Is Religion Just Another Big Business?

[idiosyncrasy]

It appears that most religions appear to be making money than giving the spiritual guidance.
Hae you noticed how their leaders get large salaries and live in luxury?
This would appear to be especially true of the TV evangelists, remember the scandal a few years back in the US?

[naomi24]

Thank you.

[Khandro]

A, //Dawkins has made clear that 'selfish gene' has nothing to do with selfish individuals.//

Though failing to point out that he might be one himself. For $85 a month you can join his 'Reason Circle' with discounts on his merchandise - you don't meet him though, for that privilege you have to pay $210 per month. After that there is a rising scale, which to me sound like like Dante's nine circles of Hell, the new recruit to his 'religion' (Dawkinsianity?) can then pass through the successively more expensive 'Darwin Circle' & next the 'Evolution Circle', culminating in the innermost circle where for $100,000 a year, you can have breakfast or lunch with "Richard" at an invitation only circle event.

Oh! & as well as the above benefits ( I'm typing this out from a Spectator article which is a few years old, so prices may have gone up) you can also have a discount (not a freebie in sight) of a Richard Dawkins T-shirt emblazoned with "Religion - together we can find a cure".

What was the title of this OP again?

[naomi24]

Written by Andrew Brown who writes on religion for the Guardian - who would have guessed? Have you checked those claims out, Khandro?

Here's your article:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-bizarre-and-costly-cult-of-richard-dawkins

And here's Richard Dawkins' website:

https://richarddawkins.net/aboutus/

In answer to your question, you haven't addressed the OP yet.

[Khandro]

You'd better get saving up then naomi, atheism can be expensive! And just think, you can go into any church, get down on knees and pray, and it's all free.

[naomi24]

You haven’t checked it out.

[Khandro]

naomi: What I have written above was correct on the 16th of August 2014. All facts published in the Spectator are checked & double-checked by editorial staff. What Dawkins does now I don't know or care, but that's how he made his 10 millions; perhaps he's now running out of mugs.

[Canary42]

/// And just think, you can go into any church, get down on knees and pray, and it's all free. ///

I can also do it at home for free so why would I bother going to a church ?

[naomi24]

If you really believe he charges £100,000 a year for membership, khandro, you’re more naive than you appear. I’ve given you a link to his website. Bet you’ve not had a look.

[Radagast]

Genesis 14:2: Get on your knees and start paying.

[Khandro]

naomi: //you’re more naive than you appear.//

one of your favourite insults. Kid, you're probably right; despite having been round the block so many times in this life, I've still got so much naiveté, it's coming out of my ass.

[naomi24]

I believe it.

[archibaldy]

There's a HBO show about an televangelist family called "Righteous Gemstones, they just rip off their 'flock' and get up to all sorts. I didn't really find it that good a watch so didn't finish the first series but a thing that made me laugh is they have 3 private jets, they are named "The Father", "The Son" and "The Holy Spirit".