Paying Debt vs. Tithing

My lovely friend Shawnya asked me to give my thoughts on an article that discusses which is more important, paying debt or tithing?

This is kind of a double-edged sword as I have several small opinions regarding tithing in general. I think tithing is a good thing, but I don’t think people should have a set amount they are expected to give.

So should you tithe while paying down debt? Yes and no.

I agree with the article in that you should want to tithe. If you don’t go to church or are an atheist or something, then tithe to a charity organization for a topic you feel strongly about (diabetes, cancer, animal shelters, etc). The point is to give freely, not feel required to give. The more you allow yourself to share and help others, the more positive things will happen to you (I firmly believe that).

However I don’t think you should tithe while aggressively paying down debt. I haven’t been tithing to my church as much this year (I do still give what I can -when- I can), but I do supplement that with volunteer activities instead. That way I am still giving to my church, even if I can’t give much financially. If you still want to help out your church or organization of choice, then volunteer while paying down debt.

My biggest reason for not tithing while aggressively paying debt is the stress. Money is a huge issue for a lot of people, heck it’s like the #1 cause for divorce. It really brings people down, forces them to make desperate decisions, etc. If someone (like me) is really focused on paying down their debt with every extra cent they have, then I think they should only focus on the debt.

I also think it is a job of spiritual leaders/clergy in general to support their members with encouragement and/or education to become debt free. Not only that, but we need to lead by example. I’m not going to preach to my church about fiscal responsibility if I have none of my own.

The more you can get your congregation to work towards being debt free, the more donations you’ll be able to receive in the future. I posted about teaching the folk financial responsibility, and they will give money back in January. I followed that by teaching a workshop on basic personal finance as my birthday gift to the Grove back in April.

However, if you are casually paying down debt then you should tithe if tithing is your thing. By casual I mean the people who are either just paying off small balances now and then, or more specifically those who claim hardship yet don’t do anything about it.

I’ve been in the hardship category, but I took an honest look at where I was and I made the necessary changes. Even now I know people who are struggling with bills and then still going out to eat, or still going to festivals, or buying toys and goodies for themselves at places like Ren Faires. Sure it’s okay to buy yourself a treat now and then, but these are the same people that use that excuse once a week. It’s no longer a treat if it’s affecting your financial status.

People who don’t do anything about their debt problems are most likely not ever going to, at least not for a long while if ever. Thus if they don’t tithe now because of debt, then they most certainly never will because they will always be in debt.

And naturally if you are blessed to be debt free, sure I think people should donate. I mean it’s not like you can take it with you (Well, the karma maybe).