The original tithing commandment came in 1838. Prior to 1838, there was no written commandment or enforcement of tithing of any kind. The Church was not doing well, financially. Barely able to make ends meet, Joseph pled with the Lord to instruct His Saints on the ancient law of tithing.
“O Lord! Show unto thy servants how much thou requirest of the properties of thy people for a tithing.” [1]
The Lord responded. His response is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 119. It is the first (though, as we will see, not the only) written tithing commandment.
“I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church in Zion…And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people. And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord.” [2]
The Lord was clear. Tithing would be paid as surplus property and a tenth of all financial interest. It wasn’t a temporary commandment. It wasn’t a policy. It was a law. Forever.
The Saints carried on with this commandment for a while. Years passed. Joseph was killed. Brigham died. The Church again sank into financial ruin. In 1882, polygamy was made federally illegal in the United States under the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act. It was signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on March 23, 1882.
The Church, whose leaders were vehement polygamists, was breaking federal law. The leaders knew it. The US government knew it. And the leaders of the Church refused to stop. So, in an attempt to pressure the LDS Church to obey the law of the land, the US Government seized the Church’s assets.
The Church sank millions of dollars into debt. Barely able to survive, President Lorenzo Snow was forced to adapt the commandment. In 1899, Snow gave a new commandment to the Saints in his Conference address.
“I plead with you in the name of the Lord, and I pray that every man, woman and child who has means shall pay one tenth of their income as a tithing.” [3]
This new commandment was strictly enforced. For the first time in Church history, Snow’s commandment ruled that members pay ten percent of their income, not their interest. Interestingly, Snow’s law did not require a tithe from all members—only those who could afford to pay.Apparently, God’s “standing law…forever,” finally decided to sit down.
The law was practiced for a while. The Church crawled out of debt. Its savings account grew. Snow died.
Soon, imperceptibly this time, the law changed again. Today, the law commands all members, rich or poor, to pay a full tenth of their income to the Church. Even the destitute are commanded to pay the Church before feeding their families. So, God has changed again. In times of desperation, He seems to have mercy on his Saints, calling only for a scraping from the top, from only those who can afford to give it. Today, when His Church is worth over two hundred billion dollars, He wields his iron rod and commands all to pay. The richest in Zion. The poorest in Africa. The widows will give their mites to the corporation, starve if they must.
The doctrine of tithing today stands against all doctrine taught in the early Church. The Prophet Joseph F. Smith, in 1907, foresaw a day when members no longer had to pay; when the church had enough to support itself.
“…we expect to see the day when we will not have to ask you for one dollar of donation for any purpose, except that which you volunteer to give of your own accord, because we will have tithes sufficient in the storehouse of the Lord to pay everything that is needful for the advancement of the kingdom of God.” [4]
When will it be enough? Surely, a hundred billion dollars is enough. No? Well, surely two hundred billion dollars is enough. No still? Well, surely two hundred and seventy billion dollars is enough.
No?
The God of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been overtaken by greed. The once merciful head of the storehouse is now a great dragon, guarding His hoard.
[1] The original revelation was recorded by Edward Partridge. Joseph’s pleading is recorded in the heading of The 1838 Tithing Revelation.
Revelation, Far West, Caldwell Co., MO, 8 July 1838, handwriting of Edward Partridge
[2] Doctrine and Covenants 119: 1-4
