I came upon the discussion in the New Humanist where it takes on the sudden resurgence of religious beliefs even in the upper middle class who are educated and well versed in the modern virtues of daily life. As I see it, the resurgence is not only contained within the country but all over the world which has seen a lot of people going back to their roots in religious beliefs to get through life even if one is armed with all the knowledge from college and from years of accumulated experience.
In the USA, Born Again Christians are all the rage with the Austin’s Lakewood Church a good example of a religiously based society that mixes business with faith. The founder of the church says there is a direct link between the two for realistically speaking any religious faith has an arm which deals with financial wealth and management which it is sure to have and obtain. May it be through book sales, donations and other sources, all have a form of financial presence in society that members do want them to be accountable and transparent for all to see. With respect to the church in question, the founder admits that his church is a family run business with the preacher being the main spiritual leader and producer of their much watched television program. The stadium they use has been renovated to the tune of a hundred or more million dollars to enhance the experience for its members. The earnings of their gospel church goes into the theme of 40 million plus from donations, another 40 or so million from book sales and some more from other business ventures. In one of his books, a reporter once asked why there is no mention of Jesus in his main ideals. The pastor replies that they are indeed backed-up by verses from the scripture inside the book which uses plain and simple everyday language which he then reinforces with the word of God. The said book is a best seller among Born Again Christians who first and foremost are termed as “the Rebels of the” religious world. They mix the scriptures with song and drama of eloquent speeches whose aim is to entice more members as they preach the word of God.
Originally posted on March 25, 2008 @ 10:00 am