Commercialised religion

[Metis]

I've kind of got a project going at the moment and I need to look into how religion has become (or always has been) a commodity to be bought and sold. Anything from pay to pray, new age self help books, pilgrimages, relics; all of it.

Does anyone know of any especially useful authors or researchers who have written about this topic? I'm going through Selling Spirituality at the moment but I'm not sure where might be good to look next. Any suggestions are welcomed!

[dyresand]

Step 1. Buy scented oils, candles, etc
Step 2. Print out biblical labels
Step 3. put the oil into small little bottles
Step 4. apply labels to items
Step 5. Profit
Step 6. Repeat 1 through 6

[abaris]

I've kind of got a project going at the moment and I need to look into how religion has become (or always has been) a commodity to be bought and sold. Anything from pay to pray, new age self help books, pilgrimages, relics; all of it.

Well, I recommend a degree in history. Seriously. There's not one book to catch them all.

It starts with Thebes over Delphi to Rome, Mekka, the relics trade of the Middle Ages and so on and so on until you end up with megachurches and televangelists.

The history of religion being a commodity is such a vast field that you have to do some serious reading and be at least somehow versed in understanding the historical and social environment in which it took place. "Kind of a project" certainly doesn't cover it.

[Metis]

Yeah..True, I guess that was a bit vauge. I'll be a little bit more specific. I'm looking for any books that can provide an overview or introduction to the phenomenon, ideally looking at both modern and historical examples of commodified religious devotional practices and possibly how/why its caught on in popularity.

Most my my research into the topic so far has been centered around New Age spirituality and an increasing focus on individual "pick n' mix" self-help workshops rather than organized group rituals, but aside from one or two I don't really know any researchers off the top of my head who've focused on the subject from that angle on religion generally or a specific one.

[Void]

I suggest you do a search on 'tithing'. Then you check the old testament to see how it is supposed to work. Then you check all the churches that practice tithing today. You will come up with some pretty disturbing facts.

[robvalue]

Ooh... Tithing. Yeah, now that's a sick son of a bitch.

Sounds like a good project Sorry I can't think of any useful suggestions right now, but I'll let you know if I do.

[vorlon13]

How many diamond mines does Pat Robertson own that his flock bought for him ?????

[Thumpalumpacus]

Yeah..True, I guess that was a bit vauge. I'll be a little bit more specific. I'm looking for any books that can provide an overview or introduction to the phenomenon, ideally looking at both modern and historical examples of commodified religious devotional practices and possibly how/why its caught on in popularity.

Most my my research into the topic so far has been centered around New Age spirituality and an increasing focus on individual "pick n' mix" self-help workshops rather than organized group rituals, but aside from one or two I don't really know any researchers off the top of my head who've focused on the subject from that angle on religion generally or a specific one.

If you wanted to explore a more mainstream faith with roots that are observable, the Mormon church would be ideal, as we have a pretty good documentation of its history, and that would include its commodification. Your American readers would also have more insight into the sociocultural conditions obtaining at the time, as well.

Outside that, as Abaris notes, your study would have to be very wide-ranging in order to convey the sociocultural milieu accompanying the business of religion in its various forms.