Is it right to charge a fee for the baptism of a child. Why do they charge a lot of money for the baptism of children? - There were moments when it was joyful for the baptized

The other day we received a letter: “You say on your website what a good Church is, but why then do priests drive expensive cars, and there is a lot of gold in churches?”

What is the answer to this?

We live in a time that can be called a virtual crowd. Previously, in order to captivate society, it was enough to go to the square and make a convincing speech. Now it is enough to write a post on a social network that will be distributed to thousands of readers. This is how prejudices are born.

The church is rich, although the country is poor. Fathers drive expensive cars. The church takes all the money. Here are just a few of the attitudes towards the Church that have become entrenched in social networks and parts of society.

We have collected the main questions regarding the Church and the topic of money and tried to tell you how everything really is.

Why does the Church need money?

The activity of the Church, like any spiritual community, takes place in the world - in the society that has developed around. There is money in the world that people, companies and the state pay among themselves. Sometimes there are free services, but this only means that the state pays for people in this case.

Nothing is free, and nothing can legally exist in the world without money. The exception is subsistence farming - an ideal way of life when a person or community feeds, clothes and heals itself - but even in this case, money is needed: to pay, for example, a tax on the land that the community or house occupies. In fact, even the most “natural” communities use inexpensive tractors, household tools, and purchased clothes in their households. Medicines and some products are also taken in stores.

Why the Church does not pay taxes

The church is exempt from income taxes. If you looked at the financial situation of most temples, you would understand that having a tax, they would not make ends meet.

But imagine: would reduce. Income tax is cash registers in every temple. For each cash register, you no longer need a simple grandmother and a kind parishioner, but an employee. Reporting and so on. But the main thing: the introduction of a tax would deprive the temple of the opportunity to do the most important thing that we actually expect from the Church: if necessary, give away candles or something else for free - after all, everything is now on the balance sheet ...

Church and money: what is the result

All of the above does not negate the fact that in the Church, as in any brotherhood, business or profession - the same medicine or the police - there may be people who do not bear a duty or proper responsibility within themselves. Then a doctor appears who is a hack, or a policeman who does not protect, but thinks about profit. And then we talk about them with sadness (or even irritation), but deep down we understand that this is not a damage to medicine or the police, as a phenomenon in general, but the mistakes of specific people ...

How to look at it?

Man is defective by nature and the Church is not Paradise on earth. Paradise was once on earth, but after the fall it remained only in heaven, and those who come to the Church or serve in it strive for that heavenly Paradise. Strive to the best of their ability. Without judging anyone, but looking only at yourself: grieving that you yourself cannot live as you should, and rejoicing that there is Christ who will stretch out His hand to everyone who reaches out to Him with all his soul, and sins will be forgiven, and the soul will be cleansed, and then - by the Grace of the Holy Spirit - Eternal life will come and the soul will find Peace and joy in unceasing being with God ... And against this background, absolutely everything that happens on earth around - and human weaknesses, and omissions, and shortcomings - they all lose any value!

Glory and thanksgiving to God for everything!

Money as such has never been considered a sin, sin is greed, that is, an irresistible desire to have a lot of money. Orthodox clergy do not "take money for baptism," but "make a demand for a sacrifice." Orthodox Christians, who constantly live in the bosom of the Church, know and understand that the earthly Church of Christ (clerics, priests) is not yet in the Kingdom of Heaven and requires food, clothing, and certain other material goods that can only be obtained for money. That is why Scripture says:

"to eat from the sanctuary" or "to take a share from the altar" is to accept a sacrifice from the laity.

Also, you can remember the part of the Gospel:

in which Christ did not condemn the rich because they give a sacrifice to the Temple, and did not condemn the priests who established the “treasury”, but exalted the reward itself in the form of the fact that giving “out of excess” is easy, but giving “out of scarcity” ” is the highest thing in the eyes of God.

Similarly, the Apostles of Christ accepted ...

On the air of the permanent program “Blogpost of Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov”, the question is discussed - why in the Church people are baptized for money.

This is not a baptismal fee.

This is a donation to the temple.

On the part of the priest is not always voluntary. You have to force yourself. So do not hunt to baptize, just horror! You are in the position of a man building a house that will be burned down in your presence. It makes no sense.

– Were there moments when it was joyful for the baptized?

But about the majority it is not clear why they came to be baptized. What's the point of them? And they treat baptism as…

On the air of the permanent program "Blogpost of Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov" the question is discussed - why in the Church people are baptized for money.

Why are temples often required to pay for baptism? Rejected by the apostle Peter, Simon wanted to pay for the baptism, for which he was rejected.

This is not a baptismal fee.

This is a donation to the temple.

But it turns out that this donation is not always voluntary. A man approaches, a price list behind a drawer ...

On the part of the priest is not always voluntary. You have to force yourself. So do not hunt to baptize, just horror!

You are in the position of a man building a house that will be burned down in your presence.

It makes no sense.

- Were there moments when it was joyful for the baptized?

There are moments when you are joyful for the person you are baptizing. He then becomes churched, begins to go to church, helps the Church, lives by this.

But about the majority it is not clear why they came to be baptized. What's the point of them?
…

View Full Version: Baptism - why is it paid?

26.07.2009, 19:09

Why did baptism become paid, and indeed where did all these extortions of “donations” come from???

Ekaterina Stepa

26.07.2009, 19:41

Valery, I understand your indignation about this. But let's look at the situation from the other side and try to figure it out together.
There is no doubt that Baptism is a GIFT of God, and there can be no question of any price.
We all know that the only source of funding for the Church is donations from parishioners. It is becoming more and more difficult to support the Church, as everything is getting more expensive - electricity, communications, and so on, so on, so on, and you need to not only pay bills, in addition to this there are a lot of needs - restoration, cash payments to priests (after all, they have large families, 4-5 children each, and they only work in churches), one heating in winter how much does it cost to maintain the required temperature, because there are icons, iconography, which ...

Do I need to pay for Baptism or buy in the church for Baptism what they offer you, or should it be a gift? And I also wanted to write notes for the repose and for health, but it turned out that this is also a paid service. And most importantly, I was surprised that women and men should stand on opposite sides during the service - is this right? I am ready to donate money as much as I can, this is not the point, I am confused by the prices for each service.

Kanev Alexander

laborer, carpenter

The accusers are not only sure that everything in the temple should be done free of charge, they even refer to such episodes of the Holy Scriptures as the expulsion of merchants from the Jerusalem temple by the Savior or the case when the apostle Peter refused to baptize a person who offered money for baptism. Of particular indignation is the amount: it seems that they charge too much for baptism.

Why don't they baptize for free

People who demand that everything be done in churches for free do not understand or do not want to understand that the temple is a material object that needs to be maintained, repaired, that from time to time you need to purchase new vestments for priests, church utensils and books, you need to buy oil and incense. All this costs money.

The clergy understand that visiting the temple should not turn into a paid service, because then it will not be available to everyone. Not a single temple takes money for confession, communion, and even more so for the mere presence at the service (for comparison: for a conversation with ...

Baptism of a child: rules

Date: 03-05-2015

In our time, the Russian Orthodox Church is again gaining significant popularity among the ordinary population. The return to the sphere of the Church and Faith can be attributed to fashion trends, but in most cases people come to this consciously. Not surprisingly, more and more families decide to baptize a baby, even if they themselves are not exemplary parishioners.

But the sacrament of baptism is an old rite of unity between man and God, and not just a solemn ceremony. What do you need to know before deciding to baptize a baby, and what obligations does this procedure impose on the baby's parents? The answers to these and many other questions will be given by our article.

Baptism of a child: at what age is it better to do it?

In each family, the issue of baptism of a child is decided individually. In most cases, the baby is baptized on the fortieth day after birth (give or take a few days). From the point of view of religion, it is the fortieth day that is significant - on ...

- Hello! My name is Valery. Tell me, can a priest violate the secrecy of confession? And are there any exceptions?

- It is a sin. The priest has no right to break the secret. Although, of course, there are exceptional cases. For example, if a priest learns from a conversation that an anti-government conspiracy or a terrorist attack is being prepared. If a murder or an abortion is being prepared, he can take some action to prevent a crime and save a person from sin, stop evil. But the secret must not be broken anyway.

— Father Artemy? Good afternoon! My question is: is it possible to go to the cemetery during the Easter holidays?

- No, it's not worth it. The Church prescribes to rejoice at Easter and endure one's grief. It is better to do this on the ninth day after Easter. There is a special day for this - called Radonitsa. It is then that you can go to the cemetery and honor the memory of the dead.

YOU CAN NOT PAY FOR CANDLES IN CHURCHES

Tamara is calling you. Father,…

First, the expression "payment" of the Sacraments. There is no such concept in the Church itself. But there is another thing - a donation for the needs of the temple, which means by no means abstract things, but the most concrete ones: the temple must first be built, then maintained, repaired, restored, equipped, heated, illuminated, etc. It is necessary to take care of the adjacent territory, the construction and maintenance of parish buildings. The parish should be engaged in the religious education of children, organizing schools, circles, conducting charitable activities and much more, which cannot be counted. All this activity is carried out not only by priests, but also by laity, who are full-time employees of the parish and are on a salary. Each parishioner knows all this and understands the main thing, and therefore tries to take an active part in the life of the Church, making his own contribution (including material) to the common cause, thus serving God and neighbors. An example for us can be like the Old Testament…

They say everyone has their own truth and it's true. There is only one truth, but there are many interpreters of this truth. The problem with these interpreters is that they interpret the Bible based on what their teachers have taught them.

It is written: "And you remain in what you have been taught and what you have been entrusted with, knowing by whom you have been taught." (2 Timothy 3:14) It is very important to know who your teacher is.

The Internet has made it possible, at least for me, to help people. Truth can interpret itself.

They ask me questions that I try to answer. One of them is about water baptism.

Is water baptism important or not in the Christian life?

It's very important and here's why. Water baptism, apart from exceptions, is necessary in order for a person's sins to be forgiven. A promise to serve God with a clear conscience is a commitment. Initiation cannot be without the fruit of repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

We read carefully: “And he went through all the surrounding country of the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 3:3)

To understand this, read the article protod. Andrey Kuraev

WHERE DOES THE CHURCH GET MONEY?

He says there, among other things, that “no one forces you to buy candles. The most important sacraments of our church life - confession and communion - are always performed without any "payments". If a person does not have the opportunity to make a proper sacrifice for christening, wedding or burial, according to church rules, the priest is obliged to agree to work completely free of charge.

But he also shows the other side of the problem. After all, churches need to be built, restored, cleaned, decorated, protected, illuminated, the people who serve there need to eat and live on something, and their families too. Where will this big money come from? See what the apostle Paul writes about this:

7 What warrior ever serves on his payroll? Who, having planted vineyards, does not eat its fruit? Who, while shepherding the flock, does not eat milk from the flock?
8 Do I say this from human reason alone? Doesn't it say the same...

When people begin to be interested in baptism, then at some point the question arises - why is it paid in the church? Should money be charged for baptism? When I was about twenty years old, I decided to be baptized. I remember that in my life everything was fine, but it seemed to me that something was missing. I did not understand all these issues of faith, but I was not very interested in all this. I just wanted to be baptized. That was. I thought it would be right. When I came to one of the churches, I saw this sign on the door: "Baptism 250 rubles." To be honest, it then alerted me and saved me at the same time. And that's what was the matter.

What is the essence and meaning of baptism?

This story happened to me in the early 2000s. After I decided not to pay 250 rubles for baptism, I called my friend, who at that time had been versed in matters of faith for many years. I told him my story and asked if he had a priest who, through an acquaintance, could baptize me for free? My friend laughed out loud at the time. It's funny to me right now too. And it's not about the price. The fact is that at that time I did not understand the meaning of baptism at all!

Should baptism be paid?

We are talking about whether baptism should be free or paid. Should church officials take money for baptism? And once again - if a person does not decide to repent of all sins and does not begin to live like - then baptism does not make sense. Because baptism is a new birth. This is a spiritual birth.

“For the wages of sin is death. The gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The eternal life that comes with true baptism is a selfless gift from God. A gift for which no one has the right to take money. Jesus Christ has already paid for every person on this earth. Paid with His own life. But as you already understood from this short article, the main thing is not even the price of the issue. The main thing is to realize the essence and meaning of baptism itself. Otherwise, it will be a useless rite that will bring you absolutely no spiritual meaning.

By the way, my story with baptism ended well. A friend suggested that I open my Bible and start studying about baptism. About how to actually be a Christian. And after we looked at the main topics, I was baptized. Only it wasn't the frivolous baptism I wanted to get at the beginning. It was a baptism based on the Bible. And by the way, I didn't have to pay money for the baptism, if anyone is interested.

If you want to understand the issue of baptism and this topic is important to you, then write to us through.

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Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

Our prayer petition to God must be backed up by readiness and, on our part, to bring something as a gift. This has been known since the earliest biblical times. This is the spiritual meaning of sacrifices and various types of donations. Therefore, already in the ancient Church, people made monetary contributions. holy John Chrysostom explained to those who in his time did not understand the meaning of fees: “Do not be embarrassed - heavenly blessings are not sold for money, they are not bought with money, but with the free decision of the giver of money, philanthropy and alms. If these goods were bought with silver, then the woman who put in two mites would not get much. But since not silver, but a good intention had power, she, having shown all her readiness, received everything. So, we should not say that the Kingdom of Heaven is bought for money - not for money, but for free decision, which is manifested through money. However, you say, do you need money? We don't need money, we need a solution. Having it, you can buy heaven for two mites, but without it, you cannot buy for a thousand talents what you can buy for two mites.

The donations that believers make have two sides. One is spiritual and moral, and the other is vital and practical.

The Lord says about the spiritual side: Sell your property and give alms. Prepare for yourselves vaginas that do not decay, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, and where moths do not eat; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.(Luke 12:33-34). And St. the apostle Paul writes: You also sent me to Thessalonica once or twice for need. [I say this] not because I am looking for gifts; but I'm looking for fruit that multiplies in your favor(Phil. 4:16-17).

Practical side. The Church and its people live in the real world. The life of the parish requires considerable expenses. I will give an example of one church community - the Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity in Khokhlovsky lane, where the rector is Fr. Alexy Uminsky. The staff includes: the rector, the priest, the deacon, the headman, the regent, the altar boy, the accountant, the worker behind the candle box and three watchmen. Regular cleaning is done by the parishioners themselves. The singers work for free. For the maintenance of the most necessary staff, the monthly salary fund is about 70 thousand rubles. Priests, the headman and the regent receive 8 thousand, the deacon - 7 thousand, and the rest less. In addition, expenses are required for heating, water, electricity, flour for prosphora, etc. Even without taking into account the cost of acquiring church utensils, vestments, deductions for repairs, the cost per month is approximately 120 thousand rubles. There are 120 parishioners (excluding babies and students). This means that in order for the parish to really exist, everyone would have to contribute at least 1 thousand rubles. per month. For many, this is unbearable. Therefore, the father rector does not even call for this. A year ago, the fee for notes and candles was canceled in the temple. What changed? It became more difficult for the accountant to raise funds to cover the necessary expenses. There are difficult months. Father Alexy says: “At the end of December 2005, there were 50 thousand rubles in the parish cash desk, that is, not even enough for the minimum wage. It was a big surprise, and we had to shrug our shoulders” (Parish List, February 30/12, 2006). I would like people who are dissatisfied with the prices for services to take the time to calculate how much they donate to their church every month. Because most don't, prices remain. Of course, everything should be arranged wisely and humanely. Parish workers should always be ready to meet a needy person and fulfill his request free of charge.

The current generation of believers is cut off from centuries of tradition. Many have neither the feeling nor the consciousness of catholicity. Most people come to the temple only to meet their spiritual needs. They do not empathize with the life of the parish and the Church as part of their life. They do not even think about the needs of their native parish. It was different in the ancient Church. St. Apostle Luke says: The multitude of those who believed had one heart and one soul(Acts 4:32). Since the Lord has replaced the ceremonial law with a spiritual law, a spirit of sacrifice is required of the Christian. He should make offerings of a charitable nature out of diligence. St. app. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: Each give according to the disposition of the heart, not with grief and not with compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. But God is able to enrich you with all grace, so that you, always and in everything having all sufficiency, may be rich for every good deed.(2 Corinthians 9:7-8).