- Topic
When I was a member I always felt that there was a lot of emphasis on tithing and offerings. But what does the WMSCOG literature actually say about tithing and it's importance? I was reading "My Sheep Listen To My Voice" by WMSCOG general pastor Joo Cheol Kim, and I came across a few quotes that I would like to share with everyone. Here they are (emphasis mine):
- "He [God] only wants us to be saved. God has given us the law of tithe so that we may always put our hope in heaven." My Sheep Listen To My Voice p. 291
So money = hope??? Too bad for all of those poor people huh? I guess they are just outta luck and don't have any "hope in heaven".
- "Tithe is a minimum rent to be paid to God in this world." My Sheep Listen To My Voice p. 297
Where does it say that in the Bible???
- "God has commanded us to offer a tenth of all that we earn, so that we may serve only God and not belong to the devil who has power over this world." My Sheep Listen To My Voice p. 299
So if you don't tithe you belong to the devil???
- "Tithing is an important law through which those who turn away from God can return to Him." My Sheep Listen To My Voice p. 305
So you can pay your way back to God if you leave the church??? Where is that in the Bible???
I LOVE the rent thing … oh is that funny …. we have to pay Rent to God?????? RENT?????? what a laugh!!!!!!1
Going off of this whole RENT idea, doesn't this group preach that we are in prison here? We were supposedly angels who sinned against God (tried to kill him and failed) and have been inprisoned here on Earth to try to do enough to earn our way back into Heaven? Who in their right mind would pay rent to be in prison? When we are forgiven shouldn't our prison term be over? Does that mean that we can stop paying rent? Wait, we should not be in prison anymore if we are forgiven so we should go straight to Heaven once we are forgiven. Hang on, that would mean that everyone that's alive today in the WMS is unforgiven. I think this logic is flawed somewhere! Time for everyone to read the word of God and not some groups flawed translation of it.
To us the tithe was explained so our heart can be on heavenly things. Because we care for physical world, so if we invest to spiritual world we can love god more by tithing. However then they say that we shouldn't care for physical world and money (value, investment) in physical world is useless.
Well they did show some verses on how tithing gives a lot of blessing. However I think the biggest reason for me to tithe was to be accepted by the group. So maybe they pressured that if I didn't tithe it would be bad?
my oh my…if I saw how much money I've spent in WMSCOG, I would have a heart attack…haha
Luckily my loved one understood just exactly how tight our budget is and did not tithe the full amount required. He does have several books, but I am not sure how much was spent in total.
Shugyo wrote:
my oh my…if I saw how much money I've spent in WMSCOG, I would have a heart attack…haha
I know I gave way goo much it is quite upsetting and living alone made it easy to do so without realizing it.
That must have been an offering unless your friend made $50,000 that month.
She either tithed incorrectly, or made bank that month or possibly misspoke.
Either way thats about 5,000 more than she should give 🙁
Maybe she sold her house or something big. $50,000 wouldn’t be that much from the sale of a house.
Another thought, the WMS claims to have 1.5 to 2 million members and although I believe the real number of members is much smaller the idea that there are members who do pay such large sums is disheartening. If one tenth of one percent paid $5,000 in any given month there would be about 2,000 people paying this amount. $5,000 x 2,000 people = $10,000,000. I think this falls back under where does the money go? I could do a lot of good for a lot of people for several years from just one month like this. My charity would run and grow just from the return on investment of these kind of funds. Show me what the WMS is doing.
Considering how much money is being spent on the buildings themselves and making them nicer, and then money spent on the various websites, and law suits, and promo videoes. Publishing books CDs DVDs magazines.
I think it is perfectly believable.
What does the bible say about tithing?
Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
So clearly tithing is meant to be from the heart.
Luke 11:42 "But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
So tithe is important, but if you give in vain it means nothing.
1 Corinthians 16:2 "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."
So, give what you can.
And my personal favorite verse:
2 Corinthians 9:2 "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."
So pretty much it would be better for you not to give if you didn't want to rather than giving because you feel the need to.
So in closing, tithing and any other type of giving is meant to show you what God expects out of you. He wants us to want to do these things in His name with a cheerful heart. Giving is meant for you because it is better to give than to recive and I think we all know that.
Well Abraham tithed 10% of everything and they refer to that
Just read this article about tithing and thought I'd pass it on:
It would help if they cited what they say lol
Yes, I was hoping for a few more scripture references. I'll have to look those up myself.
By the way, I do believe in tithing and giving to the church, but not that it is a requirement to go to heaven.
And this article makes it sound like the way churches tithe today (including the wmscog) is more of a tradition than a Biblical command. (And we know how much the wmscog hates following man's traditions, right?)
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