Pilgrim

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Now, young man... how does one 'claim what you give on your taxes', in this case an offering/tithe to a church, if that church is not a 501 C3 non-profit organization, approved by the gov't? Secondly, good stewardship as taught in Scripture is the giving of your possessions which God has ordained you should have. And part of the giving of your beneficence is that it should not be broadcast but rather it is a matter that should be known only between you and God (Matt 6:3,4). Thirdly, if one claims the offering/tithe and receives a deduction in tax for it, then does it not mean that the whole of the gift is in part reduced from the actual amount? Is this not akin to "holding back" a part of what appeared to be the actual gift? For example if you gave $100 to the church knowing that you would receive a $20 reduction in taxes from the gov't, the actual amount you gave would then be $80, correct? There seems to be some ingenuous giving in that case, IMO. Just a few thoughts for you to ponder.

Indeed it did make me ponder.

When trying to answer a question like that, one would need to understand the tax system.

You mentioned:
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if that church is not a 501 C3 non-profit organization
I just looked at this up and I see it is something from the USA, not B.C. Canada. Yet I get your point.


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For example if you gave $100 to the church knowing that you would receive a $20 reduction in taxes from the gov't, the actual amount you gave would then be $80, correct? There seems to be some ingenuous giving in that case, IMO. Just a few thoughts for you to ponder.

The Church still has $100. My cash flow would only be a net $80, I gave them $100, the government gave me a tax break of $20 and I can now use that $20 however I believe lead. Meaning I can give that $20 back to the Church if I want.

Motivation is another matter; I would never give $100 just to get more for tax purposes. Yet, seeing the Church I attend is a registered charity, up until now I saw nothing wrong with claiming what I give. In fact, I have never belonged to a Church, Reformed or otherwise that was not a registered charity.
Only with government overreach, do I see wisdom in not becoming a registered charity.
I do not see declaring what you give as disingenuous, or necessarily disingenuous.
I may have missed it; but I have never in my 42 years as a believer, been have never been told it is wrong to declare what I give.


This is actually why my friend’s new Church plant has chosen not to become a registered charity.