Tithing and Power Politics: Taxes of a Free Nation

Tithing and Power PoliticsTithing = the taxes of a freewill government. All US Citizens are compelled, at the point of a gun, to tithe to their elohim (rulers). So it is superfluous to give freewill offerings to a state corporation called a church headed by a government-licensed agent called a minister when it’s the point-of-a-gun side of government that really takes care of the needy—through welfare, social security, education, etc.

Now, if there were REAL separation of church and state (the Bible talks about it in terms of the right and left hands of government), you would be giving freewill offerings to a “Levite”* who would be responsible for taking care of the needy of your society. And you would get the level of support you deserved, i.e, give a lot and the “Levite” has more tools to work with to provide for and rehabilitate the needy.

In this system, the top level of government is always the family so, ideally, needs are taken care of by the elder—first the husband/father, second the grandfather of the wider family, and ultimately a Melchizedek figure who tends to the needs of generations of families. If, for whatever reason, this structure is unable to meet the need (example: wars or catastrophic storms) then the Levites are called upon. They are networked with other Levites around the world who can help meet the need.

You can see this system working in the early church when Paul and Barnabas are carrying huge amounts of funds and supplies from one church (group of families following The Way) with good fortunes to another church facing dire circumstances. This is the system that Jacob’s kids FAILED to put into play so they weren’t prepared for the famine and agreed to make Egypt their father (provider) for a compelled 20% of their lives. On the other hand, Jethro’s family (from another line of Abraham) survived and thrived through the famine and eventually taught this system to Moses who reminded the children of Israel how it worked.

The modern/Pharisaical/meaningless interpretation of the original Hebrew symbols is part of the problem in understanding how tithing really works.

Remember, Pharisees where that group that Jesus despised for “making the word of God to none effect.” But it’s the Pharisaical interpretation that has come to us because that interpretation has always been favored by the centralized governments responsible for the Bible versions translated for the masses. The Essenes, on the other hand, were an equally influential sect that included “Jews” who did not need a centralized temple to provide for the welfare of their society. Of course, they were at odds with the Pharasees who would loose all their power if the temple was not required for welfare. Recall how John the Baptist was next in line to become High Priest but gave it up? Then Jesus was baptized (changed citizenship status) into the same “society” whose system of welfare depended on freewill offerings. (If a man has two coats, give one away to another who needs it).

The Essenes had a totally different spin on the meanings of those ancient Hebrew symbols…

  • Altars of Clay or Adama = Elders and their families
  • (Living) Stones = Friends or Ministers of the people
  • Altar of Stones = Ministers gathered together to receive sacrifice of Elders, heads of families
  • Burnt Offerings = Gifts entirely given on a living altar with no strings attached. In other words, a freewill offering for the welfare and support of a voluntary government of, for, and by the people
  • Stoning = Bringing a disagreement to the ministers for resolution. Similar to the “jury of peers” which NO LONGER exist in the US “justice” system where crimes are committed against the State, not your neighbor.
  • Offering a DOVE = giving a piece of one’s estate
  • Offering a KIDNEY = surrendering reigns of control
  • Offering a LIVER = giving honor

To understand how the meanings have become so perverted over the millenia, read The Adventures of Artifice in Languageland.

The Hebrew word “Levite” has come to have a mythical connotation due to centralized government religion that has removed all the practical meaning. We can more easily see the practical significance when we consider non-Hebrew terms for equivalent “public servants” in areas where the early church settled after fleeing the persecution of Rome which insisted that its citizens contribute to a centralized welfare system (religion).

  • In England
    – The “titheingman” served ten families
    – The “hundredsman” served ten tithingmen
    – The “eolderman” (alderman) served ten hundrendsmen
  • Irish society revolved around the túath
  • Germanic tribes had “tehuntha”
  • Latins and pre-imperial Rome had
    – Decānus (deacon) – dean or doge meant “servant of ten”
    – Decurion served ten deans
    – Centurion served ten decurions

Recognize some of those terms that have been rendered meaningless to us today?

The New Testament is loaded with instructions to the decentralized government servants known as diakonos, diakoneo, and diakonia. But those words have been translated into “minister” and have lost their meaning to the ears of worshipers of false elohim (gods/rulers).

This was all very practical GOVERNMENT stuff. The problem is that we want to find excuses for our current allegiance to a government that is “anti-christ.” We have placed false gods (elohim) before Him and taken His name in vain. So we must make a schizophrenic break and twist the meanings of the Bible (and history) into mindless rituals by a barbaric people.

Israel (“where God prevails”, “the free people”) made the same schizophrenic break when they rejected the decentralized rule of God in favor of the centralized rule of a king that would take care of their responsibilities for them. So the “Law of Moses” was steadily twisted to accommodate the people’s ever-growing perversion of it.

In the “Kingdom of God”, God’s temple is always located in the hearts of men. Yet, after the people of Israel chose a king, all of a sudden they determined that God required a centralized government building (a temple) where everyone had a “common purse.” In other words, the family elders no longer needed to be responsible for their families because all tithes were now sent to the temple and needs were provided for through the temple. This was one of the original lessons in the desert with the “golden calf.” God wanted the nation’s gold in the pockets of the elders, not in a central bank like the surrounding nations. The surrounding city-states demanded that their citizens put all their gold into centrally-located statues that all the city folks could keep an eye on, as well as defend and fight for. A citizen was given “notes” (clam shells, scarabs, dung beetles, whatever) equivalent to the gold he contributed to the statue and he could use those notes for commerce within the city. Cain was the first to setup this type of system. Nimrod was another early example. They were “mighty hunters.” A deeper look at the language reveals a more appropriate modern translation is “tillers of men.”

The perversion of language eventually excused and glorified Solomon’s “streets of gold.” This was the first time the subjects (now “citizens” whose allegiance was to their king) were taxed in order to build roads.

The perversion grew to include the glorification of Solomon’s “700 wives”…code for treaties with foreign nations which the “Law of Moses” specifically forbade.

And the perversion kept growing with each period of captivity and return until they ended up with an elite group of people called Pharisees.

The mission of Jesus was to remind the children of Jacob—and the whole earth—of the original meaning of the Law of Moses.

The story of Maccabees is popular among Messianic-type believers as an alternative to Christmas. They celebrate the return of the Jews to the temple. But this totally misses the point of the story which seems to be that the Jews grew lazy and weak under a centralized government (that’s what a temple building is always about) which lead to them being conquered. Those that fled to the “wilderness” (no centralized government) once again became strong due to their character and love for one another. They were then able to defend themselves against attackers. But then they’d go back to “the city”, get lazy, and re-institute a central government (temple worship) which, again, made them as pagan as all the other nations.

This story repeats itself over and over.

The Tithe Lie
Popular internet meme in a population that has forgotten how a free society functions.

* The 10% tithe is a misunderstanding. What was really happening is roughly 10 families would choose a “Levite” to serve them and stay networked with Levites serving other families. Each family would give what they felt lead to give. So each family gave a 10th part of the whole. But it was all up to each head-of-household what was given. One year might be terrible for the wheat-growing family who would give very little. But the sheep-raising family might have a bountiful year and give a lot. The ten families had very close, trusting, supportive relationships with one another and gratefully tithed to their chosen Levite because each family understood they may need help in the future. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matthew 7:2

From a legal standpoint, it is important that the offerings be “burnt”…laid upon the altar (gathering of living stones/Levites). In other words, there can be no strings attached to gifts. The bread must be cast upon the water with no expectation of return but faith that it will.

Practical value for today? We are in Egypt, bound by contract into a centralize system of forced welfare (impure religion). We will probably never be free of it and it will continue to get worse. However, we CAN start building this parallel system of welfare so it won’t be necessary for our children to contract with Egypt for their provision. We must “gather our own straw at night”, i.e, contribute to and build parallel support systems. As the “famines” come and the support structures of Egypt get worse, the freewill support systems will grow stronger and the children of “Israel” (the free ones) will remain untouched.

I could go on and on about the technical details. But hopefully this is enough to see that all these “religious” rituals have been made meaningless by the generations (and millennia) of brainwashing we’ve received from the churches of centralized government. And all this has happened due to our own covetousness… We are forced contribute. But we were never forced to accept the benefits of the State (welfare, social security, public education, etc.) which is coveting our neighbors goods.

For more information on the real-world application of the system of tens, hundreds and thousands, read about…

Some groups I’m aware of that working to implement this concept:

His Holy Church seems to have the deepest grasp on the historic roots of decentralized government and its legal ramifications. There is already a loose network of families all over the world who are moving in the direction of taking responsibility for their own families and caring for others through charity.

Here is a great podcast describing the many practicalities built into the system of tens described in the bible…
Kingdom 101 – Basics of the Kingdom (January 1, 2017)

In his book “Flourish!: An Alternative to Government and Other Hierarchies” Bob Podolsky describes what he calls “an ethical support framework for members of government.” Podolsk’s website, Titanians, facilitates networking with others about an “Open Source Ethical Society.”

31 Replies to “Tithing and Power Politics: Taxes of a Free Nation”

  1. Iceland’s Ancient althing style of government seems to mimicked the pattern of tens. “Serious matters of government were not the only items on the agenda. The general assembly was in fact also the main social event of the year. Hundreds of Icelanders of all professions, including farmers, traders and craftsmen, would converge on the Axe River which ran through the Þingvellir.”Article

  2. “From the early Israelis and Anglo Saxons, who used the principle of ten family units, to the successful Iroquois tribal system; from the amazingly prosperous and entrepreneurial Gore enterprises to the success story of Visa under CEO and visionary Dee Hock; from the Deming inspired corporate model in Japan to the employee owned modern companies becoming more popular every day, the examples of bottom up, freedom based, non-coercive models of human organization abound.

    The end result of all bottom-up organizational models is more freedom, more creativity, more happiness, more productivity, more harmony, and more success on all levels of human activity and behavior. It is a new age – and that new age will not come about from a policy or bill passed in the U.S. Congress. You will not change the U.S. Congress, because that entity is part of a system that is very effectively doing its job. Its job is not, however, to represent you or make your life better. Its job is to make those who control the system behind the scenes more powerful and wealthier than they are now. It is critical to understand that, in their minds, they will never have enough power or wealth.

    No government or entity that is part of the existing system will save us…”

    — Flourish! An Alternative to Government and Other Hierarchies

  3. “You wanted to follow Geronimo? You followed Geronimo. You didn’t want to follow him? Then you didn’t. The power lay with each individual—you were free to do what you wanted. The phrase ‘you should’ doesn’t even exist in the Apache language. Coercion is a foreign concept.” They were free people, most of whom resisted the Conquistadors’ attempts to adopt an agrarian life and convert to Christianity. They fought back and won and held back the Spanish for centuries. The Apaches succeeded so long because of the decentralised way they organised their society.
    From: Has anarchy existed before?

  4. “We think, based on our limited history (as written by the conquerors) that war, conflict, and top-down control are the natural order for humanity. It is important to recognize that it has not always been so.”

    Although the connection is not made his article, Gregory Sams provides several example of societies that may have functioned under the law of tens.

  5. For future research…

    Skythia is Skye in the Hebrides, home of the Ebra (Hebrew) and Hispania is Lochaber, around Ben Nevis, formerly known as Mount Ispanis and the River Ispanis, now the River Spean (Spain)… as seen online in the old Scottish maps on the National Library of Scotland’s website The Egypt in question was England, where there are 14 places known by that name, it was the Land of Ham (Ammon) and the homeland of the Ægyptians… the Gypsies. The Faragh – the Pharaoh – was a ‘Celtic’ clan chief, as was Fenius (Phoenicians) the Irish King who “hailed from Skythia – in the North” – that’s to the north of Ireland. The Pillars of Hercules are the Paps of Jura – the original IONA – and those Hebrew migrants, the Scots/Phoenicians settled finally “in their homelands in the West, where they still live to this day”… the quotes are from the opening lines of The Declaration of Arbroath. The ‘homeland’ in question is Galloway, once Galilee, the Land of the Kenites from Loch Ken… the Tynklers of Little Ægypt – or the ‘King’s Kindly Tenants’ as the Bruce called them when he gave them the four towns of Lochmaben “in perpetuity” for saving the day for him. The Tynklers formed the first Craft Guilds, from which eventually sprang Masonry.

    ^ Comment from David Alan Ritchie below this post.

    Another comment suggests his book, “We ~ The Skythians – The Lie of the Land of Ægypt” will be available early 2016 at gnower.net.

  6. Lots of interesting points in this article despite The New York Times reporter’s attempts to camouflage them between obligatory nods to the “stability” of life under a powerful centralized government like the US and fear of any form of government that varies from that. Here are a few lines that stood out…
    ~~~~
    Local orchard owners…underwrite what has effectively become an independent city-state. Self-policing and self-governing, it is a sanctuary from drug cartels as well as from the Mexican state.
    ~~~~
    But beneath the calm is a town under tightfisted control, enforced by militias accountable only to their paymasters. [Higher Liberty note: The reporter shudders as he writes this sentence. But think about it…militias—local brothers and fathers protecting the community—their paymasters. In other words, there are no rules created by government officials far away in a state or national capital enforced by robotic bureaucrats/welfare recipients employed by organizations like OSHA, IRS, EPA, BLM, DHS, DEA, FDA, USDA, and on and on.]
    ~~~~
    Tancítaro represents a quiet but telling trend in Mexico, where a handful of towns and cities are effectively seceding, partly or in whole. These are acts of desperation, revealing the degree to which Mexico’s police and politicians are seen as part of the threat.
    ~~~~
    A club of corporate executives who call themselves the GROUP OF 10 offered to help fund and reform the state’s kidnapping police. [Higher Liberty note: Sounds a lot like the decentralized structure of tens, hundreds and thousands instituted by Moses, Jesus, and successful decentralized societies throughout history.]
    ~~~~
    Neza inverted Monterrey’s model: Rather than establishing an independent police force and co-opting the political system, Neza established an independent political system and co-opted the police. [Higher Liberty note: We must create parallel social support structures so there is no longer a need to pray to the gods of the world.]
    ~~~~
    The state police [Higher Liberty note: Think “welfare recipients living off the goods legally plundered from neighbors.”] are treated like foreign invaders. Neza’s leaders believe state officials are quietly undermining their efforts in a bid to retake power.
    ~~~~
    Losing Faith in the State, Some Mexican Towns Quietly Break Away

  7. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
    1 Corinthians 12:12‭-‬27 ESV
    https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.12.12-27.ESV

  8. “The union and discipline of the Christian republic…it gradually formed an independent and increasing state in the heart of the Roman Empire.”

    Edward Gibbon in “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”

  9. https://reason.com/2019/04/21/what-inmates-the-amish-and-imperial-chinese-law-teach-us-about-relying-on-the-state/

    ^ Intriguing possibilities around this book…
    The review claims it covers 13 alternative legal systems including “Jewish law.” But that brings us to a fork in the road that I doubt the author understands…because few in modern society do.

    This “Jewish law”…was it the interpretation passed down by the Pharisees who didn’t have a clue what Abraham, Moses and Jesus were all about? Or was it the “Kingdom of God” which always exists naturally until “tillers of men” like Cain, Nimrod, and Abraham’s father—the king of Ur—arrive on the seen to create city-states?

    The Kingdom of God is the style of law the children of Jacob gave up in order to pray to Pharoah for his provision. It’s the style of law that Jethro taught Moses so he could teach those living in Goshen what they had forgotten and they could begin developing a parallel system until the day they were prepared to thrive on their own. It’s the system that Israel was starting to ignore during the time of the Judges until they rejected it all together in favor of a central government. It’s the system that united the Maccabites into a cohesive unit strong enough to fight off their enemies before they perverted it once again and built a central government temple like the kingdoms of the world. It’s the system that Jesus taught his followers when he commanded them to sit in companies of 10 before distributing the fish and bread. Under that system, the provision of the central government temple was absurdly irrelevant and they went throughout the world spreading the “good news.” It’s a system that has existed throughout history all over the world.

    Evidence of many of these societies is provided in the comments below the article at https://higherliberty.com/?p=859.

    “our modern reliance on [central] government to make law and establish order is not the historical norm.” – The Enterprise of Law: Justice without the State by Dr. Bruce L. Benson.

  10. A seven-member Supreme Court in the Khazar capital of Atil was “a model of tolerance and peaceful coexistence,” according to Brock in his The Jews of Khazaria, because it was purposely composed of two Jews, two Muslims, two Christians, and one pagan. Assuring that no one faith dominated the judiciary is a form of decentralization.

    Collection of taxes and customs duties were a responsibility not of the central government in Atil, but of provincial governors. Cities were led by the Khazar equivalent of elected mayors. They were known as “babaghuq,” meaning “father of the city.”

    The Most Prosperous Ancient Nation You’ve Never Heard Of

  11. “The parish assemblies were the main substitute for the state. They were a noncoercive and voluntary political structure established to solve large and important issues through collective decision-making. Heads of households and delegates appointed by the people constituted the assemblies.”

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