I know someone who had a spiritual experience that led him
to give up a promising career in order to serve in a church leadership position. A few years into his calling, he started to
see things going on in the church that bothered him regarding church finances
and the issuing of recommends. He
thought it must be a local problem that the top church leadership would
disapprove of it were made known. So he sent
a message about it to the church leader who supervised over him. In the message, he pointed out what he saw
that seemed wrong, and asked for confirmation of what he understood to be the
real doctrine of the church. To his
surprise, the other church leader forwarded his message on the prophet, and he was
soon called in for a disciplinary council.
Meanwhile, he posted his message in a public forum and it went viral. His ideas resonated with other members
throughout the church, and those members were dismayed to learn that he was
later excommunicated, and that he had to go into hiding to avoid being executed.
If you hadn’t figured it out before that last word or
from the title of this post, you should now know that I’m not talking about
someone alive today, but about the great reformer (and my namesake), Martin
Luther. All right, so I was cheating a little
on some of the words, like “prophet” instead of “pope”, but the description is otherwise
fully accurate, and the analogy reveals parallels between Luther’s situation in
the Catholic church of the early 16th century and the situation of
our LDS faith almost 500 years later. For
instance, the invention that allowed Luther’s message (known as his 95 theses)
to go viral was the printing press, invented just a few decades earlier. We see a similar story playing out within the
LDS church today with bloggers exposing problems in the church, the recent
invention of the internet enabling their words to spread to a growing audience,
and some of them being excommunicated (no executions yet, thankfully).
Let’s continue to explore the parallels between Luther’s
story and our situation today. Martin
Luther was a Catholic Monk before he was a Lutheran (he never called himself a
Lutheran, but later said the only acceptable term for himself and other
believers was “Christian”). He was still
very much a devout Catholic when he wrote his famous 95 theses, which, as I
said, started out as a letter to his priesthood leader hoping to get some good
theological shake-out of his ideas. He
had been disturbed by a visiting Friar who was aggressively selling indulgences
– letters of pardon from God’s punishment granted for donating money to the
church – and wanted to draw a line on what was and wasn’t appropriate. The text of the 95 theses pulses with a
feeling of Martin asking his local authority – “This is what we really believe,
right? These people selling the
indulgences are crossing a line that the Pope would not approve of,
right?”
Okay, so I’ve probably lost some of you on my analogy already.
After all, you say, there is nothing so
blatantly unscriptural as indulgences and letters of pardon in the LDS church. I hear you, but hang with me for just a
minute and consider a few other points. Catholics don’t think of indulgences as “forgiving
sins”. They actually think of them more
like the “good works” without which, faith is dead. And they are good works, aren’t they, because
the money is used to build churches and other good stuff. Furthermore, Catholics believe that
indulgences cannot take away the need for Christ’s grace to be forgiven and
enter heaven, but they do believe that indulgences can take away the need for
temporal punishment imposed by the church, evidenced by the granting letters of
pardon. Starting to sound a little bit
like tithing and temple recommends to anyone else, or is it just me? Here’s how you might have heard it explained
in Sacrament meeting: “Don’t let a failure to pay tithing be the obstacle
between you and the blessings of God’s temple, including the privilege of seeing
your loved ones get married. God doesn’t
need your money, but when you pay tithing, it is a good work demonstrating your
faith which allows God to open the windows of heaven to bless you.” Hmm, sounds like at least some people are paying tithing to avoid a temporal punishment of not seeing their family members get married. Now, Luther wasn’t actually opposed to
indulgences in and of themselves; his problem was that he thought they were
being over-applied and over-emphasized for less than Christlike motives. Wow, that’s exactly how some of us feel about tithing
in the Church today! Yes, tithing is a true principle, but lately, something sure seems off.
So now I want to get to the main point of this post, which
is to present my modern LDS analogy for what is actually in the 95 theses. When I read them for myself this week,
I was even more amazed by the parallels that I found. Granted, about a third of the 95 theses were
too steeped in Catholic doctrine to be applied to our situation, but for the
rest of them, finding a modern analogy was almost too easy, and didn’t require
much extrapolation. Here is a breakdown
of how many of the theses fell into each of a handful of themes that I identified
in my analogies:
·
Too Catholic-focused to be applicable (31)
·
Repentance (5)
·
Current Temple Recommend
≠ Forgiveness (16)
·
Tithing ≠ Fire Insurance (3)
·
Tithing ≠ Charity (12)
·
Tithing is on Interest (Surplus) (4)
·
Tithing should be transparent (3)
·
The poor are more important than tithing (8)
·
Misuse of tithing is hurting the church (5)
·
Why is tithing a temple recommend question? (3)
·
We should embrace reform (5)
So, I will
start out with a summary of the most interesting of the analogies, and then at
the end, I will give you my full side-by-side comparison with the original
version. Any words that I have changed
from the original are indicated by italics. Also, in the full comparison, I have
highlighted my non-trivial changes in green. Enjoy.
Oh, just a
few last things before you jump in:
I wanted to
point out that much of Luther’s language is conciliatory, as he seemingly trips
over himself to distance the pope from the abuses going on (wishful thinking). I have noted where I perceive this
conciliatory language in the full comparison.
Also, I make
reference to tithing funds being misused today, which some would claim is not
true because certain church projects are done with funds separate from
tithing. I respond that there are no
church funds that are not tithing, since everything was originally derived from
tithing at some point.
Last thing –
for the record, my wife didn’t think that the points under “Current Temple
Recommend ≠ Forgiveness” rung true for her.
In her experience, she has never noticed in herself or others the feeling
that a temple recommend can be equated with an assurance of salvation. In my experience, however, I have felt that
message was at least on some level being taught and believed by some members. Let me know if you agree or disagree in the
comments section below.
Summary
Current Temple Recommend ≠ Forgiveness
24
|
It must needs be, therefore, that the greater
part of our members are deceived who think that a current temple
recommend automatically qualifies them for the Celestial Kingdom.
|
32
|
They will be condemned eternally, together
with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because
they have a current temple recommend.
|
36
|
Every truly repentant latter day saint
has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without a current
temple recommend.
|
37
|
Every true latter day saint, whether
living or dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and
this is granted him by God, even without a current temple recommend.
|
75
|
To think a current temple recommend so
great that it could absolve a man even if he had suffered a beggar
to put up his petition in vain -- this is madness.
|
Tithing ≠ Fire Insurance
27
|
It is the doctrine of man and not God to say
that so soon as the penny jingles into the tithing envelope, the soul becomes
fire-proof.
|
28
|
It is certain that when the penny jingles into
the tithing envelope, gain and avarice can be increased, but the
result of not being burned at the second coming is in the power of God
alone.
|
30
|
No one is sure that his own contrition is
sincere; much less that he has attained full remission.
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
42
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that the prophet does
not intend the paying of tithing to be compared in any way to works of
mercy.
|
43
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that he who gives to the poor
or lends to the needy does a better work than paying tithing;
|
44
|
Because love grows
by works of love, and man becomes better; but it is possible to pay
tithing and not grow in love, though more worthy of a
temple recommend.
|
45
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that he who sees a man in need,
and passes him by, and gives [his money] for tithing, opens not
the windows of heaven, but purchases the indignation of
God.
|
54
|
Injury is done the
Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or a longer time is spent on tithing
than on helping the poor and needy.
|
79
|
To say that the tithing
envelope, emblazoned with the official church logo, which is handed
out [by the preachers of tithing], is of equal worth with acts
of charity, is blasphemy.
|
Tithing is on Interest (Surplus)
46
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that unless they have more than
they need, they are bound to keep back what is necessary for their own
families, and by no means to squander it on tithing.
|
47
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that the determination of
what is surplus to be tithed is a matter of personal conscience, and
that tithing is a lesser law we should strive to replace by collectively
embracing the law of consecration.
|
50
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that if the prophet knew
the exactions of the tithing-on-gross-preachers, he would rather that the
newest temples under construction should go to ashes, than that they
should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.
|
51
|
Tithing should be transparent
56
|
The "tithing
funds of the Church," out of which the prophet builds
shopping malls, are not sufficiently named or known among the people of
Christ.
|
57
|
That they are not often
used to help the poor is certainly evident, for the presiding
bishopric does not pour out such treasures so easily, but only gathers
them.
|
The poor are more important than tithing
59
|
A saint once said that the treasures of the Church were the
Church's poor, but he spoke according to the usage of the word in his own
time.
|
65
|
Therefore the
treasures of the Gospel are nets with which they formerly were wont to fish
for men of riches.
|
66
|
The treasures of tithing
are nets with which they now fish for the riches of men.
|
68
|
Yet tithing in truth is the not very important
when compared with the importance
of helping the poor and needy.
|
Misuse of tithing is hurting the church
82
|
To wit: --
"Why does not the prophet use more than 1% of tithing funds
for humanitarian causes, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need
of people suffering from famine, war, and disease, if he collects
enough tithing to invest for the sake of miserable money with which to build
a 1.5 billion-dollar luxury shopping mall? The former
reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial."
|
84
|
Again: --
"What is this new piety of God and the prophet, that for money
they allow tithing to be spent on a luxury shopping mall that
is worldly and the essence of Babylon in order to keep
beggars away from Temple Square, and do not rather, because of a beggar’s
soul's own need, feed it with tithing money for pure love's
sake?"
|
86
|
Again: -- "Why
do not mission presidents, whose wealth tends to be greater
than the riches of most members, pay for gifts and housemaids with
their own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?"
|
90
|
To repress these
arguments and scruples of the membership by excommunication
alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the Church and
the prophet to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make the
latter-day saints unhappy.
|
We should embrace reform
92
|
Away, then, with
all those voices who say to the people of Christ, "All is well
in Zion," when all is not
well in Zion!
|
93
|
Blessed be all
those voices who say to the people of Christ, "Awake, awake,"
when there is no one awake!
|
94
|
The latter-day saints are to be exhorted that they be diligent in
following Christ, their Head, through loving their neighbor and helping
the poor;
|
95
|
And thus be
confident of entering into heaven rather through true charity, than
through the assurance of peace from paying tithing and receiving a current
temple recommend.
|
Full Comparison
Original Text
(October 31, 1517) |
LDS Analogy
(March 7, 2014) |
Theme / (Notes)
|
|
1.
|
Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said
Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be
repentance.
|
Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when he said
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, from the Latin
translation, was talking about repentance in the sense of changing
one's internal state of mind, indicating that repentance is a continual
process that we work on throughout our lives.
|
Repentance
|
2.
|
This word cannot be understood to mean
sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered
by the priests.
|
Repentance in this sense cannot be understood
to only mean confession to the Bishop and making restitution.
|
Repentance
|
3.
|
Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay,
there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers
mortifications of the flesh.
|
Yet, repentance is more than just an inward
feeling, because our inward feelings should lead us to outward actions.
|
Repentance
|
4.
|
The penalty, therefore, continues so long as
hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and
continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
|
Repentance requires us to continue to put off the natural man, which is true inward
repentance, and which continues until our entrance into the kingdom of
heaven.
|
Repentance
|
5.
|
The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot
remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own
authority or by that of the Canons.
|
The bishop does not intend to remit,
and cannot remit our need to feel sorrow for our sins and make
restitution, but he may issue a temple
recommend or advise us when to start taking the sacrament again,
by his own authority outlined in the Official
Handbook of Instructions.
|
Current Temple Recommend (CTR) ≠
Forgiveness
(Conciliatory)
|
6.
|
The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by
declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's
remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to
his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised,
the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.
|
The bishop cannot forgive our sins,
but he can testify of Christ’s power to forgive;
though, to be sure, he may grant a temple
recommend in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to
grant a temple recommend in such
cases were not respected, the guilt of
not having a temple recommend would remain entirely.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
(Conciliatory)
|
7.
|
God remits guilt to no one whom He does not,
at the same time, humble in all things and bring into subjection to His
vicar, the priest.
|
When we repent, God forgives us, and at the same time, we
are humbled in all things. The Handbook
says we are subject to the bishop for confession of more serious sins.
|
Repentance
(Conciliatory)
|
8.
|
The penitential canons are imposed only on the
living, and, according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.
|
N/A
|
|
9.
|
Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind
to us, because in his decrees he always makes exception of the article of
death and of necessity.
|
N/A
|
|
10.
|
Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those
priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for
purgatory.
|
N/A
|
|
11.
|
This changing of the canonical penalty to the
penalty of purgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while
the bishops slept.
|
N/A
|
|
12.
|
In former times the canonical penalties were
imposed not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.
|
N/A
|
|
13.
|
The dying are freed by death from all
penalties; they are already dead to canonical rules, and have a right to be
released from them.
|
N/A
|
|
14.
|
The imperfect health [of soul], that is to
say, the imperfect love, of the dying brings with it, of necessity, great
fear; and the smaller the love, the greater is the fear.
|
N/A
|
|
15.
|
This fear and horror is sufficient of itself
alone (to say nothing of other things) to constitute the penalty of
purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair.
|
N/A
|
|
16.
|
Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as
do despair, almost-despair, and the assurance of safety.
|
N/A
|
|
17.
|
With souls in purgatory it seems necessary
that horror should grow less and love increase.
|
N/A
|
|
18.
|
It seems unproved, either by reason or
Scripture, that they are outside the state of merit, that is to say, of
increasing love.
|
N/A
|
|
19.
|
Again, it seems unproved that they, or at
least that all of them, are certain or assured of their own blessedness, though
we may be quite certain of it.
|
N/A
|
|
20.
|
Therefore by "full remission of all
penalties" the pope means not actually "of all," but only of
those imposed by himself.
|
Therefore, by “current
temple recommend holder”, the prophet
means not actually “free of all sin”, but only able to worthily answer the temple recommend
interview questions.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
21.
|
Therefore those preachers of indulgences are
in error, who say that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from every
penalty, and saved;
|
Therefore, those are in error who preach
that anyone with a current temple recommend
will go to the Celestial kingdom.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
22.
|
Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no
penalty which, according to the canons, they would have had to pay in this life.
|
N/A
|
|
23.
|
If it is at all possible to grant to any one
the remission of all penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remission
can be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the very fewest.
|
N/A
|
|
24.
|
It must needs be, therefore, that the greater
part of the people are deceived by that indiscriminate and highsounding
promise of release from penalty.
|
It must needs be, therefore, that the greater
part of our members are deceived who
think that a current temple recommend automatically qualifies them for the Celestial Kingdom.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
25.
|
The power which the pope has, in a general
way, over purgatory, is just like the power which any bishop or curate has,
in a special way, within his own diocese or parish.
|
N/A
|
|
26.
|
The pope does well when he grants remission to
souls [in purgatory], not by the power of the keys (which he does not
possess), but by way of intercession.
|
N/A
|
|
27.
|
They preach man who say that so soon as the
penny jingles into the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory].
|
It is the doctrine of man and not God
to
say that so soon as the penny jingles into the tithing envelope, the soul becomes
fire-proof.
|
Tithing ≠ Fire Insurance
|
28.
|
It is certain that when the penny jingles into
the money-box, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the
intercession of the Church is in the power of God alone.
|
It is certain that when the penny jingles into
the tithing envelope, gain and
avarice can be increased, but the result of not
being burned at the second coming is in the power of God alone.
|
Tithing ≠ Fire Insurance
|
29.
|
Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory
wish to be bought out of it, as in the legend of Sts. Severinus and Paschal.
|
N/A
|
|
30.
|
No one is sure that his own contrition is
sincere; much less that he has attained full remission.
|
No one is sure that his own contrition is
sincere; much less that he has attained full remission.
|
Tithing ≠ Fire Insurance
|
31.
|
Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so
rare is also the man who truly buys indulgences, i.e., such men are most
rare.
|
N/A
|
|
32.
|
They will be condemned eternally, together
with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because
they have letters of pardon.
|
They will be condemned eternally, together
with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because
they have a current temple recommend.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
33.
|
Men must be on their guard against those who
say that the pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is
reconciled to Him;
|
Men must be on their guard against those who
say that the bishop’s temple recommends
are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to Him;
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
34.
|
For these "graces of pardon" concern
only the penalties of sacramental satisfaction, and these are appointed by
man.
|
N/A
|
|
35.
|
They preach no Christian doctrine who teach
that contrition is not necessary in those who intend to buy souls out of
purgatory or to buy confessionalia.
|
N/A
|
|
36.
|
Every truly repentant Christian has a right to
full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon.
|
Every truly repentant latter day saint has a right to full
remission of penalty and guilt, even without a
current temple recommend.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
37.
|
Every true Christian, whether living or dead,
has part in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted
him by God, even without letters of pardon.
|
Every true latter
day saint, whether living or
dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is
granted him by God, even without a current
temple recommend.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
38.
|
Nevertheless, the remission and participation
[in the blessings of the Church] which are granted by the pope are in no way
to be despised, for they are, as I have said, the declaration of divine
remission.
|
N/A
|
|
39.
|
It is most difficult, even for the very
keenest theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the people the
abundance of pardons and [the need of] true contrition.
|
It is most difficult, even for the very
keenest Mormon scholars, at one
and the same time to commend to the members
the safety of a current temple recommend
and [the need of] true contrition.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
40.
|
True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but
liberal pardons only relax penalties and cause them to be hated, or at least,
furnish an occasion [for hating them].
|
True contrition seeks and loves making restitution, but current temple recommends
that last for 2 years could relax the
perceived need for restitution and cause it to be neglected, or at least, furnish an
occasion [for neglecting it].
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
41.
|
Apostolic pardons are to be preached with
caution, lest the people may falsely think them preferable to other good
works of love.
|
Current temple recommends are to be preached
with caution, lest the people may falsely think them preferable to other good
works of love.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
42.
|
Christians are to be taught that the pope does
not intend the buying of pardons to be compared in any way to works of mercy.
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that
the prophet does not intend the paying of tithing to be compared in any
way to works of mercy.
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
|
43.
|
Christians are to be taught that he who gives
to the poor or lends to the needy does a better work than buying pardons;
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that
he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better work than paying tithing;
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
|
44.
|
Because love grows by works of love, and man
becomes better; but by pardons man does not grow better, only more free from
penalty.
|
Because love grows by works of love, and man
becomes better; but it is possible to pay tithing and not grow in love, though
more worthy of a temple recommend.
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
|
45.
|
Christians are to be taught that he who sees a
man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases
not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God.
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that
he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for tithing, opens
not the windows of heaven, but purchases the
indignation of God.
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
|
46.
|
Christians are to be taught that unless they
have more than they need, they are bound to keep back what is necessary for
their own families, and by no means to squander it on pardons.
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that
unless they have more than they need, they are bound to keep back what is
necessary for their own families, and by no means to squander it on tithing.
|
Tithing is on Interest (Surplus)
|
47.
|
Christians are to be taught that the buying of
pardons is a matter of free will, and not of commandment.
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that
the determination of what is surplus to be
tithed is a matter of personal
conscience, and that tithing is a lesser law we should strive to replace by
collectively embracing the law of consecration.
|
Tithing is on Interest (Surplus)
|
48.
|
Christians are to be taught that the pope, in
granting pardons, needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer for him
more than the money they bring.
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that
the prophet, in authorizing bishops to grant temple recommends,
needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer for him more than the money
their recommends bring (through encouraging the payment of tithing).
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
|
49.
|
Christians are to be taught that the pope's
pardons are useful, if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether
harmful, if through them they lose their fear of God.
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that
current temple recommends are
useful, if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether harmful, if
through them they lose their fear of God.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
50.
|
Christians are to be taught that if the pope
knew the exactions of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that St. Peter's
church should go to ashes, than that it should be built up with the skin,
flesh and bones of his sheep.
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that
if the prophet knew the exactions
of the tithing-on-gross-preachers,
he would rather that the newest temples
under construction should go to ashes, than that they
should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.
|
Tithing is on Interest (Surplus)
(Conciliatory, wishful thinking)
|
51.
|
Christians are to be taught that it would be
the pope's wish, as it is his duty, to give of his own money to very many of
those from whom certain hawkers of pardons cajole money, even though the church of St. Peter might have to be sold.
|
The latter-day saints are to be taught that
it would be the prophet’s wish,
as it is his duty, to give of his own money to very many of those from whom many leaders and members cajole tithing-on-gross, even though the Salt Lake Temple might have to be sold.
|
Tithing is on Interest (Surplus)
(Conciliatory, wishful thinking)
|
52.
|
The assurance of salvation by letters of
pardon is vain, even though the commissary, nay, even though the pope
himself, were to stake his soul upon it.
|
The assurance of salvation by a current temple recommend is vain, even
though the bishop, nay, even
though the prophet himself, were
to stake his soul upon it.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
53.
|
They are enemies of Christ and of the pope,
who bid the Word of God be altogether silent in some Churches, in order that
pardons may be preached in others.
|
They are enemies of Christ and of the prophet, who bid scriptures about helping the poor and needy
be altogether silent in some Meetinghouses, in order that tithing may be preached instead.
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
|
54.
|
Injury is done the Word of God when, in the
same sermon, an equal or a longer time is spent on pardons than on this Word.
|
Injury is done the Word of God when, in the
same sermon, an equal or a longer time is spent on tithing than on helping the
poor and needy.
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
|
55.
|
It must be the intention of the pope that if
pardons, which are a very small thing, are celebrated with one bell, with
single processions and ceremonies, then the Gospel, which is the very
greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred
processions, a hundred ceremonies.
|
It must be the intention of the prophet that if tithing, which is a very small thing, is
celebrated with one bell, with single processions and ceremonies, then the
Gospel of loving our neighbor and helping
those in need, which is the very greatest thing, should be
preached with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
(Conciliatory)
|
56.
|
The "treasures of the Church," out
of which the pope grants indulgences, are not sufficiently named or known
among the people of Christ.
|
The "tithing funds of the
Church," out of which the prophet builds shopping malls, are not
sufficiently named or known among the people of Christ.
|
Tithing should be transparent
(All church funds derive originally from
tithing)
|
57.
|
That they are not temporal treasures is
certainly evident, for many of the vendors do not pour out such treasures so
easily, but only gather them.
|
That they are not often used to help the poor is certainly evident, for the presiding bishopric does not
pour out such treasures so easily, but only gathers them.
|
Tithing should be transparent
|
58.
|
Nor are they the merits of Christ and the Saints, for even without the pope, these always work grace for the
inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outward man.
|
N/A
|
|
59.
|
St. Lawrence said that the treasures of the
Church were the Church's poor, but he spoke according to the usage of the
word in his own time.
|
A saint once said that the
treasures of the Church were the Church's poor, but he spoke according to the
usage of the word in his own time.
|
The poor are more important than tithing
|
60.
|
Without rashness we say that the keys of the
Church, given by Christ's merit, are that treasure;
|
Without rashness we say that the keys of the
Church, given by Christ's merit, are that treasure;
|
The poor are more important than tithing
|
61.
|
For it is clear that for the remission of
penalties and of reserved cases, the power of the pope is of itself sufficient.
|
N/A
|
|
62.
|
The true treasure of the Church is the Most
Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God.
|
The true treasure of the Church is the Most
Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God.
|
The poor are more important than tithing
|
63.
|
But this treasure is naturally most odious,
for it makes the first to be last.
|
N/A
|
|
64.
|
On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences
is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.
|
N/A
|
|
65.
|
Therefore the treasures of the Gospel are nets
with which they formerly were wont to fish for men of riches.
|
Therefore the treasures of the Gospel are nets
with which they formerly were wont to fish for men of riches.
|
The poor are more important than tithing
|
66.
|
The treasures of the indulgences are nets with
which they now fish for the riches of men.
|
The treasures of tithing are nets with which they now fish for the riches of
men.
|
The poor are more important than tithing
|
67.
|
The indulgences which the preachers cry as the
"greatest graces" are known to be truly such, in so far as they
promote gain.
|
N/A
|
|
68.
|
Yet they are in truth the very smallest graces
compared with the grace of God and the piety of the Cross.
|
Yet tithing
in truth is the not very
important when compared with the importance
of helping the poor and needy.
|
The poor are more important than tithing
|
69.
|
Bishops and curates are bound to admit the
commissaries of apostolic pardons, with all reverence.
|
Bishops and Stake
Presidents are bound to admit the visiting
General Authority, with all reverence.
|
The poor are more important than tithing
|
70.
|
But still more are they bound to strain all
their eyes and attend with all their ears, lest these men preach their own
dreams instead of the commission of the pope.
|
But still more are they bound to strain all
their eyes and attend with all their ears, lest these men preach tithing more frequently than they preach about
charity.
|
The poor are more important than tithing
|
71.
|
He who speaks against the truth of apostolic
pardons, let him be anathema and accursed!
|
N/A
|
|
72.
|
But he who guards against the lust and license
of the pardon-preachers, let him be blessed!
|
He who guards against the over-emphasis on and misuse of tithing
by church leaders, let him be blessed!
|
Tithing Should be Transparent
|
73.
|
The pope justly thunders against those who, by
any art, contrive the injury of the traffic in pardons.
|
The prophet
justly thunders against those who, by any art, say that tithing is not a true principle.
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
(Conciliatory)
|
74.
|
But much more does he intend to thunder
against those who use the pretext of pardons to contrive the injury of holy
love and truth.
|
But much more does the prophet intend to thunder against those who equate tithing with charity.
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
(Conciliatory)
|
75.
|
To think the papal pardons so great that they
could absolve a man even if he had committed an impossible sin and violated
the Mother of God -- this is madness.
|
To think a
current temple recommend so great that it could absolve a
man even if he had suffered a beggar to put
up his petition in vain -- this is madness.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
76.
|
We say, on the contrary, that the papal
pardons are not able to remove the very least of venial sins, so far as its
guilt is concerned.
|
We say, on the contrary, that a current temple recommend is not
able to remove the very least of minor sins, so far as its guilt is
concerned.
|
CTR ≠ Forgiveness
|
77.
|
It is said that even St. Peter, if he were now
Pope, could not bestow greater graces; this is blasphemy against St. Peter
and against the pope.
|
N/A
|
|
78.
|
We say, on the contrary, that even the present
pope, and any pope at all, has greater graces at his disposal; to wit, the
Gospel, powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written in I. Corinthians
xii.
|
N/A
|
|
79.
|
To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal
arms, which is set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth
with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.
|
To say that the tithing envelope, emblazoned with the official church logo, which is handed
out [by the preachers of tithing],
is of equal worth with acts of charity,
is blasphemy.
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
|
80.
|
The bishops, curates and theologians who allow
such talk to be spread among the people, will have an account to render.
|
The bishops, stake
presidents and church scholars who allow such talk to be spread
among the latter-day saints, will have an account to render.
|
Tithing ≠ Charity
|
81.
|
This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it
no easy matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope
from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity.
|
This unbridled preaching of tithing makes it no easy matter, even for
learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the prophet from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings
of the membership.
|
Misuse of tithing is hurting the church
(Conciliatory)
|
82.
|
To wit: -- "Why does not the pope empty
purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that
are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of
miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be
most just; the latter is most trivial."
|
To wit: -- "Why does not the prophet use
more than 1% of tithing funds for humanitarian causes, for the
sake of holy love and of the dire need of people
suffering from famine, war, and disease, if he collects enough tithing to invest for the
sake of miserable money with which to build a 1.5 billion-dollar luxury
shopping mall? The former reasons would be most just; the latter
is most trivial."
|
Misuse of tithing is hurting the church
|
83.
|
Again: -- "Why are mortuary and
anniversary masses for the dead continued, and why does he not return or
permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded on their behalf, since it is
wrong to pray for the redeemed?"
|
N/A
|
|
84.
|
Again: -- "What is this new piety of God
and the pope, that for money they allow a man who is impious and their enemy
to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God, and do not rather,
because of that pious and beloved soul's own need, free it for pure love's
sake?"
|
Again: -- "What is this new piety of God
and the prophet, that for money
they allow tithing to be spent on a
luxury shopping mall that is worldly and the essence of Babylon,
in order to keep beggars away
from Temple Square, and do not rather, because of a beggar’s soul's own need, feed it with tithing money for
pure love's sake?"
|
Misuse of tithing is hurting the church
|
85.
|
Again: -- "Why are the penitential canons
long since in actual fact and through disuse abrogated and dead, now
satisfied by the granting of indulgences, as though they were still alive and
in force?"
|
N/A
|
|
86.
|
Again: -- "Why does not the pope, whose
wealth is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one
church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor
believers?"
|
Again: -- "Why do not mission presidents, whose wealth tends to be greater than the riches of most members,
pay for gifts and housemaids with their own money, rather than with the
money of poor believers?"
|
Misuse of tithing is hurting the church
|
87.
|
Again: -- "What is it that the pope
remits, and what participation does he grant to those who, by perfect
contrition, have a right to full remission and participation?"
|
Again: -- "What is it that tithing remits, and what temple participation does it grant to those who, by perfect
contrition, have a right to full remission and temple participation?"
|
Why is tithing a temple recommend question?
|
88.
|
Again: -- "What greater blessing could
come to the Church than if the pope were to do a hundred times a day what he
now does once, and bestow on every believer these remissions and
participations?"
|
Again: -- "What greater blessing could
come to the Church than if the bishops
were to do a hundred times a day what they now do once, and
bestow on otherwise worthy members who can’t afford to pay tithing
a temple recommend?"
|
Why is tithing a temple recommend question?
|
89.
|
"Since the pope, by his pardons, seeks
the salvation of souls rather than money, why does he suspend the indulgences
and pardons granted heretofore, since these have equal efficacy?"
|
"Since the prophet, by his temple
recommends, seeks the salvation of souls rather than money, why
does he suspend the temple recommends granted heretofore, if a member can’t afford to pay tithing?"
|
Why is tithing a temple recommend question?
|
90.
|
To repress these arguments and scruples of the
laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose
the Church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make
Christians unhappy.
|
To repress these arguments and scruples of the
membership by excommunication alone, and not to resolve
them by giving reasons, is to expose the Church and the prophet to the ridicule of their enemies,
and to make the latter-day saints
unhappy.
|
Excommunicating members who question hurts the
church
|
91.
|
If, therefore, pardons were preached according
to the spirit and mind of the pope, all these doubts would be readily
resolved; nay, they would not exist.
|
If, therefore, tithing was preached according to the spirit and mind
of the scriptures, all these
doubts would be readily resolved; nay, they would not exist.
|
We should embrace reform
|
92.
|
Away, then, with all those prophets who say to
the people of Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is no peace!
|
Away, then, with all those voices who say to the people of Christ,
"All is well in Zion," when
all is not well in Zion!
|
We should embrace reform
|
93.
|
Blessed be all those prophets who say to the
people of Christ, "Cross, cross," and there is no cross!
|
Blessed be all those voices who say to the people of Christ,
"Awake, awake," when
there is no one awake!
|
We should embrace reform
|
94.
|
Christians are to be exhorted that they be
diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and
hell;
|
The latter-day saints are to be exhorted
that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through loving their neighbor and helping the poor;
|
We should embrace reform
|
95.
|
And thus be confident of entering into heaven
rather through many tribulations, than through the assurance of peace.
|
And thus be confident of entering into heaven
rather through true charity, than
through the assurance of peace from paying
tithing and receiving a current temple recommend.
|
We should embrace reform
|
