How are Religious Officials paid??

Yeah I always wondered how religious officials got money and that they shouldn't take money from some religious practice. Unless your actually providing a service for someone and they are paying directly for that service, I think its a bit unethical. People are pretty much paying priests to sit around and read a book. On the other hand yogis get paid for specifically directing positively physical experiences with their pupils.

He pays himself a salary out of the offerings he gets. In my opinion it is a scam.

I think pastors or priesthood is a job. And like everything else, I think they need a salary, as I'm sure they wouldn't be able to live off donations. I have a friend who's a priest, and we go out playing golf. He pays for his own expenses, and I've always assumed that it came from his salary. And I think that the government gives him some grant or allowances too. And like the rest of us, I expect him to be paying taxes too.

I belong to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. In our Church, I do not see pastors who live lavish lifestyle except for those who are already born rich. Their pay is just enough for the family to survive and go on. For them to be able to send their children to schools especially college, our Church owns colleges and universities and they give scholarships and educational support to "children of church workers". Our church also owns hospitals and medical centers, so those who get sick, they are being taken cared of. Our tithe, the money that we give to the church 10% from our income, goes up to the central office, and being distributed back to the areas where help is needed, like our missionary efforts in Africa and other territories where we are needed, and that's the reason why the Seventh-Day Adventist church is one of the fastest growing churches in the world today.

Any religion ( or any religious denomination, for that matter) are just like any other organization. Their priest and pastors are given a salary, just like any other regular employee would be. Now, these "organizations" get their money from donations and/or tithes from their congregation. I know some of them who make it mandatory for their members to give 10% of their (members) income (you do the math). You wouldn't think this unfair because 1: religions invest in your guilt, really. and 2: similar to any other company, salaries for their "employees" are part of the company expenses (together with church expansion, charity work, etc.) Now, if the pastors/priests/ministers are paid excessively, maybe because this serves as a bonus for a job well done. Or maybe they need to look affluent to be presentable to potential members. Or maybe they are paid well to keep them from transferring to another organization. The days of the vow of poverty are long gone. Much like any other company.

it is his accountability to God

I firmly believe places of religions are just businesses and should pay taxes like the rest of us, they should be made to declare all money..I was talking to someone just the other day who is arranging her wedding, $500 to have the church bells ring as she comes out of the church....can you imagine how much money they are making and then what makes me angry is their doors are closed, they should never be closed if they really are doing the work of God...sorry I hope I have not offened anyone...

They are paid a salary as they are working the State for which they live in require that they get paid money do to that job. Unless the Pastor is the owner of the Business which just so happens to be a non-profit. So yes churches to pay the people who work there in cash no I am not sure about the church you are talking about so the money may becoming from donations or if it is like the Roman Catholics the money is coming from the money that the Vatican is sitting on for the last 500 some years. But yeah they are paid with Money and earn a good salary there is even a book on it http://store.churchlawtodaystore.com/20cohaforchs1.html The average salary of a Pastor is $85,642 per year so about $7,136 per month. http://www1.salary.com/Pastor-salary.html So maybe some donations are going to pay for his wages. But the Donations are being put into the right place to help keep the church open and also to fund some of there events and other happenings that the church is doing. So why shouldn't the church pay there employees with some of the money that they get from donations as that is part of the cost of operating a business whether for profit or non profit you have to have employees and you have to pay them for there time.

They get paid from the offerings of the congregation. It's true that the money is given to pay for the church itself, not for the pastor. However, it also depends on the size of the church. Obviously a pastor of a 300 ppl church will get paid much less than the pastor of a megachurch. By megachurch I mean 1 million people or close to it. There are different case in every church. It's hard to judge without knowing the whole thing.

I believe they get paid from the "LOVE GIFT" as called here on our church is a direct monetary amount and most of the time it really wont reach a good amount to suffice or even give him a good living the reason why I know this because the money should first be accounted for, also our pastors receives a monthly salary that is equal to a basic wage (minimum wage of our region) plus free board and lodging which is a 2 bedroom decent rented house, but this money comes from the weekly monetary offerings from our church members that is added to the church budget.

I have a pastor of a relative. The way I think he gets his pay is by the contribution of the church goers. he doesn't live lucratively because he uses the funds for helping others in need. But I've heard of many other Pastors living in luxury because they use the church funds for themselves.