. Was the money miraculously recovered? No. They lived in poverty for the rest of their lives.

It really helped me consider the way I approached giving talks and the faith promoting stories I chose to use.

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