Religion is the biggest business on earth ...?

Question

call it organized business & guess it sure tops the fortune 500
call it the mafia, there again they win hands down

lets freely share our thoughts on this

just to add,
also the most powerful lobby on the planet !

jdsheth, you have put in some hard work indeed, where all i was seeking was a frank opinion

i too am not a religious fanatic
>> respect all faiths

but, all the same ... now, by business > all i mean was the money making business & not buiness as in technical sense

Answer 1

Ironically, it would seem that the God and Christ are similarly disturbed by the disgusting focus on monies by ostensible "religion". The bible plainly teaches that the mere pretense of worship does not necessarily have any connection with one's acceptance by God and Christ.


Recall that Christ on two separate occasions worked to forcibly expel the businessmen who polluted the very temple itself with their money-making activity.

(Matthew 21:12-13) Jesus entered into the temple and threw out all those selling and buying in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers

(John 2:13-16) Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those selling cattle and sheep and doves and the money brokers in their seats. So, after making a whip of ropes, he drove all those with the sheep and cattle out of the temple, and he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. And he said to those selling the doves: “Take these things away from here! Stop making the house of my Father a house of merchandise!”


Note also how the bible discusses God's pre-Armageddon judgment against the world empire of false religion, which Revelation calls "Babylon the Great". It seems beyond dispute that "Babylon the Great" is judged largely because of her connection with "the traveling merchants" of crass commercialism and ostentatious excess.

(Revelation 18:10-17,20,23) ‘Too bad, too bad, you great city, Babylon you strong city, because in one hour your judgment has arrived!’ “Also, the traveling merchants of the earth are weeping and mourning over her, because there is no one to buy their full stock anymore, a full stock of gold and silver and precious stone and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet; and everything in scented wood and every sort of ivory object and every sort of object out of most precious wood and of copper and of iron and of marble; also cinnamon and Indian spice and incense and perfumed oil and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and horses and coaches and slaves and human souls. Yes, the fine fruit that your soul desired has departed from you, and all the dainty things and the gorgeous things have perished from you, and never again will people find them. “The traveling merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of [their] fear of her torment and will weep and mourn, saying, ‘Too bad, too bad—the great city, clothed with fine linen and purple and scarlet, and richly adorned with gold ornament and precious stone and pearl, because in one hour such great riches have been devastated!’..."Thus with a swift pitch will Babylon the great city be hurled down...because your traveling merchants were the top-ranking men of the earth, for by your spiritistic practice all the nations were misled.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/kn37/
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/index.htm?article=article_08.htm

Answer 2

OK, ya know what.. Stop harassing me about it. It was like 10 years ago and I swear the Earth consented to it. Mother Nature may have been drunk at the time.. but it was consensual. Plus.. we all know No means YES, anyways... SHEESSH! Get off my back already! Just Kidding Yes, but their is also a difference between individual sin and group sin. From my perspective, coveting or lusting is worse on an individual level. Raping the Earth of its resources is a Human wide sin.. therefore individual guilt is reduced. We are all still liable to SOME degree.. but I believe individual culpability is reduced as compared to sins of the flesh. But that's my perspective. I have no idea how God sees it. I'll find out when I'm judged at the END of my life. Catholicism is involved in Environmental issues. The Pope meets regularly with Environmentalists, speaks before the U.N. on the issue and has installed Solar Panels at the Vatican to reduce its carbon footprint. Shalom! (Hebrew for Peace)

Answer 3

It is like that because a lot of forces are after the human soul. They've turn religion into business for filthy lucre and do not care any more about the flocks. Anyway someday we shall all receive our reward if it be good or evil. Jesus Christ when He was on earth did say "what will a man gain if he gains the whole world and loss his own soul".

Answer 4

yes religion is the biggest business on earth

first lets consider first religions that use or base their belief on the bible
if those religions just follow what is written in the bible, then theres no problem with religion being the biggest business, in fact we should be happy and expect all good things to come....... poor people will be taken cared of, the disabled, the widows, the homeless, those children without parents etc etc, and also, the good word as written in the bible will spread all over the world
but this is not what is happening at the moment, the who claim that they are of god and for god use the money for themselves
for example here in the philippines, religions or head of the church even dictate to their members who they should vote in our elections, therefore politicians have enough reason to go and talk to church leaders and donate huge amount of money in order for them to be indorsed by the church leaders

maybe we cant totally blame those who build churches for the intention of getting money, if they see that church is a good business then they do it to have money
i think the problem is with the people allowing themselves to be used by those greedy individuals disguising as men of god
it is ok that one join a church, but he or she must follow what the bible says
that we have to think or study or analyze the kind of church that we go into
i think its easy to see which church do the wrong and the right thing, the biblical and the non-biblical
in the bible we can read "by the fruit we can know them"
this is a good guide for those who go or belong to a church

many say the philippines is one country, if not the only one,which needs lots of education when it comes to dealing with religions, almost all religions from other countries who come here are able to get huge number of membership in a small amount of time
people here easily fall victim to this monkey business

Answer 5

You confuse me. First you show disrespect for all faiths by calling them businesses then you say that you respect all faiths.

The mission of businesses is to make a profit.

The mission of the Catholic Church is to proclaim and establish the Kingdom of God begun by Jesus Christ among all peoples.

All churches are non-profit organizations. Most churches take in just enough to get along. The expenses of a typical Catholic parish can easily exceed $1,000,000 a year.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles even has a Together in Mission program where the parishes with a little left over help support the parishes that do not have enough. http://www.archdiocese.la/stewardship/development/together/index.php

Have you ever helped on a parish financial committee trying to make ends meet?

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

*Actually I dont believe in religion orientation,but the question is asked for the views,I like to put some figures which I came to know from web.
*Mafia,prostitution,loot,gangs,religion,black-mailing etc are money making ways! I dont consider it as a business at all.

*[business is the social science of managing people to organize and maintain collective productivity toward accomplishing particular creative and productive goals, usually to generate profit.

The etymology of "business" refers to the state of being busy, in the context of the individual as well as the community or society. In other words, to be busy is to be doing commercially viable and profitable work.

The term "business" has at least three usages, depending on the scope — the general usage (above), the singular usage to refer to a particular company or corporation, and the generalized usage to refer to a particular market sector, such as "the record business," "the computer business," or "the business community" -- the community of suppliers of goods and services.]

*Please read the last para given by the following web:
http://www.truetruths.com/BUSINESS.htm

*There are lot of cross=views on ur questions here:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/05/04/stories/2005050400260900.htm
*http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3511.html

*http://www.mmscrivenerpress.com/ctethics_book1.html

Answer 7

Religion is a limitation that people try to put on God.

Lucky for us, it never works.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 8

It is certainly one of the larger ones. If the Catholic Church in the USA can pungle up over $2 billion to settle abuse claims, how much more money is lurking there?

Answer 9

No! It's arms smuggling, drugs dealing and prostitution - in that order. Then there comes telecommunications, ensurance and banking - in that order!

Answer 10

I can't vouch for how factual your statement is -- I don't have the numbers in front of me -- but the Catholic church is by no means strapped for cash....