Question

Dear Gramps,

In response to the most recently answered questions regarding tithing payment, do you know when the full payment of tithing became a requirement to enter the temple? If you have any references for the change, please include them in your response. Thank you.

Brandon

Answer

Dear Brandon,

It is apparent that the payment of a full tithing as a requirement to enter the Mormon Temple became a requirement very early in the history of the Mormon Church. I could not find an exact date when this requirement came into effect, but an indication of an approximate date can be inferred from the following reference, which suggests that the requirement probably came into effect late in the year 1841.

“For more than a year, the Saints continued to be immersed in the river on behalf of dead relatives. On October 3, 1841, Joseph Smith halted proxy baptisms conducted outside the temple and declared that thereafter the only proper place for this heavenly ordinance on earth was in the subterranean font of the Lord’s House. Postponing the practice of baptisms for the dead shifted attention to the need to complete the temple. The delay was short. Six weeks later, a temporary wooden font was finished, and baptisms resumed. The privilege of using the font was granted only to those who had helped support temple construction by paying their tithing in full. Tithe-paying later became one of the requirements for receiving the endowment. (Nauvoo)

Gramps