Reply #105: No. You don't.

[Pithlet]

If a church "requires" you to pay 10%, and you are uncomfortable with the fact that they've actually codified the donation system into faith, you can always find another church that doesn't. Plenty of churches will allow you to attend their services and learn about their faith and allow you to be members for free. Not so with Scientology. Even the ones that say your faith requires you to pay 10% of your income aren't usually doing it solely for a profit. Tithes aren't really the same thing as the costs required for courses. Their denominations have simply included tithes as a tennet of their faith to better compel people to donate. Churches do require some form of income to function, but profit is not their purpose. Or it isn't supposed to be. Some churches and other houses of worships of course are scams. But other members of mainstream faiths could easily find other houses of worship if they discovered this, or are otherwise unhappy with how things are run. But pretty much all of Scientology is run the same way. You have to buy the courses, and you have to buy your way up the chain. And it's not a sliding scale based on what you can afford, like a tithe. It's a set price, and if you can't afford it, you aren't making it to the upper levels. It's a money making scam.