Re: Synagogue Membership Dues vs. Christian/Catholic payment system.

MJ wrote:
> [1] Can someone explain to us any Jewish historical reasoning behind
> synagogue dues? [2] Is this in the Bible or is it a recent trend? [3] Does
> anyone know how Catholic churches or other Christian churches manage on
> donations alone? [4] Is there more guilt involved with Catholics regarding
> this aspect?

[1] I can't speak to this question.

[2] I doubt that synagogue dues are found in the Tanach, but there may
be something about this in the Talmud. There is also a condemnation in
the New Testament of those who "love uppermost rooms at the feasts and
the chief seats in the synagogues." (Matthew 23:6). From this one
might conclude that as early as the first century C.E, there may have
been something similar to synagogue dues. I learned through an earlier
conversation in this forum "Purim Fundraiser Program"
(http://tinyurl.com/b53ks) that the Biblical concept of tithes is well
established in Judaism. As far as I understand, however, since the
destruction of the second temple, there has been no central authority
for receiving tithes. Thus many worthy Jewish programs and
institutions compete for the individual's tithe.

[3] I commented in the Purim Fundraise Program" thread on what a
relief it was to members of my church (LDS), when, about 1990, our
leaders announced an end to most fundraising projects. Henceforth most
church programs would be funded by tithes. It has worked wonderfully!
But we have a concept of an individual (our bishop -- the lay leader of
our local congregation) who is "steward" over the "Lord's Storehouse."
We give our contributions privately to him, and he forwards our
contributions directly to Salt Lake City. From there all funds are
disbursed according to guidelines established by the "Council on the
Disposition of the Tithes," comprising the 18 highest authorities of
the Church. There are several other funds listed on our donation
receipt to which we can also freely contribute, but only one of them is
considered obligatory -- the "fast offering" for the relief of the
poor, and none of them is to be "deducted" from the tithe.

All building projects are also closely supervised by central church
authority. Meeting houses vary in design to meet local needs and
regulations, but they all have a distinct "look" according to the era
in which they were built, and they are not fancier in wealthy areas
than in poor areas. (My least favorite is the current "indoor
racetrack" design, where a continuous oval hallway surrounds central
large meeting rooms, with classrooms and offices around the outside.
Needless to say, the kids love it!) If you fly into Salt Lake City you
will see dozens of them scattered across the landscape below. LDS have
automatic membership in the ward within whose geographic boundaries
they reside -- thus we can't "shop around" for a more "liberal" bishop
or a more "compatible" congregation. (The bishop will be released and
replaced within about five years, anyway.)

The Book of Mormon has a story about a group of "Zoramites" that broke
off from the "Nephites" and established a culture based on class
distinction by wealth. The poor laborers who built their houses of
worship were excluded from worshipping in them. (Alma 31-35.) (If
you're a geocacher, you'll need to be familiar with this story to
understand the decrypted hint for the geocache "The Power of the
Wasatch," waypoint GCGN8H, which happens to be just a few hundred feet
from my father's home in Provo, Utah.) I suspect that the story of the
"Zoramites" is why our leaders keep such a close watch on construction
programs and geographic boundaries, and why other religions sometimes
run into the "expensive synagogue" problem.

[4] I can't speak for Catholics, but since they also have a central
authority, I suspect that their willingness to part with their funds
relates to the LDS situation and depends on the amount of confidence
they have in their leaders. Our donation form specifically states that
we have no control over the distribution of our donations. The
principle of the tithe is firmly taught in the Tanach, from Bere***
(Abraham to Melchizidek) to Malechi, and LDS leaders frequently teach
it, but I myself have never felt any "guilt" in the matter. Attendance
at weekly worship services is open to all, member and non-member alike,
but payment of tithing is one requirement for admission to our temples
(members by recommend only.) Since the temple is central to our
religion, we have a strong incentive to contribute a full tithe.

One thing that has bothered me somewhat in visits to houses of worship,
both Jewish and Christian, is the abundance of plaques acknowledging
funding of this or that feature or program by various individuals.
Often the contribution is in memory of a departed loved one, but I
can't help but think that this practice might place a stumbling stone
of temptation to pride or vanity in the individual's personal path of
righteousness. I personally favor making our giving as anonymous as
possible.

Tracy Hall
hthalljr'gmail'com

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