selling religion (and other stuff)

some days ago, my friend was telling me that religion is a business plan. it markets greed and pits power struggles against self-righteousness. but, like any business plan, you can't market a product without proper advertising. so you bundle up this (innate) human greed and sell it with promises - and what better promises to hand out than false ones. false here, because as my friend says religious leaders promise things which aren't tangible. for example, a religious figure may promise eternal bliss (in the afterlife) in exchange for all your worldly possessions. according to his argument, i, as a greedy human, fall for this because i want something more than i already have (eternal bliss). one cannot test the promise because it involves that leap of faith (of being dead and gone) so the promise is a false pretence, easily backed by a statement such as 'mr. x went to heaven because he gave me all his gold, mr. y went to hell because he was a miser', a statement nobody can empirically prove. add in some flamboyant marketing skills and possibly cult-mentality. spice up the mix with stuff a person can relate to (like spirit of the corn marketing to the farmers or blessing of the water to a tribe of fishermen), and god is a construct. religion is a facade and prophets are... well, prophets are the greediest of us all, and apparently the best marketing strategists.



i, for one, find dismal this whole portrayal. however, i do consider it to an extent. one must be slightly empirical, and with my denial of these statements (be they with bases or not), makes me a stronger 'believer'. because, obviously, that gives me a bigger palace of diamonds when i pass over to the other side.

p/s: i know i always bitsh about love here. i'm so sorry. it's just that, you live. you fall in love. and sometimes, you just don't climb out again. at least not for a long time. i know this, as an observer from the outside. but when you're up there centre-stage, there's not much you can do about it. except... break down and cry? no. pine and pray and hope for miracles? no. sigh and deject yourself, forsaking much of what you believe in? no. i don't really know... maybe, yes.