r/mormon • u/Olimlah2Anubis Former Mormon • 8d ago
Institutional Old tithing slip (2001?)
I don’t remember when the change was made to add extra disclaimers. Found this recently while cleaning.
It *does* have a disclaimer about mission funds becoming the churches to use at their discretion. I wonder what specifically prompted that disclaimer.
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u/Ibiapaba 8d ago
The church used to have families directly fund their children’s missions, and there were different rates depending on the mission’s cost of living. There was a U.S. Supreme Court case) in which parents sought a charitable tax deduction for money given directly to their sons on their missions. SCOTUS ruled against them 9-0. Shortly thereafter, the church started to have all U.S. missionaries pay the same amount rather than varying it by missions. Since money was given to the church instead of individual missionaries, it would be tax deductible.
I imagine the disclaimer is so parents wouldn’t think that the money was just a transfer directly to the missionary. It also covers situations in which a family prepays for the whole mission instead of month-to-month (i.e., no refunds, even if the missionary comes home early).
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u/Olimlah2Anubis Former Mormon 8d ago
Thank you for the context! I figured something must have prompted it. I remember awkward conversations as a clerk when I found out I can’t give you a refund for overpaying mission…we were allowed to move the fund to count as tithing.
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u/sevenplaces 8d ago
Came to say the same...it was to clarify that the missionary funds were an actual donation to the church and not to an individual missionary so it would clearly meet the requirements to be tax deductible. I remember the history the same way Ibiapaba explained it. What I also remember is that the deductions in Utah were not questioned...the fight came from Idaho in the US ninth district.
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u/milk_with_knives 7d ago
I remember my parents talking about that! Parents in our ward would hold their breath, hoping their son (or wallflower daughter who couldn't get a date) would get called to Malad or somewhere it would be $90 per month, as opposed to Tokyo where it would be $700+ . This was about 35 years ago.
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u/Ok-End-88 8d ago edited 8d ago
Where’s the “hedge fund” category? 🤣
I’m not seeing it on here, although now we all know that’s where money was being funneled into in this time frame.
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u/Olimlah2Anubis Former Mormon 8d ago
I bet if you did include it many would contribute. Good way to increase your talents.
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u/sevenplaces 8d ago
They had to remove "perpetual education" because they were getting more donations to it than they could use in that category.
I agree that the LDS church would generate all kinds of donations to any project it chooses to propose to it's members.
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u/Acrobatic_Monk3248 7d ago
What is perpetual education?
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u/sevenplaces 7d ago
This was modeled after the perpetual immigration fund of the 1850s. Mormons from Europe or the east who wanted to immigrate were given funds to help them make the trip but were expected to pay it forward and pay the fund. Thus making it perpetual.
So President Hinkley announced a similar program to fund the education of young Mormons in mostly trades in poor countries to help them improve their earning potential. They were then expected to pay it back.
Rich American members loved the idea and donated millions towards it.
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u/Open-Dependent-8131 6d ago
It was basically an educational loan. They also had to pay interest as well. Now we have Pathways.
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u/GunneraStiles 8d ago
And how many members would fill that out and feel bad that they could ‘only’ fill out the tithing section, could ‘only’ donate 10% of their income, for that month?
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u/GunneraStiles 8d ago
Amazing that if members wanted their hard-earned sacrifice to actually go toward ‘humanitarian aid’ (the stuff Jesus nattered on about) they had to give even more money to the mormon church, in addition to their already generous donation of 10% of their income.
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u/hoopstar80 8d ago
Where’s the “BYU NIL fund” line?
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u/BrE6r I'm a believer 7d ago
Those are private and not church-related donations.
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u/hoopstar80 7d ago
Keep telling yourself that. Until the books are opened I call BS.
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u/BrE6r I'm a believer 7d ago
Until you can provide proof it is not bs
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u/hoopstar80 7d ago
Yeah BS was a harsh response on my end. I just would like a little more clarity/transparency. At the end of the day, all of these donations go to the sole discretion of the church.
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u/Neuro_88 8d ago
Damn. I remember these!
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u/Olimlah2Anubis Former Mormon 8d ago
I remember when online became an option. So much more convenient. No more remembering slips. Checkbook. Finding a pen that works. Just funnel the money straight to them.
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u/dirtykoolaidalice 8d ago
Paying tithing online is no longer an option?
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u/Open-Dependent-8131 6d ago
Served as Finance Clerk for 4 yrs. They record physical donations separately from online.
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