Of all the different types of cooperative communities, religious based cooperatives have been the most successful and longest lasting. During the Middle Ages, "the Roman Catholic church had established monasteries all over Europe" (Encyclopedia Encarta). Some of these European monasteries are still in existence today. Certain sects were persecuted during the Protestant Reformatio

At the Mount Madonna Center the aim is to create an environment where residents and guests are supported in the pursuit and fulfillment of their personal growth and spiritual goals. The community is a diverse group consisting of single people, couples, families, elders, monks, and nuns for a total of approximately ninety people. Although, the community can swell up to 500 people at any given time because of the school and the programs they offer. The residents eat communally, work together, share in study and meditation, and join in responsibility of the school. The community residents have the responsibility for the centers growth and development. In return the Center provides room and board, spiritual classes in yoga and meditation, recreational facilities, a place to practice spiritual discipline, and an environment to learn the value of service in spiritual life. It must be rewarding to live with others who share in the common goal of attaining peace. The Center is more concerned with helping the community then it is with taking their money, which is almost unheard of today. In a time where is seems everyone is out to make a profit it is refreshing to hear about an organization whose main objective is to serve the community in search of peace. I first heard about Mount Madonna from a friend who knew someone who lived at the Center. His name is Jessie and at the age of twenty-six he moved to Mount Madonna from Seattle, Washington. He left behind a life of drugs and a disruptive family situation in search of a better life. At the Mount Madonna Center he found the spiritual guidance, structured living, financial relief, and support he needed to get his life back in order. It is examples like this one that proves how effective a cooperative community can really be and how they can change a person's life. Although the Center was founded just twenty-three years ago in 1978 it has survived to become a very successful cooperative that I believe will continue to thrive as an alternative to the prevailing social order of today.

Communal living is based on the voluntary sharing of a way of life by a group of people. In order to uphold this idea the cooperative must ensure that the new members also understand and follow these rules. A membership committee made up of existing members of the cooperative must approve all prospective members. This is the most important distinction between a condominium and a cooperative. The application of a potential purchaser cannot be rejected for reasons such as age, gender, race, religion, or sexual preference. However, there are only two grounds on which rejection can legally be held. If the membership committee believes that, "the potential purchaser does not have the financial capacity to live in the complex or if they have demonstrated an unwillingness or inability to comply with the rules of the cooperative then the potential purchaser may be rejected" (Clurman and Hebard 206). With the common understanding that the group can live better together than they

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2048
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)