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Let me see if I can put all of this into proper perspective. First of all, the great blessing and promise of tithing is a thing with which most people are not
scripturally familiar with.
In Malachi 3:8, it says, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and
offerings." Verses 9-10 go on to say, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith
the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it."
I have learned in my life to trust the Lord in all of these things. I have learned firsthand and personally that Malachi's promise as the prophet of
the Lord in those days is still true and operative today. I have seen the blessings that come to those who are faithful tithe-payers, and they weren't just
wealthy people who could "afford" to pay 10 percent of their income. I have friends and other members of my extended family that you would not be
considered wealthy, who have always paid 10 percent of their income, no matter what it is. The blessings promised by the Lord continue to come to
them. The law of tithing is also the blessing of tithing. It is not a burden. It is an opportunity.
As to the business of money and the LDS Church, let me assure you that the LDS Church does not "accumulate wealth." The LDS Church, through the
principle of tithing and other offerings, builds chapels for worship, temples for sacred ordinances, and provides for the poor amongst us throughout the
world. It gives untold millions to people not of the LDS faith who are in great need and are victims of natural disasters, including war, among many other
situations. All of this is done in a humanitarian effort to reach out and bless the lives of those less fortunate. There is almost no other religion that does as
much with the sacred tithing and offerings from its members as the LDS church in helping the lives of those in need and to provide many beautiful places
to worship the Lord. None of this money goes to pay ministers or other clergy. All of our clergy are what is called a "lay ministry". We serve in a variety
of capacities to assist and bless the lives of our members. I hope this is helpful to you.
Sincerely,
Donny Osmond
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