Following Mormon Guidance Leads to Family Destruction

Consequences of following Mormon "counsel" about paying tithing

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(Taken from www.exmormon.org BBS -- January, 2001)

Subject: Temple recommends, tithing, and consequences..

Date: Jan 10 09:21

Author: Lurkin' a bit



About 5 years ago, my husband and I had been attending church irregularly. We'd skip a week here and there. We let our Temple recommends expire. Then we decided we wanted to "get with it" and shape up.

I had an interview with the Bishop and he advised us to begin paying a full tithing every time. Then after 6 months or so, have our temple recommends renewed. We hadn't done anything wrong, not even break the W of W, but we did skip tithing or not pay it in full occasionally.

We informed the Bishop that in order for us to pay a full tithing every paycheck, I would have to go to work. We had 3 small children at the time. The Bishop told us to trust the Lord, pay our full tithing, and for me to stay at home with the children. He said that Heavenly Father knew our circumstances and we would be blessed for doing as He wants.

During the 6 months, we would talk with the Bishop and Stake Pres., he was a friend, about our financial situation. They kept telling us to stay on this path. Well...we did. We kept having to pay for necessities on credit cards. (i.e. food, necessary clothing, toiletries) Then, I found out I was pregnant again. We had even discussed not having more children w/ our Bishop and he gave us articles from the Prophet about not waiting to have children or stopping them from coming.

Anyway, I ended up on bedrest, the credit cards reached their limits, I couldn't go to work to help pay them off, and we kept paying a full tithing. We met with the Bishop and Stake Pres. and got our Temple Recommends renewed. Four weeks later, we had to file for bankruptcy.

When we told the Bishop our situation. He said that we had done what was expected of us, so not to worry. We all go through trials. We should be happy that our family pays a full tithing and is temple worthy, which many are not, because they put too much emphasis on the material things.

If anyone can believe it, we just smiled and kept on this track for another year. We then stopped attending all together. Not attending had nothing to do with this situation though. I didn't even think of all this until yesterday when I received a copy of my credit report.

My husband and I grew up in the Church. We absolutely, without question, trusted the leadership in the Church and believed they were inspired. We feel so foolish. We can't believe we left such important decisions in the hands of others, and untrained leaders at that. Anyone else go through anything like this? Please, let us not be the only ones that were so stupid.



 


Page Modified January 19, 2001




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