Call it Satan or call it human folly, but religions often stumble when they insist on enforcing self-serving rules.

For Roman Catholics, one such rule has been “Priests can’t marry.” It could be changed as easily as dropping meatless Fridays. The Vatican claims celibacy keeps priests focused on their jobs, but a declining priesthood, perversion in Catholic seminaries, and child molesting argue otherwise. Is this what God wants?

For some Protestant sects, a self-serving rule has been “God wants the faithful to tithe – or even double tithe.” To tithe means to give 10 percent of your annual income. Add up 10 or 20 percent of a TV congregation’s total income, and you’ll see why this has led to the corruption and downfall of many a televangelist and the hardship of many a generous Christian. Again, is this what God wants?

The biblical references used to justify tithing begin with Abraham’s giving 10 percent of his war profits to Melchizedek, a king and high priest of a pagan religion. This was like paying a secular tax of 10 percent and what Jesus refers to when he tells the Pharisees, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s …”. But because Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews, Chapter 7, makes Melchizedek a type for Christ, some sects love to claim the law of tithing is the one Jewish practice (out of more than 600 Jewish laws) that applies to Christians today.

Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, wanting to negotiate God’s favor with a bribe, promised, “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then … of all you give me, I will give you a tenth.” (Gen. 28:20-22).

Jewish priests required their people to tithe and keep laws about diets, cutting hair, tattooing, the mixing of kinds, the sacrificing of animals, where to bury human excrement, etc. The ancient rules were resolved (if not fulfilled) in Christ’s death and resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Ten Commandments said it all, and grace led the way. But that rule about tithing was just too tempting for some church leaders to ignore.

As a consequence some mega-churches hide from their donors things that should be deeply troubling to those who reflect on what God really wants us to do. For example:

1) The Hebrews tithed to the Levites, but the Levites could not inherit or own property. That’s why they needed to be supported. Ask your favorite televangelists to do the same if they insist that you tithe.

2) First Century Christians did not tithe, but shared their goods communally. “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

3) Who does God want us to bless with our generosity? If your tithes go toward paying for a huge church mortgage, the next building fund and the pastor’s Lexus, remember that Jesus did not tolerate houses of God that become dens of thieves. When his disciples called his attention to the Temple buildings, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:1-2)

4) Your generosity, misused, can sow seeds of destruction for Christian pastors. Jan. 11, 2008, the Bangor Daily News reported, “Six televangelists [are] being investigated by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley to determine if the high-profile preachers violated their organizations’ tax-exempt status by living lavishly on the backs of small donors.”

5) Malachi, a minor Old Testament prophet who warned about stealing from God, was very clear that tithing was about food, and it was dishonest priests who were doing the stealing.

Your heart should be your guide in determining how and how much you thank God for his generosity. Support your church and pastor, of course, but also give your charity to God. And where is God, you ask? And what can I give to God?

Jesus gave us the answers to these questions, describing God’s judgment of our charity in these words: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:34-40)

This is how you find and give back to God – through loving charity to the least of these, our brothers and sisters, by giving directly to those Christian charities that serve the hungry and homeless. And that living charity will teach others more about Christian values and God’s love than all the words from all the televangelists in the world.

Lee Witting is a chaplain at Eastern Maine Medical Center and pastor of the Union Street Brick Church in Bangor. He may be reached at leewitting@midmaine.com. Voices is a weekly commentary by Maine people who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.