u/Humble-Homework-4078

I’m a relatively newish convert and I’m realizing I’ve probably been more PIMO than I wanted to admit for a while.

The deeper I dig into church history, finances, culture, and the difference between the idealized version versus the lived reality, the harder it’s getting to mentally reconcile everything. I’m not really here to argue with anyone, honestly I think I’m trying to understand what a lot of you already went through emotionally.

One thing I’m still genuinely perplexed by is tithing. Not even in the “10% is hard” sense, but how members mentally frame it when taxes, write-offs, business structures, and wealth differences enter the picture. I feel like growing up outside Mormonism, charity and sacrifice were presented differently than how I’m seeing it discussed in practice.

Like: not writing it off on taxes, net vs gross, life insurance giving, gifting property. Tithing even when in economic distress. Disinheriting children for better/more blessings Some stuff I’ve heard around this is wild.

I don’t mean that in a cynical or accusatory way. I think what’s unsettling for me is realizing how differently people can experience the exact same commandment depending on their financial situation, and how hard it can be to talk honestly about that without feeling guilty or faithless. I can understand why some people feel hurt or conflicted when something that was framed as purely spiritual starts to feel tangled up with money, pressure, or unequal sacrifice.

Did any of you start with questions about practical things like finances or tithing before the larger shelf-breaking issues hit?