In a particular church (names withheld), it was announced that people should mind the nature of the currency they use for offering, that it is not palatable to give God crumpled, ruffled, cello taped or torn currency. According to the announcement, it is wrong. They went ahead to call the mind congregation to the story of Cain and Abel and how Cain's unworthy offering was rejected by God.
This brings the question, what kind of money is actually wrong to use as offering in the church?
To draw our conclusion we need to go back to the history of Money (paper money).
(Though there are various stories of the origin of paper money, this article suscribes to its history as bank notes)
When the barter system which was the previous means of payment started experiencing it's problems of; first, double coincidence of wants and secondly, measure of value [there were other problems but these two were major], there was the need to establish a new mode of payment. The Goldsmiths of the 18th century came to the rescue. They had strong rooms where people can come and store their valuables and in turn, the customers are issued a form of RECEIPT with which they can come and withdraw their valuables when needed. From there, the customers of these goldsmiths started exchanging there goldsmiths' RECEIPTS as means of payment instead of going to withdraw their valuables from the goldsmiths before exchange. The point to be noted here is that the actual valuables or money or means of payment was not these receipts but rather the valuables in the goldsmiths' strong rooms which the receipts represents. In other words, the actual value of the receipt was not the paper Receipt or the worth of the material with which the receipt was written, but rather the value of the valuable it represents in the strong room.
From thence, through evolution, came the currency notes which we now recognize as money and even up to cheques and other bank notes.
The paper or the polymer material on which the money value is written, but rather on the value of goods and services which the money can buy.
Yes there are certain means of exchange such as gold, diamond, Nickel, silver, gem stones whose value lie in the quality of the material. The irony is that most times, these materials have to be converted to the Paper money before they can be used.
THE NEAT 1000 Naira note has the same value as THE DIRTY 1000 naira note and the CRUMPLED 1000 naira note because they can all buy the same worth of goods. Also the NEAT 100 dollar bill has the same value as the dirty or crumpled 100 dollar bill because they too can buy the same worth of goods and services.
What Can reduce or invalidate money?
There are certain things that can invalidate or reduce the value of a paper currency.
- Perforation of the currency
- Removal of any special feature used to differentiate the currency original from the fake.
- Tearing off a large portion of the currency.
- Defacing such that the currency value can no longer be ascertained.
In summary, any note or paper money that cannot be accepted by the bank as deposit is not valid and has no value. Such money cannot and should not be offered because it is same as giving nothing.
But if it is dirty, stained, crumpled or even torn with all pieces held together by a clear cello tape, it still commands value Hence can be used for offering, in this case the value is not in the paper but in the money. I don't speak for God but I know he will accept.
I know so many will not agree with this, but it is up to you to decide, is it FACT OR THRASH
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