‘If paying tithing means that you don’t have enough money to feed your family, pay tithing’: Examining power through the law of tithing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a religious institution that implicates the law of tithing, which is defined within Church doctrine as donating ten percent of one’s yearly income back to the institution. This is a law that escapes no member, and is a requirement should one choose to convert to the religion. The Church amasses an estimated $8 billion dollars (USD) from tithing each year, which contributes to the nearly $300 billion dollar total that the Church is purported to be worth; the sum of which is projected to continue growing. Though the Church has faced public financial scandals in recent years, such as strategically storing excess tithing in Church-directed hedge funds, the membership and subsequent paying of the tithe has not slowed. Leaning on the theoretical foundation of Michel Foucault and his research on Pastoral and Disciplinary Power, this paper explores the ways in which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintains its membership in an increasingly secular age. This analysis reveals that the Church employs a transfigured form of Pastoral Power that implicates elements of Disciplinary Power as it applies to the contemporary moment, with the goal of creating a group of obedient and faithful Latter-day Saints to contribute to their growing fund. This research provides an in-depth examination of a highly influential organization that is masterful at concealing their power techniques to the world.
Pastoral Power, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Tithing, Michel Foucault, Religion
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