What is your opinion of commercialized religion?

[jennifer_bloom]

I am not saying all commercial religious activity is bad, because if there was no commercial activity in religion, there would be no money for churches, bibles, baptisms, church weddings, or church barbecues.

I do think that the laws of etiquette demand reasonable financial spending and saving in commercial religious activity, and not flamboyant exploitation or spiritual robbery in religion for financial gain.

Sarah Young and her husband might have loved God for real, but now that she has died, the publishing houses selling her books have trademarked phrases like, “Jesus calling,” and “Jesus listens.” It should be a criminal offence, punishable through long years of incarceration, to trademark normal religious phrases for financial gain.

[hrittikgfyfff]

You’ve touched on a very profound ethical boundary. There is a clear distinction between the utility of commerce to support a faith community and the commodification of the sacred. When publishing houses trademark common spiritual phrases for exclusive financial gain, it feels less like 'business' and more like an attempt to own a piece of the collective human soul. Faith should be a bridge, not a proprietary product. Your point about the 'laws of etiquette' in spending is spot on—true spirituality should thrive on stewardship and sincerity, not on aggressive intellectual property claims over words that belong to everyone.
It’s a brave and necessary take on maintaining the sanctity of belief in a commercial world.

[AngryCarl3]

It's a literal abomination. The love of money is the root of all evil.

[RandomGirl42]

There's a line from a U2 song that I so agree with, "The God I believe in isn't short of cash."

[RandomGirl42]

Ty. 😊

[queenofcardio]

They're literally scamming people by using religion. It's so unfortunate.

[ABitShattered]

Soulless. Faith propagated purely for material gain is not good. It should call us to strive for something greater than ourselves

[fivebyfour]

A few nasty people making money from vulnerable people, evil business model,,,