(R)evolution At The Speed of Thought - Exploring Tithing

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The idea of tithing is a very touchy and even confusing subject for many people, religious or not. This first post simply outlines some common ideas and attitudes about tithing. Stay tuned for more discussion.


Tithing is a thing I do only in a church service. So, if I don't go to church, I don't tithe.

Tithing is a thing I do instead of showing up in church. So if I don't go to church, I send money so at least I am contributing to the church I believe in.

Tithing is a rewarding and gratifying act I perform while holding membership in a sacred fellowship in service or worship to (my) God. So if I am a member of a fellowship of people who follow (my) God, I tithe to that fellowship knowing my investment benefits my fellows and myself as we meet in service or worship to (my) God.

I tithe knowing the money I tithe will go directly to paying the expenses involved in running and growing the church or fellowship I give to and it might possibly extend to charitable outreach through these organizations I am supporting.

I tithe what I can when I can to the person, place or cause I find most needing it when I have it to give.

I tithe as I am called to do so. When someone is in need or a cause catches my interest, I give what I can in the moment.

I tithe joyfully and frequently to my spiritual community, to my local community and to my world community. It is about the flow. As I contribute to the flow through giving, the Universal flow of abundance becomes greater, larger, deeper-like a river gathering more water as a new stream merges with it! The increased wealth of givingness flows back to me, through me, and then from me again in an ever-growing cycle of prosperity in all things and experiences.

I tithe only through volunteerism in my community. People need to focus on action, not dollars. As citizens and human beings, we must help each other create the world in which we want to live. That means cleaning the sidewalks, fixing the elderly neighbor's fence, babysitting for the single mom upstairs, giving a blanket to the homeless guy who sleeps behind my grocery store.

I tithe a set amount of my income on a regular basis to a specific charity or cause. While not religious, I believe in the value of tithing to support that which serves our needs, spiritual or otherwise.

I tithe a set amount of my income and it varies where I give it. While I make sure that I tithe regularly, I evaluate each time who needs it most and then I give to that cause or charity. I go to church but I believe my money is better spent helping my community at large. My church is wealthy enough with contributions and endowments. I live in a poor area that I feel needs the money more.

I tithe all the time by what I do, how I do it and where I do it. My life's work, my passion (and my actual job) is to help the poor, house the homeless, care for the sick and lift up our youth. While I don't preach a certain gospel or rhetoric of religious ideas, I encourage the people I help to explore spiritual practices and ideas as they work to better their circumstances. This, I believe, is a service to mankind, to (my) God and to myself. We all need to work together to build a better world.

I tithe in my own way by giving help to friends, family and strangers as I am able. Sometimes I can give money. Sometimes I cook or clean or help out in some other way with my time. Sometimes I listen and try to give advice and help people find resources to fix their problem. Sometimes I volunteer at the homeless shelter up the street. Sometimes I volunteer to teach Sunday school. Sometimes I invite the family across the street to dinner when I kno

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w money is tight for them. I have limited funds, limited time and limited energy. But, I do what I can when I can and it makes me feel good. I consider it tithing because I consider it spiritually rewarding and important.

I don't tithe. I feel that we each have the duty to work to support ourselves and our families, so charitable giving is not something I am comfortable with. Too often people ask for handouts instead of a job. As for church, I don't go and if I did I don't feel I would need to be in a church that cost so much that they had to ask me for money to support it. A tree on the mountain would work as a church for me. Churches so often seem opulant and wasteful. If all those people would use that churhc money on their own families, then maybe people would stop asking me to donate every dime I have. Money and (my) God don't mix.


I don't tithe. I cannot afford to buy my food, much less give someone else some of the money I don't really have to begin with. The commitment to tithe regularly would be impossible. The commitment to tithe when I can would mean never. I would like to help others, but I just can't. I barely scrape by myself. This makes me sad and even sometimes I feel guilty--especially when I am forced to accept charitable help from others who DO tithe. But I am grateful for the little I have and know it could be worse.

Any thoughts or other ideas left out? Comment away! And, for now, start thinking: which idea(s) best describe me? Do I know my own personal "tithing policy"? Is it necessary to have a "tithing policy" as I move through my daily life? Does tithing or not tithing meaningfully impact my quality of life?