External Acts of Religion: Tithes

The Old Law imposed the duty of paying tithes (that is,one-tenth of all revenues) for the support of religion. Certainly,the obligation of offering to the Church a decent proportion ofone’s income is incumbent on man, even in the light of naturalreason. The paying of one’s share here is an act ofreligion.

All one’s material possessions come from God.Hence, some part of such things should be offered to God again,both to show that we ourselves do not create them, and to supportand propagate the true religion. Such an offering is an externalact of religion.

Since those who serve the altar, the clergy, have mostserious duties to occupy all their time and energies, they must notbe forced to acquire temporal necessaries for themselves. They areto be supported by offerings, by the fair contributions of all thepeople.

The clergy themselves are not required to pay tithes orto make offerings out of tithes received. But if a clergyman hasproperty and income of his own, as by inheritance for example,he is required to make suitable and proportionate offering out ofthis income for the support of religion.