Mitt Romney Mormon: Tithes & Taxes
Mitt Romney contributes monies, above taxes, to the Church of Jesus Christ
ABC broke the news–not surprising–that Mitt Romney has made significant contributions to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on a personal level. From Andrea Saul, one of Mitt’s spokespersons, we read:
Mitt Romney has publicly stated that he regularly tithes to his church. Some of those church contributions have come through the Tyler Foundation. Others have been donations of stock through Bain. Any shares donated by Mitt Romney are personal shares owned by him.
Saul also notes not all the shares that appear on Bain securities filings can be attributed to Romney, “as there are other Mormon members of the firm who may also have been making donations to the church of personal shares owned by them.”
Others, unfamiliar with the Mormon faith, may wonder:
So where does all of this money go that Mitt Romney (Mormon) and others pass on to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Does he tithe? Yes. Does he pay other offerings? Yes. Why?…. And to what end? What do Mormons believe about their financial responsibilities and giving to the Lord and to the poor and needy? Find a brief response to these questions below, from an everyday Latter-day Saint.
Unlike the funds of some organizations, even some denominations, that sometimes are deployed and derailed for personal aggrandizement and advantage that we’ve all heard about with disappointing frequency, wherein a charlatan minister zaps funds to his own ends, The Church of Jesus Christ has a clear, specific, divine arrangement for the use of sacred, voluntary contributions to the Church, known as tithes and offerings.
The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to pay tithing & promises great blessings
Most Christians are familiar with the giving of voluntary tithes; perhaps fewer are with the concept of offerings–additional contributions beyond the tenth of income, for the poor and needy and kingdom-building advances. Mormons, from the rank and file to the high-profile–and yes, including Mitt Romney–make these sacred personal donations to the Lord and His Church.
The Lord’s definition of tithing
The Lord’s definition of tithing provides clarity for us and indicates that His law is still in effect, though a small percentage of Christians nationally are known to pay it to their churches. In fact, the Barna Group estimated in April 2008 study that 5% of all American adults tithed in 2007. Evangelicals had the highest percentage (24%) and the study estimated that 12% of conservatives and 10% of registered Republicans tithed. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, tithing is a commandment for each member, regardless of circumstance, that reaps great blessings over our personal and spiritual harvests as we comply. Mormons believe in giving God the first-fruits of their labors and income–ten percent off the top.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–built on the same foundation as Christ’s original Church, with apostles and a prophet–shares the following regarding the nature of the law of tithing:
The simplest statement we know of is the statement of our Lord Himself, namely, that the members of the Church should pay ten percent of all their interest annually, which is understood to mean income. No one is justified in making any other statement than this” (Letter from the Prophet and Counselors, known as “The First Presidency,” 19 March 1970).
The Prophet Joseph Smith, called in our day, as an instrument to “restore” Christ’s original Church to the earth, was taught by resurrected Beings and the Savior Himself about the Church’s organization and eternal laws. As the Church of Jesus Christ (inadvertently called by the media “The Mormon Church”) was organized and began to grow, the doctrines of the kingdom were taught to Joseph by the Lord in their fulness, including the law of tithing and consecration. To that end, the prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation on tithing on July 8, 1838 in Far West, Missouri, which he recorded along with others in a modern volume of scripture known as the Doctrine and Covenants, as follows:
3 And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people.
4 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.
Blessings of tithing to the Lord
Mormons tithe, the Lord rewards in unimagined, remarkable ways. Though the one who tithes does so out of love of God, the heavens do open and God compensates each for compliance with His laws.Elder John A. Widtsoe, late apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ (Mormon, Church leader), spoke of spiritual blessings that come when followers of Christ, like Mitt Romney, like each of us who are Christian Latter-day Saints, pay tithing:
The tithe-payer establishes communion with the Lord. This is the happiest reward. Obedience to the law of tithing, as to any other law, brings a deep, inward joy, a satisfaction and understanding that can be won in no other way. Man becomes in a real sense a partner, albeit a humble one, with the Lord in the tremendous, eternal program laid out for human salvation. The principles of truth become clearer of comprehension; the living of them easier of accomplishment. A new nearness is established between man and his Maker. Prayer becomes easier. Doubt retreats; faith advances; certainty and courage buoy up the soul. The spiritual sense is sharpened; the eternal voice is heard more clearly. Man becomes more like his Father in Heaven” (Deseret News, 16 May 1936, Church Section, 5).
The following story, related by a living witness of Jesus Christ–modern-day apostle–Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve, illustrates how we can receive temporal blessings as we pay tithing:
During World War II, my widowed mother supported her three young children on a schoolteacher’s salary that was meager. When I became conscious that we went without some desirable things because we didn’t have enough money, I asked my mother why she paid so much of her salary as tithing. I have never forgotten her explanation: ‘Dallin, there might be some people who can get along without paying tithing, but we can’t. The Lord has chosen to take your father and leave me to raise you children. I cannot do that without the blessings of the Lord, and I obtain those blessings by paying an honest tithing. When I pay my tithing, I have the Lord’s promise that he will bless us, and we must have those blessings if we are to get along’ ” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1994, 43–44; or Ensign, May 1994, 33).
In order to be worthy to enter the Lord’s House, or temples, each Mormon complies with this law. Again, this money is not intended to glut the leadership or to be used in any other manner than by divine stewardship, the building of chapels, temples, and for the global needs of the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church releases an audited statement each year of his use of sacred funds which is approved by the general membership of the Church at an annual Conference.
How are Mitt Romney & Mormons’ tithing funds used?
Tithing funds are disbursed through the care and direction of what is known as the Presiding Bishopric of the general Church, and under the direction of the living prophet and his two counselors–known as the First Presidency.
Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, explains the use of these Mormon tithing funds:
[Tithing] funds are spent to build and maintain temples and houses of worship, to conduct our worldwide missionary work, to translate and publish scriptures, to provide resources to redeem the dead [genealogy and LDS temple work], to fund religious education, and to support other Church purposes selected by the designated servants of the Lord (in Conference Report, Apr. 1994, 46; or Ensign, May 1994, 35).
President Gordon B. Hinckley, prophet prior to President Thomas S. Monson, spoke of the deep respect the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes has for tithing funds:
I keep on the credenza behind my desk a widow’s mite that was given me in Jerusalem many years ago as a reminder, a constant reminder, of the sanctity of the funds with which we have to deal. They come from the widow; they are her offering as well as the tithe of the rich man, and they are to be used with care and discretion for the purposes of the Lord. We treat them carefully and safeguard them and try in every way that we can to see that they are used as we feel the Lord would have them used for the upbuilding of His work and the betterment of people (in Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 69; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 50).
Mitt Romney would be a tither, as a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). No one is exempt who is striving to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. He has given us all; we give Him our first-fruits, a sign of His priority position in our lives and our gratitude and acknowledgement that all we have that is good comes from Him. We’re not here to do an analysis of his personal taxes or stocks donated, or monies given, but simply to share the principles of the faith he embraces, and let him speak for himself.
As we ponder these blessings, we can see that the Lord, as He promised in His own words, truly does “open … the windows of heaven, and pour … out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10; see also Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ: 3 Nephi 24:10).
So when Mitt Romney explains his large donations to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we hope you’ll know that he is following his convictions to give back to the God who gave him all, just as each us who tithe with an honest heart, are striving to do. Some called it the “river principle” through which money flows through us to reach God’s intended destination. Tithing helps each of us guard against the mistake of thinking ownership of goods is pre-eminent over owning the riches inherent in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Additional Resources:
Learn more about the sacred nature of tithing funds at the official site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths as the “Mormon Church”).
Mitt Romney is a faithful member of the Mormon Church.
Request a free copy of the Book of Mormon or Bible.
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Nora