Top entertainment personalities share their views on payment of tithes in churches, and giving to the needy
Tithe is emotional blackmail by pastors – Femi Kuti
I believe that you should give people whatever you want to give them personally. Go and help the poor and motherless babies’ home personally; why do you have to give it to your pastor? Don’t you think we have enough churches in the country? There are so many sick people in hospitals that need money, and if you help those people, you are doing God’s work. That is my belief.
My wife and I pay tithe – Julius Agwu
The truth is that I pay tithe. Anybody that has money and knows that God has blessed him or her should pay tithe. I believe that Satan is working overtime right now, and he can work through anybody; whether your classmate or anyone close to you. We have to be on our guard. Have you ever heard any arguments about tithe before in all these years? We are in an era where Satan can use anybody. Imagine that after so many years, it is now that someone is coming out to say that it is not Biblical to pay tithe. My wife and I pay tithe and we will continue to do so. It is your relationship with God that matters. Do not get carried away by what other people are saying or doing. It is written that everybody would be judged. Whether you pay tithe, or you decide to give money to the needy, inasmuch as you determine in your heart that you are doing it for God; that is what matters. Whatever you do for others, will also be done to you. That you are breathing and alive is not by your making; it is God’s doing. A lot of people have gone, and I would have been gone too. God will judge everybody, whether we pay tithe or not. If you are well-to-do, pay your tithe; there is nothing wrong with that. If you also decide not to pay tithe, nobody would question you.
Paying tithe is a form of giving – Antar Laniyan
Anytime I go to church, I pay tithe. I don’t believe that you are cursed if you don’t pay tithe. Only God can determine anybody’s death. Pastors are not God. The way anybody’s life would turn out is all in God’s hands.
I would even love to leave church and mosque out of it; I believe there is nothing wrong with giving. Paying tithe is also a form of giving, so whether you pay tithe in church, or you give alms to the poor, it doesn’t matter. All I know is that there is something good in giving.
I don’t pay tithes, but give offerings – Ik Ogbonna
Personally, I don’t pay tithe and I have never paid tithe in my life. I believe that whatever you do for human beings, you are also doing it for God, so I give to people that I know require help.
I believe that nobody owns your life and nobody can curse you. Everyone’s relationship with God is personal. What matters is your belief. If you believe that the pastor would help your life, then keep giving to the pastor. But if you believe that giving to the poor would help you, keep giving to the poor. No one tells me what to do, and what not to do. I do what I believe in, not what anybody suggests. I believe in helping people and changing the society around me. I believe that I should allow people around me, and those that are not even related to me in anyway, to benefit from whatever God has given me. Whenever I go to church, I give offerings and also make donations when necessary.
I have no problem with those who don’t pay tithe -Uti Nwachukwu
I do things that work for me. I don’t need to let people know if I pay tithe or not because it should be a covenant with God. If you think paying of tithe doesn’t work for you and you don’t fancy it, it is fine. But if it works for you, you should go ahead. I don’t even understand why this has become an issue. If you think churches are cheating people, do you have your facts? I don’t say things I don’t know anything about and we should be careful of what comes out of our mouth whenever God is involved. Also, everyone is answerable to God at the end of the day. I don’t have any problem with people who don’t pay tithe. Different things work for different people.
Paying tithes is the right thing to do – Olu Jacobs
On a general note, it is not a bad idea to pay tithe because it is used to maintain the association or organisation as the case may be. But some of the churches get carried away and make different demands in the name of tithing. Our constitution in Nigeria allows freedom of religion, and since Christianity, which is one of the religions recognised by the nation’s law, encourages payment of tithe, then it is the right thing to do. It however depends on individuals. If some people don’t want it, they should kick against it. I believe, in some cases, they (some churches) don’t do anything meaningful with the money but it is left to the people to take actions accordingly. I pay tithe, but that is between my God and I. Even when I do it in the church, I don’t attach my name to it. If the economy is buoyant enough and people are gainfully employed, paying of tithe may not generate issues. But since everyone finds things very difficult these days, they look for where there are excesses. Unfortunately, tithing comes under such category if one looks at the way some churches handle it. I believe that the church will now look inward and correct certain things so that we can continue to worship our God the way we were raised.
Tithing is meant for farmers and the wealthy – Yemi Solade
I am not a religious person; I don’t like religion at all. I don’t even go to church again because I got tired at some point. I only have conversations with my God by praying to Him. The church just needs my money and I don’t understand why I should continue to give them my money. I went to a Bible school and I had a distinction in theology. I was born into an Orthodox church and later changed to a Pentecostal church. I have seen what tithing has become and I am not happy about it. In my opinion, tithing is only meant for farmers and wealthy people. Since I am not wealthy and I am not a farmer, why do I have to part with my money? I am not a regular income earner and I don’t earn salary too. If I go to church and I want to part with some money, I do, but it shouldn’t be mandatory. Even God understands that I don’t have to pay tithe.
People only go to the Bible to extract a part that works for their selfish interest. In the New Testament, they say old things have passed away. If tithing is in the Old Testament and all the old things have passed away, why should I be in any financial bondage? I can donate my script as an actor to the church and they can do whatever they want with it. But I don’t have money to give a church because we’ve seen all that these churches have become. If you want to send your child to schools owned by these churches, you may not be able to afford it despite being a committed member. Some churches even have Point of Sale machines to collect money from people. This issue is very sensitive and tricky, but I am not bothered about tithing as I have a covenant with God. I can call on God on my own and He will speak with me. I am an actor and I know how hard I work to get this money.
Tithing is spiritual, I believe in it – Zack Orji
I don’t want to get into any argument about tithing. I pay my tithe regularly where I worship because I understand the significance. I am a pastor; I was ordained five years ago. Tithing is a personal thing and I am very conscious of the things I say. For people who are condemning it, saying negative things about men of God; they are ignorant. It is a terrible thing to go on social media to condemn men of God and something that has to do with the Bible.
I don’t want to argue with people who are not spiritually informed or inclined towards tithing. I believe such argument will lead to nowhere. Tithing is a spiritual thing and I believe in it.
I’m not against people who don’t pay tithe -Ayo Makun
I don’t want to be dragged into the controversy created by Freeze and others. I feel we are dwelling too much on this and it is something that has to do with God. Personally, I pay my tithe and I believe in it. But this doesn’t mean I am against people who don’t pay their tithe or I see them as evil. Our interpretations of the scripture are different.
I don’t care how pastors spend tithe – Harrysong
I pay my tithe; it is something I don’t joke with. The way I see tithing is different from how most people see it. I am doing my part to glorify God; I don’t bother myself with how the money is spent. Pastors are human beings like us, but we shouldn’t be the ones to judge them. If they are cheating the public, God sees them and they can’t get away with it. I find it funny when people say they stopped paying tithe because they didn’t know what the pastors were doing with their money. The truth is most of these churches use our tithe to pay workers, buy instruments, maintain the church, among other things. Even pastors pay tithe too. We should always appreciate God and it is not too much if we give him just 10 per cent of our earnings.
END
Be the first to comment