Is the Church the Only Storehouse/Tithing? - Research Paper

Introduction

For most believers, tithing is considered as a means in which the believers honor God with the first fruits of their income. According to the Bible, Christians are required to pay 10% of their income and should be given to God faithfully. For Christians, tithing honors the Scriptural principles of generously giving for religious leaders, those in need, and also laying up treasures in heaven. In the book of Proverbs 3:9-10, the Bible says that Christians are encouraged to give the first part of their resources to God. This, in essence, should be done as an expression of both honor and gratitude to the creator.

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With reference to the fundamental understanding of tithing, the Bible, especially the Old Testament, mentions tithing occasionally. More precisely, the Old Testament refers to tithing as a command from God when He commissioned the children of Israel, the tribe of Levi to serve the Lord by caring for the tabernacle and also providing spiritual leadership for the nation of Israel. In the book of Numbers Chapter 18, Christians read that God instructed the rest of the Israelites, with the exception of the tribe of Levi, to bring tithes of their increase to provide for the priests and the Levites. Like in the Old Testaments, the New Testament also exemplifies the importance of tithing through occasional references to Jesus's teachings. In particular, in the book of Matthew 23:23, Jesus affirmed the practice of tithing. In a similar regard, Paul, the apostle, encouraged Christians to pay tithes as a means of providing to those in need and also providing for those who were ministering in the Gospel. Thus, in a nutshell, a majority of the Christians tithing is considered important since they believe that when you tithe, you enable those who God has called to serve as pastors, missionaries, and ministry personnel to faithfully build up God's Church and expand God's kingdom.

Today in the United States, tithers make up only a significant 10-25% of the normal congregation. Besides, according to modern day literature, only 5% of the United States' tithes with a total of 80% of the Americans giving out only 2% of their income in the form of coins. When compared to the ancient times, say the Great Depression, Christians in the modern day only give 2.5% per capita. A significant low value as compared to 3.3 percent rate, which was observed during the Great Depression (Croteau). According to contemporary statistics, there is a possibility for a decrease in the number of tithers to invoke a lot of guilt among Christians. Although this is not the primary point of concern, many scholars like to predict what could happen if all the believers were to become more faithful in giving their tithe to the required 10. Croteau, contends that if all Christians in the United States were to tithe as required, there would be an overall increase of $156 billion, especially for churches to use as well as distribute to the needy.

In Judaism, the Jews hold the belief that tithes are in reality, similar to taxes for the people of Israel, which were mandatory and not a form of optional giving. Besides, Judaism teaches that tithing only applies to the strict description of Torah, which is inclusive of kosher livestock and crops that are grown in Israel. With reference to the rabbinic literature, the Jews have a different perception of tithing. For example, for them, Terumah, is a form of tithe, which is stipulated under the biblical law and has to be given from wine, corn, and oil. This, however, according to the rabbinic law, has to be given to fruits and vegetables. With reference to the quantity, the Jews believe that to give the Terumah; the farmer has to first separate from their total yield, a portion, a sixtieth, fiftieth, or even a fortieth. This, however, is given at the farmer's discretion which is better known as terumah, meaning an offering or a gift. Similar to the Christian perception of tithe, the Jews have three kinds of Maaser. In particular, Maaser Rishon, like in Christianity, is usually a tenth of the reminder of the yield. In this regard, the first tithe is separated from the total yield and given to a Levite. According to the Old Testament, the Levite who receives the 'first tithe' separates a tenth from it, and this is well referred to as serum maaser, and it is offered to a Kohen and this ought to be treated with a sanctity degree as the original terumah. Finally, there is the Maser Sheni, which is better known as the second tithe. In Judaism, the farmer separates ten percent of the remaining portion of his yield. Unlike the other two, maser sheni ought to be taken to Jerusalem where it is consumed in a particular spirit of sanctity (Kostenberger).

According to statistics recorded through the tithes that are offered by the Jews, most of the Jews pay only 10% of their total income, which defaults the Mosaic Command to tithe. According to this law, the Israelites, in the Old Commandment, were commanded to pay tithes of about 23% in their tithes and not a mere 10%. Similarly, the Mosaic Law required the Children of Israel to pay three different types of tithes. For the Jews, these three types of tithes include; Levitical tithe, as discussed in Lev 27: 30-32; the annual festival tithe as commanded in Dt 14; 22-27; and finally the tri-annual poor tithe as evidenced in Dt 14: 28-29.

For Muslims, a tithe is paid in the form of Zakat, which is considered a charity-tax that is similar to tithes and offerings in several other religions. Like tithes for Christians, Muslims believe that Zakat is a compulsory form of donation that is prescribed to them by their creator. Despite the fact that there is a specific way of calculating the amount of Zakat that Muslims are expected to pay on different assets, the required amount is primarily 2.5% of a person's income and also the assets that are worth above a minimum threshold amount. Unlike tithing for Christians and the Jews that is given to God, for Muslims, Zakat ought to be given to people of 8 categories. This, in essence, is in Surah At-Tawbah of the Quran, meaning that the Zakat expenditures are only for the poor, the needy and most importantly, for those employed to collect Zakah. Besides, it is deemed as a means for bringing hearts together (Islam) and for freeing those who are deemed as slaves, for those in debt, for the sake of Allah and for the traveler, which is a crucial obligation that is imposed by Allah among the Muslims.

The Statistics of Zakat Collection is exemplified in the collection and distribution of tithes in the Maldives. For instance, according to studies, the collection and distribution of the Islamic tithe, Zakat is particularly made by Ministry of Islamic Affairs for Male' City and by the Atoll and Island Councils for other islands of the country. Besides, according to Section 23 of Business Profit Tax Regulation (Regulation Number 2011/R-35) that is formulated under the Business Profit Tax Act, Zakat al-mal is treated as tax-deductible income.

Jehovah witnesses, unlike the Jews, Christians, and the Muslims, believe that tithing is optional. With reference to the Bible reading from 2 Cor.9:7, which states that God loves a cheerful giver, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that they can tithe if they want to, but it is not mandatory. Although they are readers and followers of the Biblical teachings, Jehovah's witnesses believe in voluntary giving, where they give out of abundance and never a strict percentage of their income. Besides, rather than offering the tithes that are required in the Bible, Jehovah's Witnesses tend to imitate the early Christians and support their ministry in crucial ways. More fundamentally, they do this by performing their works of the Ministry as well as work without pay and also making voluntary donations. Thus, in a nutshell, Jehovah witnesses follow the Bible's directions such as Christians. But according to 2 Corinthians 9:7, the witnesses believe in "let each one do just as he or she has resolved in their heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Conclusion

In conclusion, a majority of religious houses such as the Church, Mosque, and the Judaism Church preach tithing as a means of supporting the work of the Lord today. Although Muslims, Christians, Jews and the Jehovah witnesses, there are many variations of this theme. For instance, as stated in this paper, people from different faiths pay the local church a certain percentage of their income after taxes and bills are paid. Some of the differences observed are such as, when compared to tithing, Zakat, bears similar characteristics in the sense that, there is a prescription for a certain amount, which should be given for a certain purpose.

Works Cited

Croteau, David A. You Mean I Don't Have to Tithe?: A Deconstruction of Tithing and a Reconstruction of Post-Tithe Giving. Pickwick Publications, 2010.
The authors of this book substantiate that tithing is a very well known, church practice in the modern day today. The book helps to demystify certain facts about tithing with regard to beginning of the concept of tithing, whether it is justified, what the religious books say about, among many others.

Kostenberger, Andreas J. "Will a man Rob God; A study of tithing in the Old and new Testament." Liberty University; School of Religion, 2006, digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1079&context=sor_fac_pubs. Accessed 21 Mar. 2018.
This article seeks to answer the questions whether tithing is obligatory for Christians. More fundamentally, the article seeks to investigate this primary question by studying all tithing references to tithing in the scripture. Unlike many modern literature, this article concludes that neither the old nor New Testament passage can effectively be used to argue for the continuation of tithing in the current, new covenant period.