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Dear Father Paul ...

Dear Father Paul: My husband and I are having a major disagreement over tithing. I want to and he doesn't. We are both Christians and active in our church. Your thoughts, please. — Jane, Tyrone.

Dear Jane: Giving of our finances to God and the idea of tithing are principles of God's kingdom, and are discussed in numerous places in the Bible. The best reference is in Malachi 3:6-12. You and your husband should read and pray (together) over this passage. God will speak to you both clearly. The only thing you will need to decide will be whether or not to obey Him. Don't nag your husband about this ... you are not his personal Holy Spirit. Let God deal with him. Tithing is basically about faith, love and trust, not money! He may go through some difficult conversations with himself and God as he works this out. I wrestled with it myself for several years before I became a tither 30 years ago. The blessings I have received for tithing so far outweigh the cash value of what I've given that I can't begin to count them all. I have never met an "ex-tither."

Dear Father Paul: Who are you going to vote for for president? — Jeff, Fayetteville.

Dear Jeff: None of your business! But I will say that I am strongly pro-life and could never vote for a person who says it is O K to take innocent life. You can draw whatever conclusions you want from that. The Bible says in Proverbs 6:17 that God hates the shedding of innocent blood. I believe His heart breaks over the millions who have died in America's abortion clinics. Having said that, it is very important for everyone to know that God forgives those who have had abortions and who ask Him for forgiveness through his son Jesus.

Dear Father Paul: Are dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible? — Stan, Fayetteville.

Dear Stan: Closest the Bible comes is the "Leviathan" mentioned in Job 41:15-32. This creature is also mentioned in other places in the Bible, including Isaiah and in the Apocryphal book of 1st Enoch 60:7-8. Send me an e-mail and let me know what you think.

[Father Paul Massey is vicar of Church Of The Holy Cross, which meets Saturday evenings at 6 p.m. at Fayetteville's Historic Train Depot. Send your questions to "Dear Father Paul" at paulmassey@earthlink.net or P.O. Box 510, Fayetteville, GA 30214.]