WASHINGTON, May 20 (UPI) -- One of the most ancient religious practices -- giving one tenth of one's income to God -- has suffered a severe setback in the U.S. last year, a study of the California-based Barna Research Group shows.
Tithing, as commanded in the Old Testament, has dropped by 62 percent in 2002. Only three percent of America's adults followed the law given by Moses, "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: It is holy unto the Lord" (Leviticus 27:10).
In 2001, eight percent still tithed.
Being stingy with God reverses a practice going back many thousands of years, and preceding even the first mention of a tithe in Scripture. Long before Abraham tithed to the priest Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20), the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians offered 10 percent of their annual earnings -- or harvests -- to their temples.
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