X-Message-Number: 6385
Subject: SCI.CRYONICS Tithing
Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 08:28:39 -0500
From: Will Dye <>

>Brian Wowk <> wrote:

>>(In fact a Mormon lurker pointed out to me privately that Mormons
>>tithe at the 10% level, not 5% as I erroneously erroneously stated.)

Brad Templeton replied:

>One can not "tithe" at anything but the 10% level, that is the level by
>definition for tithing.   

At the risk of nitpicking... according to my minister (a Bible Baptist 
church, which recently joined the Evangelical Free group), a tithe 
as defined in the Bible is NOT 10%.  The essense of the tithe is that 
it is a regular, pre-defined amount.  Spontaneous gifts are over and 
above that amount.  

Among other benefits, tithing encourages budgeting, and the benefits 
of budgeting are so great that those who tithe often do better than 
those who do not.  Organizations also benefit from regularity in their 
support.  That probably explains why tithing has been around as long 
as it has.  The 10% figure was often used, but never proscribed.  
Which is just as well becuase "10%" doesn't figure in things like 
opportunity costs, etc. 

For cryonicists, this may be relevant.  A regular, budgeted, program 
of giving will probably hurt far less than the total amount would 
suggest.  I'll bet that most of us got used to the life insurance 
payments within the first year of paying.  After a while, we just 
adjust.  No doubt this is practiced at some scale already in the 
various cryonics organizations, but FWIW I've restated the principle.  

--Will

P.S.  Congrats, Brad, on the continuing success of ClariNet.  It 
wasn't so long ago that you hit a million, and it's 1.4 mil already?
Wow.  I remember when it was a brand-spanking-new longshot project, 
which wasn't that long ago.  Ye' done good.  


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