Romney Avoids Taxes via Loophole Cutting Mormon Donations

3. (4-6) An example of how their traditions dishonored God: the practice of not helping your parents with resources said to be devoted to God.

“For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”; then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.”

a. Honor your father and mother: The clear command of God said that everyone should give honor to their father and mother – even stating a penalty for extreme disobedience to this command. When we are adults and no longer in our parent’s household or under their authority, we no longer have to obey our father and mother. Yet we are still commanded to honor them; that command endures.

b. Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God: Some Jewish people of Jesus’ day had a way to get around the command to honor your father and mother. If they declared that all their possessions or savings were a gift to God that were especially dedicated to Him, they could then say that their resources were unavailable to help their parents.

i. “This convenient declaration apparently left the property actually still at the disposal of the one who made the vow, but deprived his parents of any right to it.” (France)

ii. “Our Saviour here also let us know, that the fifth commandment obligeth children to relieve their parents in their necessity, and this is the sense of the term honour in other texts of Scripture.” (Poole)

c. Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition: Through this trick someone could completely disobey the command to honor his father or mother, and do it while being ultra-religious.