sugarhitman

Tithing, is not to enrich Pastors, but to ensure that the church does not lack basic needs. Ananias and Sapphire were killed because they lied to and cheated God. They didn't have to give all their money to the church (as only a tenth is required). But they lied, and God made an example out of them. Trying to cheat God will get you nowhere. Many Pastors today are using money that is for the whole church, for their own selfish financial gain, lying and cheating not only those they are robbing but God also....Ananias serves as a warning to them.

Johnny Skeptic

How utterly absurd. Do you call Hurricane Katriana satifying peoples' basic needs?

Hundreds of thousands of people died of starvation in the Irish Potato Famine, most of whom were Christians. Where was God?

Why does God force animals to kill each other?

Why does God predict the future?

James Brown

Peter lied three times, but he wasn't killed to serve as a warning. No, he was installed as the head of the Church.

Why don't modern-day Pastors fall down dead when they are exposed for cheating? Particularly when such an event would be a large piece of evidence for the existence of God.

sugarhitman

Um the difference between Peter and Ananias was that Peter was real.

If God killed all sinners the moment they sinned, the earth would be empty...Hell would be filled....God is patient.

James Brown

Are you saying that Ananias wasn't real? Is this a fabricated story in Acts? Are there any other stories in the Bible we can wave away because the actors in them aren't real? How can we tell the difference?

I wonder what Noah's neighbors would say about that.

Sheshbazzar

You really missed the point 'hitman, the story of Ananias and Sapphira WAS NOT about "tithing", Peter and his "young men" were demanding not a "tithe" but 100%!
That goes way beyond providing for any churches "basic needs".
And when such a demand is presented in such a context that leaves an implicated threat of death to others also, that is known as extortion by threat.

They may have been wrong to lie about how much money they had recieved from their sale, but it was their own money that was in question.
And that is a very minor matter for a church or its "god", to use as an excuse or justification for committing a double homicide, and then, additionally using these deaths as an "example" to terrorise all the other church "members" into forking over whatever amounts Peter and his gang demanded. IS terroristic extortion.

You can try to "whitewash" it all you want, but the story gives plenty enough detail to determine what was really going on.
Any ministry that tried to get away with this type of extortion and furnish such lame evidence and excuse today, would be tried and rightly convicted of extortion and murder.
And yes, some so called "Christian ministries" still attempt to employ such extortion tactics on their victims...'er, "members".
After all, it is in their Training Manual.

Johnny Skeptic

But the Bible says that everyone is a sinner. In addition, the Bible indicates that God forces everyone to commit sins at least some of the time by genetically passing on a sinful nature to every generation.

Huon

So, you tell us that the story of Ananias and Sapphira is simply as real as a novel... and what of all the other stories of Acts ?