Is Tithing the Road to Abundance or New Age Nonsense?

You may be familiar with the principle of tithing–giving a certain percentage of your earnings to those in need. You may have also heard that what you give will come back to you twice-over, three-times over, seven-fold, or ten-fold. Different traditions have different formulas.

Some people swear by it. Others just end up swearing as their financial obligations mount. Which begs the question: Does tithing really work to increase abundance, or is it a bunch of new-age nonsense? Do you give in order to succeed, or because you’ve already had some success?

What If the Loaves and Fishes Run Out?

My spiritual teacher, who was visiting recently from Jerusalem to teach here in the U.S., loves to cook, and had prepared some food. He started handing out portions to folks, and my friend was one of the first to get some. She had received a generous portion, but she became increasingly anxious as the portions became smaller and smaller with each additional serving.

It soon became clear that some people wouldn’t get any at all.

Since he -IS- after all, her spiritual teacher, she began to ask her heart what was going on. Why should she get so much when others received so little? Her heart showed her, in a flash that we are all links in the chain of giving. Just because she got a larger piece doesn’t mean that she should keep it all.

The teaching was about wakefulness, responsibility, and the true nature of generosity. She had to participate in the giving and not just the receiving.

Tithing Is Not Charity

Charity is defined by Merriam-Webster as “generosity or helpfulness… a gift… benevolent goodwill.”

A tithe, on the other hand, is “a… part paid… as a tax.” “obligation… small tax or levy.”

The Sufi teachings say this: to give generously in charity is a great thing. But before charity comes an obligation. If you receive abundantly, you owe some of what you received to those less fortunate. Why do you owe this? Why can’t you just keep it? After all, you worked hard to get it.

The tithe is a recognition that we are all interconnected, that none of us is independent. It is impossible to amass any amount of wealth solely on your own efforts. Tithing is recognizing the contributions that others have made to your success. By paying this obligation, you recognize that you aren’t the source at the beginning of wealth, and you aren’t the stopping point at the end of wealth. You are in the middle. Letting some of the wealth you receive flow downstream is the best way to assure that you stay in the flow.

So how do you tithe? How much? When? And is it only about giving–what about the receiving back ten-fold? How does that work?

Keys to Playing the Middle

• There is no vending machine.

Wouldn’t it be nice if life worked like a vending machine? Put in a prayer, get out a candy bar? Put in a donation, get it back doubled? Although some people would have you believe this is true, it ain’t.

Our relationship with the Divine, and the world around us, is more complex–it IS a relationship. And no relationship works like a vending machine. It has more subtlety to it. This means when you give, give whole-heartedly, from your natural generosity and not simply as a strategy to try and force an outpouring of abundance.

And… just keep your eyes open… I wonder what you notice does come back?

• Yes, you do have to do the dishes.

Tithing is a spiritual obligation that comes when you receive abundance, to acknowledge your place in the middle of the flow. No one can take 100% credit for what comes his or her way in terms of wealth, and tithing is simply the inspired action that grows out of acknowledging this healthy humility.

However, this obligation is not like your parents forcing you to do the dishes or mow the lawn. If you’ve ever experienced the joy and happiness that comes from giving a gift, then you already know how enriching tithing is. Marshall Rosenberg, author of the inspiring book Nonviolent Communication, says that human beings are happiest when they are trying to make life more wonderful for each other.

• If you ain’t got it, you can’t give it.

I’ve seen people make donations by borrowing on a credit card, only to feel crushed under the weight of this debt later. Remember that tithing is not about you being the source of the giving. It’s merely acknowledging that you are in the middle. You can’t give what you don’t have.

How much to give? Different traditions have different formulas. The Sufis teachings suggest an annual tithe of 2.25% of all you own free and clear. This means that Sufis total up what they have, subtract what they owe, and give 2.25% of what’s left to help support those who are poor. Many often give more than that, but that’s the minimum.

If your business is feeling stagnant and you don’t have a tithing plan in place, it might be time to add this part of the flow to your giving and receiving.