In this thread a poster described how Jewish Synagogues collect operational etc. funds. In Christian denominations you usually have a weekly collection plate in addition to various fund drives/fund raisers of various sorts which are generally voluntary.
How do other regions collect necessary funds for administration and other functions? Do all Christian denominations such as Greek/Eastern Orthodox Catholic churches also “pass the plate”?
Speaking very generally, India has all kinds of systems, but the most common are free-standing temples that don’t have “congregations” as such. Anyone can come, and most people contribute a small amount in order to view the central idol. All priestly services are offered on a fee basis. Hindu priests are functional – they generally don’t play the advisory/counseling role that a Christian priest does. You want X blessing? That’s Y rupees. Religion, philosophy, and advice is customarily expounded by gurus (teachers) who usually aren’t priests, but fall into the more general class of “holy men.”
Some temples have side businesses that raise capital – the Iskcon (Hare Krishna) temple in Bombay, for example, runs a popular vegetarian restaurant. Wealthy people like to be seen spending their money, so they often endow temples (e.g., the Birla temples).
(Non-)mainstream personality cults, like the Sai Baba and Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh cults, run on the fund-raising skills of their charismatic leaders.
In the United States, Hindu temples are run like community organizations. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone being billed for membership fees, but there are regular appeals for contributions, and there is a fee schedule for priestly services.
Bourgeois/intellectual religio-philosophical/good works clubs (like the Vedanta Society/Ramkrishna Mission) run on donations and subscriptions, but are often run like membership organizations.
Many neopagan groups require monthly or annual dues from their active initiated members. Rituals which are open to the public (often the Sabbats, sometimes the Esbats) are generally free, with a “suggested donation” or “Love offering” posted on the advertisement and/or at the entrance. Members are not expected to pay for open rituals on top of their membership fee. Classes taught to the public generally have a fee, which may or may not be expected from members. That is, sometimes membership dues are all-inclusive and sometimes not.
Neopagans, generally speaking, suck at collecting funds. Most often, the costs of running public ritual, like rent, food, candles and other supplies, etc. come out of the pocket of the person or persons running the ritual. This goes on until the person is overwhelmed, tapped out financially and resentful of everyone around her (it’s usually a her) and she drops the ball, causing the community to implode, if it hasn’t already imploded because someone slept with someone else’s wife under the guise of “Tantric lessons”.
I wish I was joking.
Most mosques have collections after the main prayers on Fridays.
The Quaker meetings I’ve attended will occasionally (~once/year) send an email, “oh, by the way, our budget is [some ridiculously small amount], and we have [amount], so please contribute if you can.” I don’t think it’s ever come up at meeting for worship. Maybe at business meeting.
You know that big Wiccan chapel down the street? No? That’s because WhyNot is right.
At Shinto shrines in Japan, there are collection boxes. People toss in five yen coins to pray.
Are they still around? I remember their attacks in Oregon and invasion of Boulder back in the day, but today?
Many non-denominational 12-step groups in North America also do the passing a plate thing.
Lifetime Episcopalian here. We give what we can (which tends to be a lot; the average Episcopalian is a good bit wealthier than the average American). Our church is better off than most, and has a stewardship (fundraising) drive every year. You pledge and then get regular polite reminders from the church office. We also pass the plate at every service; there’s no stigma if you put nothing in. The vestry (elected church council) budgets for the year, expanding or trimming spending as necessary.
One year, when the budget was tight, the rector (top priest) told a story about another rector who told the congregation, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we have more than enough money to fund all of our church’s operations and do to Christ’s work here on Earth. The bad news is that all of that money is still in your pockets.”
Every month, I receive a newspaper in the mail called American Baha’i. When you make your Baha’i declaration, you are automatically subscribed. In the middle of the newspaper, stapled to the fold, there is always an envelope to send money to the Fund. All contributions are voluntary, and when you contribute, you get to check a box about where you want your money to go (Temple Fund, Universal House of Justice, National Spiritual Assembly, etc)
There is also a Fund box on the table at the 19-day Feast.
There are always Fund boxes at the various Baha’i Summer Schools, but generally that money is used for scholarships for that school for the following summer.
No one is allowed to contribute to the Fund unless they are registered Baha’i.
When funds for the Temple projects, etc. are running low, the Local Spiritual Assemblies and registered groups will receive a letter from National, asking us to donate more if we can.
Rajneesh (Osho) himself was deported from the United States and he died in 1990, but his organization is definitely still alive. It operates an ashram and publishes the 650 books supposedly authored by Osho.
Church of sweden. (lutheran)
Gets its money thru taxes.
Members get something like 3% (amount depending on where you live) added on their income tax.
Most swedes are members for historical reasons even if only about 2% go to church on a regular basis.
There is a collection plate handed round every service but that money is for some charity and not for the church.
[QUOTE=astro]
In this thread a poster described how Jewish Synagogues collect operational etc. funds./QUOTE]
If you read that thread, read the entire thing.
In short, Jews do not have to pay to pray. The OP in that thread neglected to say that. Some Jews “join” a congregation, and then they pay dues. These cover the operation of the facilities, the hiring of the rabbi, Hebrew school, and so forth.
I have occasionally belonged to a congregation, but mostly I go to the services and rabbis that I like. I do not pay. The members help defray that cost as well.
Rabbis don’t get a cent from any central “Jewish” organization anywhere. They pay for their own education. They get a salary from the congregation.
One Reconstructionist congregation I used to “belong to” charged about $300/year for single people, mostly to defray the cost of a rabbi.
Most Jews attend a synagogue on Shabbat, and since one can not carry money on Shabbat, one can not take it to the synagogue! It would also be improper for the synagogue to collect it on Shabbat.
As others pointed out in the other thread, families mostly join to give their kids the education needed for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. I always see it arranged on a sliding scale, with consideration given for hardships.
To suggest, as the other OP did, that Jews have to “pay to pray” is not only incorrect, it’s insulting.
[Note: I do sometimes have problems with congregations focusing on Jewish charities. Charity should go to all groups]
Jewish community organizations charge their own dues, just as the YMCA does.
In Germany, all religious institutions get money from the government. You declare your religion and the government gives the money to the organizers of your religion. Very odd by American standards.
Hijack, sorry, but I find this interesting. Is there any particular reasoning for this?
ETA:
Reform Jews can and do carry money on the sabbath (I’ve even seen a rabbi do it). Furthermore, in my (limited) experience, I have in fact seen people turned away from bar mitzvah classes due to an inability to pay enough. I’m not saying it’s common (and in fact I assume it’s not), but what you said is not always true.
Absolutely, there’s a reason. Non-Baha’is are not allowed to attend the 19-Day Feast (though anyone can attend devotional gatherings and deepenings, study circles, children’s classes, etc.)
Feast is where administrative decisions are made. For instance, we might read a letter from the NSA saying that the Temple Fund is 20% under goal, and asking if LSA’s or registered groups can contribute more money. The treasurer of the LSA (Local Spiritual Assembly) or registered group might tell the group there’s X number of dollars in the treasury, and then we vote on how much of that should go to the Temple Fund.
IOW, non-Baha’is cannot participate in administrative decisions, and therefore, we cannot, in good conscience, take their money.
Just to clarify what I wrote above – Hindus do have to pay for priestly or temple services, but that’s not pay to pray. Hindus are empowered to pray whenever and wherever they want. Priests and temples have nothing to do with it. You can be a perfectly good Hindu without going anywhere near one.
Yes, Reform Jews do carry money on Shabbat. The tradition of not collecting money at services, the way that some other religions do, still stands. I know nothing of the economics of other religions, so I can’t say anything else. I’ve just explained how the Jewish religion works in the US.
Turning someone away from bar mitzvah classes because they can’t pay for them is wrong. Pure and simple. I’m certain that Jews do bad things every day, but then again that’s been going on for a while (see, for example, the writings of the Prophets).
All I am qualified to say is that Jewish institutions are supported by dues rather than by direct collection at a service. Jews should never be forced to “pay to pray” but sometimes are (particularly during the High Holy Day silliness). Turning people away from anything in the Jewish religion because they can’t pay is wrong.
I don’t know where we can begin to fix it, though. :smack:
I didn’t even get a chance to read your post, so mine was not a comment on yours. But sorry anyway! The Hindu system is a good one. I’d like to know more about it. I ought to know more about the system in Israel, for that matter!