fees and religion/spirituality

Hello I previously posted this on a.r.d. I'm wondering if anyone
here has any opinions or information on this topic.

Money and religion seems to be a touchy subject in most if not all
religions. Funds given to churches are termed donations. I know
many people who are down on churches because the priest or some
elder kept asking for funds. Even if there is a hole in the
roof and no money in the bank, people can object to money being
talked about. One of the reasons neo-paganism may be popular
is the desire to get away from larger organisations and their
money problems.

In neo-paganism the debate seems to be over fees for classes
or fees for mentoring. While you can't pay for wisdom or discipline,
you can take a class about those subjects. Some pagans are
very certain that there must be no funds for teaching, others
think it's okay to charge for expenses and still others think
it's perfectly fine to charge for a class on any subject.

Whereas there seem to be definite neo-pagan (perhaps Wiccan? )
prohibitions on charging for teaching, I don't know if any Celtic
source proscribes the practice. The whole tribal set-up of
the iron age Celts is quite differant from our society. They
had bonds of obligation that we don't have. Even though they had
coins I believe these were mostly not in circulation, their system
was based on bartering. I don't know that people going to a
seasonal celebration want to be told: "bring a side of beef and
some gems, no cash allowed on site" ( Does the Burning Man festival
do that ? ); or, "if you want to take this class, clean my house
for a month"; or, "all my wisdom is free when I'm in a good mood"; etc.

It's a complicated topic. I'd be interested in your views on any
of the following and also whether you base your opinions on any
particular experience or source.


- fees for classes
- fees for on-line or by-mail classes
- re-imbursement for expences for classes or rituals
- free classes with all costs asborbed by the teacher or group of elders
- charges for "spells" or some sort of prayer or ritual
- spells or religious activities considered an offerings by the practitioner
- charges for tarot or ogham reading
- fees for teaching
- physical labor in exchange for teaching
- some sort of obligation or formal respect in exchange for teaching
- groups financially supporting a paid leader or clergy
- free peer counseling or advice from elders
- combinations of free and fee depending on individual situation


Also do you know of any pagan or Druid websites that refer to the issue?

Not expecting consensus here so feel free to add your totally
metaphorical two cents ;)

Thanks

Elaine


.

Relevant Pages

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