Why does religion seem like shopping for a belief?

Question

In most religiously open nations where there are more then one operating religions, it seems as if though picking what to believe in could very easily be seen in the same respect as choosing where to go to get that shiney new watch.In America, for instance, many churches place TV ads, advertise in several publications, place signs in various locations that have advertisment slogans about why you should believe in this faith or that, they have Sunday morning programs which seem more like home shopping programs(Order now and you can get a shiney belief validated), and just like that pesky paper boy trying to get you to sign up for *insert name of publication*, they even have door to door salesmen.

Why, oh why, is religion more like a product then a belief?If it was truely worthy of being a belief then it wouldn't need people to try and sell it now would it.And don't forget that for 19.95 you can become a member of the telethon prayer group..

Answer 1

Back in Japan, religion was just a part of culture and nothing more. In fact, religion is one of the least controversial subjects there in my opinion.

When I came to America, I noticed how religion is such an important thing to all of you, especially spreading it. It's not just internal either. I'm seeing things on TV here that there's religion related stuff, hosted by Americans, going on in African countries too. It's like religion this, religion that.

I've had some friends just randomly ask me to come to their church saying that "It'd be fun" and that they "don't do all that much religious stuff" when in fact, they're just trying to convert me.

My opinion is that, over time, religion has become something so big here that everyone wants people to be one of them so much that they'd do anything to accomplish it, even to the point of using advertisements and bending the truth.

Seriously, why be so pushy? Let people find religion on their own if they want to instead of advertising. I know it's not my place to be saying this, but I think people shouldn't even take their own children to church unless they volunteer or absolutely have to and let them find what they want for themselves.

Answer 2

Your observation is absolutely right !

I am sure that you have heard that some Christian faiths say that homosexuality is a sin , but then another different faith will say that God loves all people , so gay is OK.

You literally can shop around to find something that fits YOUR lifestyle , no matter how screwed up that may be.

But ask yourself , Is that what God requires , that he fits in with what we want ?
Can two completely opposite points of view be both right and true.?

The facts are that God has specific requirements in the way that we live our lives.
Also most of the religions do NOT teach the truth about God and what is acceptable to him.

What you have to do is make a checklist of things that is factual from the Bible and compare those things to what various religions are doing.

Here are some examples of questions that would help identify the true religion that does please God.

1.Do its followers participate in any way with war., or are they following the peaceful way as Jesus Christ commanded them to do. ?

2. Do they teach pagan (un-Christian) teachings as part of their beliefs. eg - The trinity doctrine , hellfire , going to heaven or hell when you die , immortal soul etc. ?

3. Do they solicit money from their followers for services, prayers , marriages etc. ?

4. Do they preach that way out of mans problems is through the kingdom of God through his Son Jesus Christ , or do they promote man made organizations like the UN or some political party. ?

5. Do they obscure the very name of God , or say that Jesus is God. ?

6. Do they prove the teachings that they say from a balanced and complete view of the Bible or do they say 'its a mystery'. ?


If a person faith cannot hold up against these things , then it must be abandoned.
Only by worshiping God in a pure and clean way will a person be able to please him.

And that should be the main goal in our lives.

For more Bible based information plz feel free to email me.

Answer 3

I'm a Christian, and I agree with your point of veiw. There is an awful lot of commercialization in religion today, particularly surrounding the Christian faith. (Just look at the way Christmas is marketed).

Even Christians themselves are guilty of commercializing Jesus. It seems there is a fine-line between evangelism and selling people a watered-down version of the faith that is more appealing to their carnal senses.

As for me: I beleive in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; I read God's word in the Holy Bible; I go to church, I participate in prayer groups and Bible studies, and I reach out to the those around me with love and compassion.

If I never gave a penny to my church I would still be welcome there. As a matter of fact, our pastor explains to visitors during the recieving of gifts, that they should not feel obligated to give. Even for believers, God says to give from your heart... "The Lord loves a cheerful giver."

You cannot buy faith. I especially dislike the way some t.v. ministries try to get people to send them money... Often selling special "healing annointed oils." It seems like they are taking advantage of people who are struggling and searching for hope.

True evangelism is reaching out to people with love and kindness and respect. In this way a person can show by example the love of Christ, and effectively share the faith in a non-threatening, non-exploitive way. Its about relationships.

(I'm getting sleepy, so I hope what I typed made some sense at least.)

God Bless!

Answer 4

ahhh...a truly philosophical question. Could any one God be so prejudiced as to pick one particular religion as "the" religion to be privileged enough to pass through the Golden Gates? Did "God" not give us our own minds to use and decihper right from wrong? I find it hard to believe that a murderer only ask forgiveness while a kind hearted peasant lives a life of servitude but could still be sentence to hell. Sometimes religion seems a to be scare tactic to keep us in line. Live what you're concious tells you...only time will tell.

Answer 5

Searching will stop when you ask Jesus into your heart. Seriously!! You can look this world over and what you find will be total confusion. Please open your Bible, go to a Bible believing Church, begin to pray and ask God to help you. He will. Religion and Belief are two different things. When you have the Love of God in your heart, these things will no longer bother you. They are of the world which will soon pass away. But the Love of Our Heavenly Father will never leave us.

Answer 6

You can A) Try to invent something completely original, B) Do what everyone else is doing, or C) shop for beliefs.
Inventing something original is an invention, and will strive too hard to be original to even resemble something correct.
B) Do what everyone else is doing, almost everybody picks B.
C) Shop for pieces of beliefs in Philosophical writings, biblical accounts and stories, and ancient, modern, and new-age religious groups and assemble the beliefs to your liking. I like C.

Answer 7

It is NOT a product for most of us. Your last statement is your opinion ("if it was worthy of being a belief, it would not need people to try and sell it")
NO religion needs people to try and sell it. People make that choice.

Just because some people make poor choices (trying to sell a religion) does not make it bad.

By the way, Christianity is free. It is not "for sale" for a price.

I would hardly compare choosing a church to choosing a new watch.

Answer 8

Because people search for a faith which will better themselves as a person and which will improve them mentally. Thats why some people which from religion to religion if the one previous doesnt work out for them. They expect some out of the ordinary to happen to them or for them to experience something, or even have something good come to them, and when it doesnt happen, they change faith.

Answer 9

I would rephrase that . instead of a belief I would say a faith as some believe in science and other real things but religion is the only system that asks for unreasonable beliefs known as faith; that I would consider insane and unreasonable .

Answer 10

2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan is the god of this system. Satan is trying to deceive us all by making it hard to find the true path. That is why we need to open our eyes , study the bible for what it is really saying and pray for gods help to understand . As the ruler of the churches Satan has transformed himself into an angel of light. One true god one true path ,It can be found.