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Here is what Catholics, Jehovah Witness and pastors have to say on this controversial issue

Christians of different denominations have spoken on whether it is compulsory or not to pay tithe.

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Speaking with Linda Ikeji TV, he gave several reasons, that are based on the Bible, why Christians should not pay tithe.

This has sparked a debate online. While there are some people who took side with Daddy Freeze, there are also several persons who are of the opinion that it is compulsory for Christians to pay their 10%.

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We reached out to leaders and people of different denominations in a bid to put an end to the controversy.

According to Pastor Peter Abdul of Mountain of Fire, it is mandatory for people to pay their tithes because it is “a commandment of the Lord.”

To those that say they can not pay to a Man of God, he said, “God is not going to collect our money and spend it for us. You have to go and look for God’s account and pay there.

“When you give, you receive. Givers never lack. So when tithe is paid, the Bible says, ‘bring all the tithe to my house that there may be food in my own house. In the house of Isreal, there are twelve tribes, which include the Levites. The remaining eleven were instructed to bring their food to the Levites who would be eating from these offerings,” he stated.

He went on to explain what tithes are used for. He said, “tithes are used for development, to take care of the needy and the Levites (the ministers that are working in the House of God) The tithe is to be used for those that are working in full-time ministry.”

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He added that tithes are not by force but that they are the commandment of the Lord. Thus, "there is a reward and blessing attached to it.”

The second pastor we reached out to had this to say.

According to Peter John Udo of The Apostolic Church, Nigeria, tithing “is very very compulsory. Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek, Issac paid tithe. You go the Book of Malachi, chapter 3, verse 8, 9 and 10, which says that it is compulsory to pay tithe. Tithes open doors.

Malachi 3:8 -10 says “Will a man rob God?Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.”

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He had this to say to churches that do not receive tithes. He said, “Well they have not read the Bible to that level, it is unfortunate. Any church that does not a qualified pastor to preach the real doctrine of God, to interpret the Bible and unveil the secrets of God unto the members is in trouble. As far as the scripture is concerned, the Bible is one and a church that does not pay tithe is in darkness because they do not know. As soon as they know and are no longer ignorant, it is better for them to pay. It is not their fault."

We also reached out to a Jehovah's Witness who said that his church does not receive tithe.

According to the Witness, who would rather be anonymous, his church does voluntary donations instead of collecting tithe. So if a member comes to the Kingdom Hall and he or she is moved to donate then they put whatever they have into the box.

This is backed by the church’s website which states that “Jehovah’s Witnesses do not practice tithing… Rather than giving required tithes and offerings, Jehovah’s Witnesses imitate the early Christians and support their ministry in two ways: by performing their personal ministerial work without pay and by making voluntary donations….”

The Catholics that we reached out to offered similar opinions.

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Like Jehovah’s Witnesses, Catholics believe that tithing is not compulsory, rather it is between the earners and God. They also prefer charity to tithes.

According to a Knight of Saint Mulumba named Sir Michael, “tithing is not compulsory but as knights what we have to do is to give out to the needy, and help out with church projects. It still goes a long way. If you can pay your tithe if you have what it takes. We do not lay much emphasis on the Catholic church. It's only these days that some people try to emphasise it. They are many other ways of helping out. After all, you do not know how far the money given in church will go but if you can always help out a person in real need or a project in church.”

The second Catholic, a lady of Saint Mulumba named Emem had this to say.

"The tithe issue is a personal thing. Yes, Pentecostal churches believe more in tithes even the Catholic church has now joined the bandwagon," was her initial response.

She also gave some insight on why tithing was not a Catholic thing.

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In her words, “I asked a priest many years ago why Catholics didn't pay tithe. He said, ‘that Christianity was brought to Badagry when the local men were fishermen and farmers who had less than nothing to bring to the church. Then, you ask these idol worshippers, who you are begging to come to church, to bring tithe. It means you want them to go home. Rather the Catholic church, I know, is dependent on charity."

"Recently, I attended a retreat where a priest of Sacred Heart was asked about the payment of tithe. He replied with this, “charity is more beneficial to the human life than the tithe.” He gave an example, ‘imagine you have your tithe (N30,000) at home pending the particular Sunday that the church collects tithe and your neighbour needs 5k to help his dying child. According to the priest, you are supposed to bring out that N5,000 and save the life of that child which is charity after all Heaven has already registered that you set aside your tithe. For him, he said that when you do charity you are doing more than paying tithe. So, I toe the line of the priest and the Catholic church that charity is better than tithe.”

She also reacted to pastors that say that tithe is compulsory. According to her, “some of these pastors are hungry and so they use the tithe for themselves. The Bible said so, it's not everything that happened during Jesus’ time that was recorded so why must they hang onto that alone?"

"It is because they want to enrich themselves and their pockets. Some pastors play tithe out the tithes that is received but how many of them do that? So, I see it as an avenue for pastors to make money and then it is the highest bidder that has more attention from the pastor.”

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Clearly, every church holds a different stance on the payment of tithes.

Which do you agree with?

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