NOTICE: I'm going to address the Bible things in this post. If you're aren't interested in that you can skip no offense taken.
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"It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter." - Proverbs 25:2
I know I have an unusual perspective but as a doer of God's ways, I've found so much more meaning and purpose in being a Christian than what the church typically teaches. I highly recommend you search out the truth on this matter. The Bible is actually very clear on this...minus Paul. Paul unfortunately is often misquoted. It's notable that all the verses you're quoting are from his letters.
It's easy to take Paul's passages and twist them to mean something they don't. If you're really interested in knowing the truth I'd recommend setting him aside and layering him on top of what the rest of the Bible clearly establishes. Most Christians do the opposite and take his letters as more important then the gospels themselves.
2nd Peter 3 warns us of this
just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
I'm pleased that you are questioning my logic please keep doing so. I ask that you also question your own as we have this discussion or we won't get far. If I can attempt to graciously address some of your other points:
Colossians 2:16 "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a new Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These things are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."
The context of this passage is the exact opposite of saying these are done away with. The Colossians church was under high scrutiny for keeping the festivals and Sabbath by the ascetic Jews around them. They had built regulations on top of regulations on top of...well you get it. So when seeing these filthy Gentiles attempt to keep God's feasts / sabbath they got upset. This should sound familiar as that's exactly what the Pharisees did.
You don't have to go far to see this. Towards the end of that chapter it says "Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." - Colossians 2:23
So what Paul is saying that they shouldn't worry about other's opinions of how they keep these things or what they eat. That does not mean don't worry about what God thinks. That's very different. Keep in mind that the Sabbath is one of the ten commandments. The longest of them. And God explicitly calls His people out as profaning Sabbath throughout scripture. Paul does not have the authority to simply state "don't worry about it". Nor does he have the authority to change any of God's other Laws. If he attempted to that would be sin. 1 John 3:4 defines sin as "Lawlessness" or "transgressors of the Law".
See also Peter's vision in Acts 10:9-16
Here's a good article on that:
https://www.pathofobedience.com/scripture/acts/understanding-peters-vision/The TLDR: Peter's vision has nothing to do with eating food. It has to do with Gentiles being accepted into the kingdom. This is made clear many ways but one is that Peter did not eat the animals after the dream.
This was all pre-crucifixion, after which God's covenant changed (1 Corinthians 12:25)
I think you're quoting the wrong verse? 12:25 is talking about a different subject. Could you clarify how that affirms your statement? Assuming that's what it does say in your mind I'll address the idea. Do you really think Christ's sermons are now null and void because it was pre-crucifixion? You would be throwing out about the majority of why He came in the first place. He tells us He came to teach us. Expounding on that logic, that means what He taught was only applicable for a few months. Do you think that when He comes back He will not keep God's Laws anymore? Or is He the same? Unchanging? Sadly the vast majority of the modern church won't even recognize Him when He comes back. Christ warns us about this in Revelation and in Matthew talking about His return.
Be careful of the magnitude of power and authority of which you give Paul. He is not our King.
Nowhere in the new testament does it say 10%.
In Matthew 23:23 Christ directly addressed the tithe and He was not talking to farmers. The word "tithe" literally means "tenth". When he says "don't neglect the former" he's talking about "tenthing" the mint, dill and cumin. Although you may be applying your other logic and say His words no longer apply post death. I just don't see it that way. Everything Christ taught re-established God's ways. He destroyed the man made religions built around them that twisted and distorted them.
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions. - Mark 7:8
I get that we can't do it perfectly. I'm not either. But what can we do to get closer to how it's supposed to be? I personally don't look at tax / CS as part of tithe but I do know that others would. To get into why would be a sermon in and of itself and I'll spare you that. At the end of the day we need to love what He loves and hate what He hates.
I also want to extend to you a lot of grace. Many many people (including myself) have been tied up in lies around this subject for a long time. Just recently we're seeing people wake up and look around and see all the lies the church has taught us. We need to get back to Scripture's roots and stand up for the truth. Truth comes with grace.
God's word clearly instructs believers to be part of a body/church and to meet regularly.
You're right, and I believe it's a command not a choice. However, church means "people" not a specific building. So when I say I don't go to an established church that's what I mean. I do meet with people. However we do not have a structure that would require a tithe. So my tithe goes elsewhere. This is new for me, up until recently I did go to an established church. We even had a fancy full time paid for pastor person.
Ideally, I think we would tithe together and then decide together where that tithe goes.
The tithing amount is admittedly unique. I'd make damn sure that you are correct in your interpretation. It will be the difference in millions of dollars over the course of your life. For me personally it would be worth spending a couple hundred hours of personal research from multiple sources to make sure I have an accurate interpretation.
I've likely spent a couple hundred hours of studying for exactly that reason haha. It is important to get this right. I've also been working on synthesizing it into a paper of some kind so that I can submit it for peer review. The 2nd tithe (Deut 14:22 - 26) is explicitly meant to spend on yourself during God's feasts. So that 10% goes to me. The other 13.3% goes to others.
Thanks for hearing me out. I'll address non bible stuff in a separate post when I get the opportunity to do so.
