So Pat Robertson is at it again.
The woman in this video wrote to him, asking him why God is ignoring her and that money has become so tight that tithing every week is becoming a burden.
Oh Pat. It's so nice to see you're still insane. Telling someone who can't make ends meet that tithing has to continue is just irresponsible.
Now, I don't have an issue with tithing. I believe in charity. Tithing, especially to small churches helps keep them afloat. New roofs, upgrading the air conditioning in hot climates, keeping the church up to code, making sure your minister is in his or her office when you need him or her, instead of your minister out working a 40 hour week and not being available... Tithing is important.
But tithing is NOT unto any god. Tithing goes unto man. While it pays for the upkeep of the church and the clergy, that money is not being raised bodily into Heaven and to God, Jesus or even Moses. It is kept on Earth, in the human realm.
To scold this woman, telling her she's not budgeting properly is just stupid. None of us know what the deal is with Melissa. Someone in her household may have lost their job. She may have one of those "fixed rate" mortgages that is anything but and that keeps going up every year. Her mortgage may have been bought up by another bank who decided to raise the rates. The cost of living keeps going up in general, but wages are stagnating. So to tell someone that they're not budgeting properly, unless you have their pay stubs and bills is just too glib an answer.
Now Melissa, I know you're not reading this. But you shouldn't be talking to Pat Robertson about this, you should be talking to your minister. Who can help you find help if you need it. Who knows what local resources are available. Who just might understand if you can't tithe 10% of your income for the time being. In other words, your minister might not be a money grubbing whore like Pat Robertson.
Oh yes. I just called him a money grubbing whore. This is a man who is a millionaire, not by any honest means, but by telling people that if they don't tithe, they will go to hell. By promising a blessing that doesn't ever appear for these people, if they continue to send him money.
Now, Melissa is probably lost to common sense anyway, as she wrote to Pat Robertson for advice. But what sort of example is this setting for your children? "I'm sorry Melissa Jr., but you can't have new shoes, just cut out holes so your toes don't get cramped. I have to tithe, so we can't afford new shoes for you to wear to school."
Now, Melissa Jr. is going to see mom and dad giving all their money to the church, God not bestowing any sort of blessing, in spite of constant prayer. What is Melissa Jr. going to decide once she develops a bit of reasoning ability? Will it be her family isn't worthy of God's blessing, or will it be, there is no God?
Chances are, it will be the latter. Which will cause drama in her family. She may even end up disowned. All because this woman wrote to Pat Robertson who told her that tithing is more important than her bills.
I liked the way he threw in that she needs some financial help at the very end, almost as an afterthought. Yes, it's obvious that Melissa needs some financial help. But to move into a house too small for her family or to cut down to one car if both she and her husband work is not a great answer. While some people do overextend themselves, it's appalling to me that Robertson is just assuming that they're overextended financially, based on the letter.
He offered no reason for God to not be answering her prayers either. All he really did was scold her. He threw rhetoric at her and no solid answers. He didn't even give her a God helps those who help themselves line. In other words, he could give her no reason for her prayers going unanswered.
Now, the subject of tithing depends on who you ask. Most fundies will tell you it is absolutely necessary. But according to this article, tithing is under the Old Testament, not the New Testament. The article states that Paul said that if you do a job, you deserve to be paid for it. Which should send a shiver up the spines of some fundamentalist types, who have decided that fair wages should be a thing of the past. However...
If you can't afford to tithe 10% and you are a Christian, there is no reason you should have to tithe first and deal with necessities later. Talk to your minister. Tithe a dollar if you can. But it's stupid to tithe more than you can afford, especially if by doing so, you're going to end up right on your church's charity rolls.
