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The business model of religion
Written by Peter Youngren on October 11th 2009Article for St Catharines Standard newspaper by Peter Youngren.
In any business, you need a customer, and a product that meets the actual or imagined need of that customer. The business of religion is not all that different. The need of the adherent to a religion is fueled by two vital ingredients; a guilty conscience and a displeased deity. Skilled practitioners of religion, any religion, know how to nourish both concepts, on a weekly, or at times even daily basis.
The idea of a guilty conscience is perpetuated by a continual focus on how we must do better; pray more, study harder and be more active in our religion. God may be described as loving, merciful, almighty, and all-knowing, but he (or she) must always be at least slightly displeased. There must be the sense that we are not quite measuring up to the standards set by the Divine.
These concepts feed off of one another. If God is displeased, who would have caused His displeasure, but us? We’re obviously not living, praying, believing or thinking as we should, and this lack perpetually condemns us to inadequacy. The Apostle Paul called our inability to do everything our religion requires a “curse”. Honest people will agree to their shortcomings, because no religion has the power to cause its adherents to perfectly live up to the laws, rituals, liturgies and ceremonies required. This puts us in a position of debt to God, but one that we are incapable of paying. Do you see how guilt works? We try as hard as we can, but always find ourselves coming up short. When the right dosage of a guilty conscience and a displeased deity is present, people will go to great lengths to deal with their perceived problem. Prayers will be offered, pilgrimages undertaken, and some will sign over all earthly possessions to their religion in an effort to successfully cross into the afterlife. Since a guilty conscience seems inherent to the human psyche, no wonder religion has thrived and continues to thrive in every culture.
Jesus blew the business of religion to bits. With one fell swoop, He put an end to it, forever freeing humans from the burden of guilt and a displeased deity. Christ put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, and He did it “once for all”. His death was on behalf of every person, forever eliminating God’s displeasure and the need for a guilty conscience. No exceptions! No exclusions! What Jesus did is not a mere idea, but an objective reality, that can be known subjectively by those who choose to believe it.
This message, called the Gospel of the Grace of Jesus Christ, is dangerous, because when it is believed, religion and its practitioners lose their grip over people. No more intimidation or coercion.
The Gospel swept the world 2000 years ago, as masses were liberated from the yoke of their own inadequacies. Those tired and wearied by their own efforts and shortcomings found rest for their soul. Religious practitioners lost control once the common people could no longer be subjugated by intimidation and condemnation. People were free to live through the inner compass called the new life in Christ.
Naturally, religion has to fight back, and for centuries, it has done a pretty good job of it. Religion implicitly mistrusts the power of this new life in Christ. Instead it continually returns to edicts and rules, no matter how inefficient they are to make people righteous. Layer upon layer of guilt-inducing rituals and requirements have been added. In fact, when looking at the religion of Christianity, it is sometimes hard to detect the Gospel at all. The add-ons of tradition are subtle but, oh, so deceptive, and they choke the very life out of the Gospel message.
Think about it! God is not displeased, and you need not feel guilty. Who made this arrangement? Jesus. If you believe it, you will want to turn from all your efforts to rid yourself of guilt, and turn to Him, who has already accomplished what was impossible for us to do.
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Comments:
the indwelling Body of Christ has many members, some of whom are the deceased preachers of false Gospels. They are forced to live within the Body of Christ to the Glory of God to witness, inside of us, to the true Gospel and to see where they have erred and to meet whom they erred against, and that could be, Jesus Christ, God Almighty, their parishiners or representatives of them, but these are real people, in real minds, in our real bodies, forced to witness and verified by the Holy Spirit on the presence of Christ in us so as there to be no question of the true Gospel. Then they are refined by the true Gospel within us and depending on the result, are presented perfect to God as perfect members of the Body of Christ, it is through limitless love that members of the Body of Christ and creation take on the redemption of such after they are deceased, and this goes for everyone, every person, refined through the Body of Christ, or, within it they finally reject Jesus Christ, in person, and they are no more, they would experience the second death. A hard but real way within the Body of Christ and not one is exempt from Glorifying Almighty God in that Way.
pv
~ Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Thank’s for a great article! Looking forward to Your return to Göteborg.
Johan
~ Sweden
i had been getting your e-mails after opening a hotmail account but now don’t seem to be getting them anymore. could you please try again. yours truly, dana zerr. P.S. keep spreading the good news to the chinese and indonesian people and thank God for his miracle working power through you for the healing of my broken shoulder. yours truly, dana zerr.
Dana Joseph Zerr
~ MooseJaw, Sk.
Thank you Pastor Peter for the encouragement, even with be entruduce to grace for 1 ans ,some aspect of ligalist stay in people that know grace longer then me and i am encorage to read this
it confirm in my spirit what i believe from GOD. I know the renew of the mind takes time…
God bless you and Mr. Jessy with more streath and wisdom.
France
France
~ Cornwall, Ontario, Canada
The business model of religion as stated in this articles is we summed up by a ministry who primary role to to get more people to send them money. That’s it that all. How dare they hide behind our God to increase they fortunes and using our Lord Jesus Christ as their sale pitch. How sad…
The idea of a guilty conscience is perpetuated by a continual focus on how we must do better; pray more, study harder and be more active in our religion as stated by the author of this articles can not be further from the truth. It is not an idea of guilty conscience perpetuated but in reality it is the guilt if not following these acts coomended by our Lord.
Our lord do in fact commends us to do better; pray more, study harder and be in communion with His church. If a guilt sets in, it will not by rejecting these scripture commended acts that it will go away. Either you follow christ or you don’t.
NO, the Apostle Paul does not call our inability to do everything our religion requires a “curse”. He require us to follow the church…not a religion.
The author of this article says the following: ““His death was on behalf of every person, forever eliminating God’s displeasure and the need for a guilty conscience.”” What?.. what? eliminating God’s displeasure??? and the need of guilt? Where on earth did it get that. This is the most unscriptural statment yet. So if i understand his logic. since He sacrifice was “once and for all” we don’t need to feel guilty for acting like jack rabbits and we can all sing Koombaya. NO when we’ll present ourself before God at the end of our live, we will be judge on not only on our beliefs but on what what WE DID!!
Vito
~ Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Religion crucified Jesus because He interfered with their system of controlling people through guilt & fear.
There is a lot of profit in keeping peple in ignorance and fear. no wonder the biggest and tallest buildings in the old days were the churches or cathedrals and in modern cities today they are usually the insurance companies.-:) And…. they are still selling the same product,called FEAR.
People will pay any price and buy any lie to imagine that He/She feels relieved of his/her sense of guilt or fear. Promoting and selling fear was the major emphasis of the church, especially while the masses had no access to a Bible that was written in languages which none but the church leaders could understand. The message of sin, hell and eternal judgement has been a popular mode of convincing people into making decisions for Christ
How sad!
Hagere
~ Toronto