If a group charges more for training, or for membership, than it costs to provide that which is implied by either, then it is listed in this section, even if it can legally claim "not for profit" status. And no, "opportunity costs" don't count. Nor may a group count any salary paid to its membership for services rendered as part of its expenses. In other words, don't try to play 'lawyer' with us.

The collecting of dues in order to maintain a reasonable operating fund (to provide the group and its membership with a buffer in the case of unexpected cost overruns, and cash flow difficulties), so long as that fund is not used for personal purposes (and is kept seperate from the personal funds of the members) will not make a group a "commercial" one under our terms.

Note: The name of the group, and the relevant individuals, have been changed. The point of this article is to give you a sense of the experience, not to name names.

TEMPLE OF THE MANY DIRECTIONS

One of my predecessors had written ...

"According to the recently discontinued Chicago Pagan FAQ, they have been charging hefty fees for teaching. So, I'm sure they can afford to buy a good newspaper ad or two to advertise their services. We recommend that you avoid them, at least for the moment, and, under the rules already stated, we decided to remove their listing, until we hear that the reports are false, from a reputable source. Or until they become too fascinating to ignore. One or the other."

Naturally, the Temple has its own point of view on the subject and it isn't Jimmy Brennerman's (Mr. Brennerman being the author of the now discontinued FAQ). Before diving into their response, though, let us point out that by their own account, one of their courses runs $500. Their defense for the level of membership dues ($240/year) is that they do a lot and it costs a lot, and naturally enough, bills do have to be paid. Their defense for the course fees is that the instructors are being paid for their time, and that they find that students won't take seriously that which they don't have to pay for, in time and money. But, you can click here, to read their first letter to us for yourself. Let us note that they do claim not-for-profit status, according to it.

While we can appreciate both Mr.Brennerman's and the Temple's point of view on this, we're inclined to side with Mr.Brennerman on the subject of teaching fees. True, $12.50/ hour of classtime is not an outrageous fee for adult education, generally speaking. But teaching religion is a little different than teaching accounting. It's not a matter of simply teaching skills or even ideas that the student may find useful, but one of service to the gods and the establishment of a connection between the student and the deity. What manner of servant would collect an admission fee from those seeking to establish a relationship with his employer and then pocket the fee? What would the employer do, if he found out?

The defense is offered, that students won't tend to value that which they get for free, and that's probably true, and it's a real problem, given the curiosity seekers who wander through Paganism in serious numbers. But one can make them pay in time invested, simply by assigning reading and talking with them afterwards, to make sure that they've been doing their reading. Or, maybe by having them do volunteer work, on behalf of the group's projects. But money?

The history books are filled with accounts of people who converted to Judaism or Christianity without paying a single dinar and took their newfound faith so seriously, that they were willing to give up their lives on its behalf. We call them "martyrs". What a sad comment on Paganism, if under similar conditions, we can't even persuade people to give up a little free time. But it's not a comment we're prepared to make. However, it seems that the Temple is.

Let's continue.