Lynn G. Robbins, LDS Seventy and Elder, spoke at General Conference in April 2005. He emphasizes that even the poorest members of the Mormon Church should pay tithing, regardless of their financial hardship. While Robbins likely intended to encourage strong faith and commitment, his approach creates a predatory framework that pressures the financially vulnerable into contributions that exacerbate their hardship. It portrays God as one who values financial offerings over human compassion and practical support, which alienates believers facing real struggles. A more balanced, compassionate stance might emphasize tithing for those with sufficient means (as it was originally intended).
One reason the Lord illustrates doctrines with the most extreme circumstances is to eliminate excuses. If the Lord expects even the poorest widow to pay her mite, where does that leave all others who find that it is not convenient or easy to sacrifice?
No bishop, no missionary should ever hesitate or lack the faith to teach the law of tithing to the poor. The sentiment of “They can’t afford to” needs to be replaced with “They can’t afford not to.”
One of the first things a bishop must do to help the needy is ask them to pay their tithing. Like the widow, if a destitute family is faced with the decision of paying their tithing or eating, they should pay their tithing. The bishop can help them with their food and other basic needs until they become self-reliant.
Elder Lynn G. Robbins, LDS Seventy, Tithing—a Commandment Even for the Destitute, General Conference April 2005
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2005/04/tithing-a-commandment-even-for-the-destitute?lang=eng
He argues that if God expects even a poor widow to pay her mite, then all members, regardless of their financial situation, should do the same. But this approach, while maybe well-intentioned, has some unintended and potentially harmful consequences.
Lynn G. Robbins
Lynn G. Robbins is an emeritus General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and a successful entrepreneur. Robbins was born on October 27, 1952, in Payson, Utah. He co-founded the Franklin Quest Company in 1983, which later merged with Stephen R. Covey’s Covey Leadership Center to form FranklinCovey, a global consulting and training firm known for popularizing time management and leadership development tools, including the famous Franklin Planner.Robbins was sustained as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy in 1997 and served in various capacities, including as a mission president and in church leadership assignments across the world. His business acumen, combined with his religious teachings, often focused on principles of integrity, accountability, and ethical leadership. Known for his wealth and influence within both business and religious spheres, Robbins played a prominent role in integrating faith-based values into corporate success. He was granted emeritus status in 2019, concluding over two decades of service as a General Authority.
As a general authority, and a mission president, Robbins has been financially compensated by the church. Is it ethical that he, a paid minister of the church, a church that claims no paid ministry, says the destitute should pay the church before even feeding their own children?
Pressure on the Vulnerable
Robbins’ suggestion that even the poorest members should pay tithing, even if it means choosing between tithing and essential needs like food, creates a burden on people already in tough financial situations—like single parents or those below the poverty line. This message implies that spiritual commitment is demonstrated through financial sacrifice, regardless of personal hardship. This leads to increased financial stress and exploits faith and guilt. Asking families struggling to make ends meet to contribute financially pushes them further into hardship, debt, and potentially even homelessness. Framing tithing as an obligation, regardless of circumstances, might lead members to feel that they must pay, even if it leaves them unable to care for their family, out of fear of spiritual failure or guilt over “lacking faith.” Does God really want families to go hungry so the church can grow their hedge funds and hundred-billion-dollar rainy day funds?
This is completely unnerving when we consider that when tithing was instituted as a requirement in the church, the church president at the time, Lorenzo Snow, pleaded with the members that every man, woman, and child who has means should pay one-tenth of their income as tithing. This quote is used today in the church, however it is altered from the original intent and the “who has means” is omitted, making the tithing a requirement for everyone despite their means.
Fostering Shame and Judgment
Robbins’ stance on tithing encourages a culture of judgment and shame, where people who aren’t paying tithing are viewed as less faithful. This creates a dangerous mindset. People who are genuinely struggling financially then feel judged and even shunned by their church community, simply because they can’t meet this financial expectation. Bishops are tasked with counseling and uplifting their congregants, but when the first “help” they provide is telling someone to pay tithing, it leaves members feeling abandoned. This approach makes church leaders more interested in collecting funds than providing meaningful support.
Missing Compassionate Support
This perspective emphasizes financial contributions over practical help or righteousness. Is the church’s role a place of sanctuary and support or an organization that requires membership support above all else? Instead of seeing church resources as something to help lift people out of poverty, this approach insists that members shoulder the financial burden. Religious communities are often seen as safe places that offer tangible assistance, but this view shows that the institution’s finances are prioritized over members’ immediate needs. Church leaders are expected to support their congregations, but asking them to push tithing on financially struggling members must at some level lead to cognitive dissonance, especially when they see people suffering due to this approach.
Reducing Faith to a Transaction
Requiring tithing from the destitute reduces faith to a transaction—give to God, and He’ll bless you in return. This is called the prosperity gospel, which distorts the core tenets of faith by making it about a financial exchange instead of about love, compassion, empathy, and community. When financial sacrifice is presented as a necessary condition for spiritual blessings, it sets a tone that implies spiritual worth or divine favor depends on financial contribution or essentially a pay-to-play church. For someone struggling financially, the idea that tithing will magically “repay” them will lead to disillusionment if material blessings don’t follow, resulting in guilt, shame, and even a loss of faith. That is unless the individuals put the issue on their shelf and soldier on, making their financial struggle harder, while enriching the church coffers even more.
Portrayal of Need
President Hinckley adds to this with the portrayal that the church has needs which are always greater than the availability of tithing funds. If this was the case when he said it, today, there is no way it is. The church has over a hundred billion dollars in what they call a rainy day fund which they keep secret from the members and even the government, they were fined five Million dollars last year for it.
While Robbins likely means to encourage strong faith and trust, this approach lacks understanding and compassion. Sadly, his claim is not unique to him, it is the shared cultural understanding of tithing in the Mormon church, thanks to his talk and many others in alignment with it. Rather than meeting people where they are, this black-and-white view of tithing alienates those who genuinely want to contribute but may be struggling to meet basic needs. Presenting tithing as an absolute requirement overlooks the difficult financial realities that many members face. This more likely pushes them away from the church rather than welcomes them in. Bishops and other leaders are meant to provide comfort, guidance, and understanding. Insisting on tithing above all else makes these leaders out of touch with the real needs of their congregation.
While Robbins may be encouraging people to show faith through sacrifice, his approach places an undue burden on people already struggling. Prioritizing financial offerings over compassion can create a framework that feels predatory to some, exploiting their faith in a way that doesn’t consider their immediate wellbeing. A more balanced approach could prioritize helping those in need, uplifting them, and welcoming them, rather than asking them to give at any cost.
Looks at the church positions on financial matters, it becomes much easier to see the church as more of a corporation than a church. They famously state that “the church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints” but it’s more like a corporation for the tax shelters than either. No wonder when you look at the history of the church and realize that the church was founded by a treasure digging con artist named Joseph Smith. The church has not strayed far from its roots since he established it, and it continues to be a money-making enterprise masquerading as a church, even though the claim is that every other church is only “playing church“.
What are your thoughts and experiences with tithing in the Mormon church? Did you ascribe to the prosperity gospel and pay the church before feeding your children? Did you question the motives of a church that cared more about being paid than about the health and well-being of your family or your ability to care for them? Did you see your parents pay tithing while you went hungry or were the miracle stories true and when you had paid tithing, the checks came in for the exact amount needed to stay off the streets? Please share your thoughts in the comments below or consider sharing your full “I was a Mormon” story at wasmormon.org.
More reading:
- The Prosperity Gospel and Tithing
- The Tithing … Ellipsis
- Let’s Go Shopping – City Creek Center and Tithing
- LDS Church’s Misstated Filings to SEC Approved by First Presidency
- Development of Mormon Tithing – From Meager Origins to Ensign Peak Billions
- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2005/04/tithing-a-commandment-even-for-the-destitute?lang=eng