When I was a kid, my mother and her husband, forced my sister and I to attend mass every single Sunday. They didn't go. Around 12, I finally got smart. We'd walk to the church, I'd grab a program, so I could prove we'd been there (we were often accused of lying-it was part of the dysfunction), and we'd been seen by anyone they might ask. Then, just as mass was starting, we'd leave, go across the street to Dunkin' Donuts, and use the collection money to have breakfast. They never found out.

My only real gift in life is seeing through most forms of bs. At the ripe old age of 8 or so, my grandfather decided it was time to introduce me to his favorite Catholic priest. My response: "So have you ever performed an exorcist?" Hell, if he had replied, "No, but we can get started on you now." We might have been friends.

I worked as a church secretary for awhile but didn’t attend. When I had to send tithe notices out I was appalled at the fact that members had to pay 10% of their income or risk losing their membership. What a racket!!

I've barely even paid attention, let alone a tithe.

I got scolded for not putting money in the plate, once...I think I told the priest or whatever he was, that his church was a lot nicer than my apartment. I was a precocious little punk.

No. I gave as little as I could get away with without rousing the ire of my parents. As a teenager, I did not sit with my parents during a church service, so I gave very little.

I don't know what that is but I wouldn't pay a church anything.

Jesus is always short on the green $$$$

I always believed that God didn't want me to starve or go without, so I only gave when I could. When the church I was going to kept asking for money (sometimes 4 times in a service for various things) I stopped completely. I was not about to be a party to excessive greed.

Oh c'mon guys. Who's going to pay for the upkeep of all those marble statues, gold plates and linen vests at the Vatican. I mean, they have a lifestyle to maintain. Oh, and check out Creflo Dollar and his "prosperity doctrine", with his 30 million dollar private jet.

I think you're all a bunch of stingy ingrates

One of the very few better points of the church that I attended was they didn't tithe or pass the plate. A box in the back where you could put what you wanted without somebody seeing how much that was.

Yes I definitely did , as young as 6 or 7 if I remember correctly. Any allowance or money we got ( myself and my two siblings) 10% went to the church on Sunday. As we got older and babysat, cut grass, ANY income we earned ... we were REQUIRED to give it... funny enough, I remember so vividly how much PRAISE we got from anyone who was aware we tithed.... this praise was not a normal thing in our household.. so pretty much anything we did or said that “proved” we had a “testimony “ to the truth of the Mormon church ..then, we were worthy of some praise, which young children generally crave , when it didn’t come under any other circumstances. I also remember being very conscious of this disparity and finding it repulsive. Hence , by the time I was about 11... I decided not to continue being lied to ...(which prompted lots of “laying of hands” to help me overcome this terrible afflictionemanding honesty)

I have never been a member of a church as an adult, but when I was little my mom used to let me put money in the basket that was passed around at a Catholic church. I always thought it was odd that my parents gave 10% to the church, yet the greedy bastards begged for more every Sunday by passing the basket. It was expected that you put money in the basket every week. Give more, or look like a loser.

Nope. I went as a child, then I reached the age of reason. Once that happened, I never went back.

I would never pay tithes to a church. Is this going to get my kids through college? Nope. Take that Money, and, put it to good use. Good post. Thank you.

I never did because I was just a kid, but my Granny did. She was not one of those "I have to because its "required" " and they didn't give you the 3rd degree at the door. I don't go now, but I still give to United Way not at all for any kind of religous reasons but because it's the right thing to do and I work for a company that prides itself in giving back and helping others. I always like to choose whom I give to and give to a women's shelter and a group who stands in as advocates for children in court.

Ya, I did it. What a waste of money!

With my mom when I was little. The priest actually called her into to speak with her because she wasn't donating enough.

No, even thought I did put a few dollars in the collection plate from time to time. Actually, you should be proud that you are intelligent and were not taken in by their scam.

I did tithe but not at 10%. Tithing at 10% before taxes with no consideration to bills, food or anything else was too much bs for me swallow. I just couldn't do it. I did give what I felt was reasonable. I looked at it as the church need money for the lights, heat, activities, etc. I honestly didn't think of it as giving money to God. I still try to get back to the community in other ways now such donated needed items to the homeless shelter or to a Pregnancy Crisis Center.

Reformed Southern Baptist (religion I was raised in) and tithed my ten percent every Sunday I attended. I even had little envelopes with my name printed on them for easier counting.

Your better then me... I don't even want to think of how much I gave.

I never tithed yet I still have some neurons that lament the amount I did give.

I didn't become hostile to the Christian church until it turned on me, after my ex left me for a younger woman.
Also, the past two elections inspired the alt-right to raise their ugly heads, and many of them were my Christian friends.

Until then, I attended happily and also donated, since churches I attended had outreaches to the community; helping immigrants get jobs and learn English, helping single mothers repair their cars, stocking food pantries for anyone in the community who needed help, getting Christmas presents for local charities to donate to poor families, etc, plus they had ski trips for the kids, fun parties.

I tithed faithfully, and never did really suffer from that practice. Some of us are just gullible, or maybe we were addicted to the opiate of the masses. I wish I could have been as smart as most of you.