I think tithing comes down to paying for the Church’s basic three fold mission. For everyone’s sake we need to spread the gospel, perfect the Saints and redeem the dead. And that costs money. Personally I don’t mind sacrificing to accomplish these objectives. But I do get frustrated with leaders constantly promising me I will be blessed or, like Elder Bednar’s talk, positing that there are more subtle blessings occurring in my life in order to explain why more tangible benefits do not materialize. This feeling is further compounded when leaders resort to chiding me that if I am not seeing these blessings it is because I am doing something wrong even if it is something as simple as not looking hard enough. Personally I believe tithing is a sacrifice we make mostly to bless others just as those who came before sacrificed for us. When the Church’s mission is accomplished someday, and I still believe it will be, then perhaps we will receive the real blessings of paying tithing viz – the opportunity to live in a society of like-hearted people concerned enough about the welfare of others to actually sacrifice some of their own comforts for them. And on that day, I know I would not feel worthy to live among them if I felt I had not contributed my share. What that share is I think you can properly leave to any honest person’s conscience and the definition given in the Church Handbook of Instructions.
