Tithe paying should be voluntary - Maurice Ampaw

Popular Ghanaian Lawyer Maurice Ampaw has suggested that paying of tithes by Christians should be a voluntary act and not mandatory.

He questioned why some pastors and churches incriminate their members when they fail to pay their monthly tithes.

According to him, the move by pastors to force their members to pay tithes will only turn out to be gambling in the church.

Speaking with Lantam Papanko on Ultimate Breakfast Show, Lawyer Ampaw emphasised that tithe paying should be a religious responsibility where congregation will willingly make payments without being forced in any form.

He observed that some pastors go to the extent of cursing their members for refusing to pay tithes.

‘My position is that we should make tithe paying voluntary and not mandatory, and we should ensure that people understand why they should pay tithes, and let them voluntarily out of their whole heart pay, then to use duress, some pastors use the word of God to imbibe fear in their members that they will go to hell if they don’t pay their tithes, I don’t like that position, if they are forced to pay, then it will turn out to be gambling,’ he stated.

Lawyer Ampaw entreated pastors to desist from casting insinuations during their preaching against people who don’t pay tithes.

He advised people to pay tithes without expecting some benefits adding that tithe paying is not a lottery where people acquire huge sums of monies when they stake it.

The legal practitioner further encouraged people to pay their tithes without expecting direct benefits saying tithe paying is a source of revenue for the church.

‘Paying of tithe is a not a lottery, where people pay and expect direct benefits from the Lord,’ he pointed out.

A section of Christians and Pastors have kicked against tithes paying arguing that the pastors only enrich themselves with the tithes living the poor to their own fate.