Religion & Christian Capitalism in the US

In light of my previous post, looking at religious spikes in times of woe, and a way to tie these two core courses together here at the end of the semester, the role of capitalism and religion together was on my mind. It's a funny thought that when times are tough, people generally flock to religion when the money goes. However ironically, religion in modern America is deeply ingrained within the capitalist system, focusing a great attention on spending tremendous amounts of money on mainstream material religion, on worthless products for the masses. This consumerist segment of religion stems from commercialism and material culture.

Religion in America alone is greatly part of material culture, marketing products and unfortunately beliefs. Religion is a large profit source in this country, serving to be greatly entwined within the capitalist framework we base our country on. They both work together with this notion of religion and capitalism comprising hand in hand. Also this country bases huge values on religion, and bases its economic foundation on a capitalist system, therefore two huge entities running a country side by side, coincide together to create one material American culture of religious capitalists, to speak very generally.

To further describe this notion that religion integrates well with a capitalist society, Colleen Mcdannell in her text, "Material Christianity" highlights the close interrelation between the two. She states,

"Christian retailing - the selling of Christian goods and services to a buyer for personal or household use - is a significant aspect of contemporary religious life in America. During the early 1990s, the sales of Christian products in bookstores exceeded $3 billion annually!"

The success of the Christian retailing market is undeniable, as religion is fueled by capitalism's framework. Using Christian retailing specifically material Christianity, religion creates a specific culture in America. This culture is a result of the capitalistic system in place governing and working with religion, allowing a place for it. If $3 billion a year doesn't correlate a religious money making market within a strong capitalist structure than I don't know what would!

McDannell continues, "By buying and displaying Christian art in their homes, giving gifts with biblical sayings, or wearing T-shirts, conservative Protestants translate their beliefs into visible messages." This transformation of belief to material items, creates a religious culture based on buying and selling, within a capital driven political system. This notion clearly links the two realms of religion and capitalism, finding a common place between the two in our American society.

For some external input, I found another blog from about.com relating to someones strong atheistic views on materialism in religion, specifically in Christianity in regards to Christmas and other commercialism. The blog is quoted,

"...inherent tension between the evangelical right and the corporate right, both of whom try to live together within the GOP. Pure market capitalism does not respect traditions or religion. Capitalism doesn't care. The market doesn't care. All that matters is how to make the best profit possible from selling to the public" (Cline).

With this is mind, pure capitalism feeds of markets, and the massive market that religion offers is able to provide the economic framework a lot of revenue. Capitalism in our country thrives with religion's markets, and religion thrives more so with the help of a profit driven economic system behind it. Separation of church and state doesn't matter when money is involved, especially when its benefiting the system itself.



Works Cited:

Cline, Austin. "Material Excesses of Christmas are a Moral Problem: Objecting to the Extreme Spending, Borrowing, Materialism." Agnosticism / Atheism - Free Inquiry, Skepticism, Atheism, Religious Philosophy. 25 Apr. 2009.



McDannell, Colleen. Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.

Atheist Videos

When browsing youtube.com for some videos that may inspire discussion, I found a Fox news clip mocking atheist ads posted on buses. I found this an excellent opportunity to mock fox news back, and show their supreme conservative agendas in terms of broadcasting news totally biased.

Watch Fox News attempt to show "fair and unbiased" news:

Religion in Times of Crisis

In light of all the economic and financial troubles across the country, I thought examining religions role in times of crisis would be applicable to our class ideas and current events. From my observations and research, it seems to me that people are naturally driven to religious beliefs in times of crisis and despair. The Great Depression, WW I & II, Vietnam, and 9/11, as well as several other tragic events have signified a surplus of religious followers to cope and find religious guidance regarding these inciting tragedies. People feel secure if religious faith backs up their conscience in life, especially if their life is filled with tragedy and overall trouble. Religion serves as a form of knowledge and belief where answers and guidance can be derived, which especially helps during times of crisis.


The most timely widespread tragedy that affects many is the recent recession and global financial economic meltdown. As a result of this downturn, retail stores wait for customers while church pews fill in with people looking for enlightenment just as quick as the worlds money floats away. For external web content, I found an article while searching religion in the news, a LA newspaper group called The Daily Bulletin wrote an article titled, "As times worsen, many turn to religion for help, comfort ," which identifies the increased role of religious faith within Americans after hard times, specifically referring to the current economic hard times.

The article states, "In times of affluence and prosperity there is a tendency to be forgetful of the divine, but when a crisis hits, it is natural for people to drift toward institutionalized religion or spirituality. People are hoping to find comfort and a source of optimism." It is clear that across the country, as a result of rough times, religious entities benefit and increase in size and fellowship. People now a days have lost their investments, their homes, their hard-earned money, and now most Americans feel like they have been cheated, with recent scandals in the news. All this tragedy currently embedded in our society transpires faith within people, proving to be an increasing popular coping method. The question to ask then is, what else inspires religious impulse and motivation in people other than hardships?

The article states, furthering the notion that people flock to religion in hard times, "Rabbi Sholom Harlig...in Rancho Cucamonga is getting more calls than before, he states, "'I'm spending a lot of time trying to help people, to counsel them, they are very, very worried.'" Humans naturally want to conjure beliefs/values in their brains to satisfy unknown questions, and to alleviate hardships. Churches want to help, comfort and encourage, to offer a sense of hope for their followers in times of financial crisis, it apparently takes a crisis for several people to allow themselves into God's way. This recent influx of people seeking guidance from religion resembles the period after 9/11, and other tragedies. When things go wrong, people look for things to blame, and look for answers. It is only natural that humans flock to religion and prayer for answers, and justification for their hardships. People consult with the church regarding lay offs or losing homes, as well as troubling marriages. The article also points out a 10 to 20 % increase in overall church attendance since last summer. Churches are getting several distress calls from congregation members each week, just as quick as the economy is plunging.

To further the notion that humans naturally conjure thoughts to create pictures of God for religious belief, especially for religious belief in a time of crisis, Mark Lilla is quoted from The Stillborn God,
"All religions...face a common challenge: to make relations among God, man, and world...offer[ing] pictures...[one must] unravel...God is at the center of all such pictures, and depending on how we conceive of him, our images of man and world can change. The picture itself revolves around the presence of God, where he is and where he can be sought in space and time" (Lilla 24).
Essentially this quote from this text describes how we create our own images of God within our lives. He describes how God is at "the center" of all deciphered pictures of the world people create in their brains, thus highlighting the significant increase of church goers during a time of crisis. As we all create our own unraveled images of God for our own purposes, such as an economic plunge, which proves to inspire more religious followers.


Works Cited:

DiMartino, Mediha. "As Times Worsen, Many Turn to Religion for Help, Comfort." Daily Bulletin. 2008. Los Angeles Newspaper Group. 23 Mar. 2009 .

Lilla, Mark. The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics, and the Modern West. New York: Vintage Books, 2008.

The New Front of Religion in Young America

With this blog post, I want to identify some thoughts I had, how the transformation of religion in America is leading to massive mega-churches. Churches with booming numbers with booming believers as they lead to a new face and front of religion in the US.
During this past week, glazing my eyes over at the sight of a computer monitor, I decided to read those two articles related to our paper due Friday. The article that most intrigued me was from the NY times, titled "The Soul of the New Exurb," written by Jonathan Mahler. This article highlights these growing mega churches in the US signifying the transformation, and increase of religious practices in booming cities among the young, married, white, middle-class conservative demographics in our country. The article was referring specifically to Surprise, AZ, a thriving town, thriving on a prosperous housing market, leading to a populous developing city. With this attraction for cheaper middle class homes in a thriving area for middle class couples, these conservative couples are being drawn to the city, increasing the population significantly. With this influx of a specific demographic, religious mega-churches have a great opportunity to recruit these new people who want to know more about the community, and the church. Hence, the advent of Radiant Church, founded in Surprise, AZ, recruiting these exact people I'm referring to, leading to the mass popularity the church has today.
The founder of Radiant church, Lee McFarland, saw an opportunity to build a successful church. When he came to Surprise to pursue this idea, McFarland came to a ''a radically 'un-churched' area.'' The article indicates that when he started to build this church he started to appeal to these families by sending out flyer's that attracted them, inviting them to Radiant. He needed a new modern approach to religion, to attract new members, instead on the traditional methods of church going. He says, ''You think church is boring and judgmental, and that all they want is your money?'' the flyer asked. ''At Radiant you'll hear a rockin' band and a positive, relevant message. Come as you are. We won't beg for your money. Your kids will love it!'' The church took of from there, the article informs, with its first Sunday meeting with 147 members, to its thousands of members steadily growing ever since. These religious practices appeal to this young front of America. The ways of practices, and the values presented at Radiant Church directly influence and target these conservative families, usually married and middle class, as the article suggests. Surprise, AZ voted in majority for Bush in the 2004 elections over John Kerry, if that doesn't suggest something, I don't know what does. This is a prime example of a mega-church in my opinion that is the new face, the new front of religion and politics in America. These churches populations are booming, the populations of the surrounding cities are booming, thus leading to an influx in church goers and recruiters in that city!
In the text, ''The Transformation of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith,'' Alan Wolfe, writes that ''American faith has met American culture...and American culture has triumphed.'' The Radiant church appears to embody this claim, as well as my point for this post embodies this idea, that the massive front of American culture greatly involves American faith within it, as seen by the massive growing popularity of the Mega-church Radiant. 
The article identifies McFarland's long-term plan for his congregates at Radiant, which "involves much more than playing video games and eating dough nuts. He says that his hope -- his expectation, really -- is that casual worshipers will gradually immerse themselves in Radiants many Christ-based programs, from financial planning to parenthood and education, until they have eventually incorporated Christian values into every aspect of their lives." This furthers the notion that mega churches are the new American cultural front in terms of religious views, and that they hope to incorporate these religious views within peoples day to day lives in American culture. This highlights this root for modern American religion in our modern times.
To conclude my point, this mega church phenomenon is the new face of American mass religion. The article also says, " It's (Referring to Surprise) an attractive price (Homes)  for many families who are either trying to make the move into the middle class...which explains why the typical Surprise resident, as in many fast-growing exurbs, is a young, white, married couple of modest means."
This is my point here, this is the young generation making new families, this is the new face of America. This new front of American faith, which is mainly a conservative group in Surprise, AZ. The groups flocks to the community, attracting to the mega church there, and thus adding to the booming of the churches, therefore leading to this massive new front of prominent American religion in modern American culture. To me this exurban mega church, as well as many others, represents the future of Christianity in this country.

Works Cited:

Mahler, Jonathan. "The Soul of the New Exurb." The New York Times. March 17, 2005.

Wolfe, Alan. The Transformation of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith. New York: Free Press, 2003.

YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnWg4wvwxpI


For some video for thought, here is a you tube video on a 20/20 investigation discussing the "possible rip-offs" or fallacies in these mega churches as the booming new front of American religion.

First Post: Religion and its Negativity

The exposure to religion I've received throughout my life is what I've seen in the world, and what my parents have exposed to me at a young age. My father was born Jewish, his family followed adamantly to the religion, however he considers himself an atheist. My mother was adopted as an infant into a semi-strict catholic family. My father practiced his religion when he was younger as requested by his parents, just as my mother practiced catholicism when she was younger, however they both strayed away from their religions as they got older and continued in their family and professional lives, eventually meeting someday. Infrequently my mother would think in a catholic mindset, around the religious holidays or during a time of loss. While my father still stands on a void of religious faith.
As I've grown, I thought I was religious, but I never really was. I found out later I was just going along with what I thought my parents believed in; and that was my mothers religion. I thought I should believe the same because I celebrated Christmas, and was baptized too. I thought I had it all figured out. But then, I'm not sure when, sometime during high school when I developed a brain perhaps, I created my own personal views on religion. Which coincides with my fathers, simply remaining agnostic/atheistic.
This life-long new belief stemmed from all the negativity associated with religious practice around the world, which I detest. The violence, killings, disputes, arguments, wars, swayed beliefs, and any other ways to describe the negatives from the religious realm captivates my distaste of it. It's hard to believe in my mind that so many people apply their lives and beliefs to a circle, that to me doesn't seem worthy. It could be that my mind perceives life and the world in a highly logical and scientific viewpoint, and therefore cannot accept religion as a means of thought. I consider myself to spiritual at times, but not religious as I don't practice any segment of it, nor profess any devotion or commitment to any other exterior realm outside of my own mind and perception. I just think this way because my brain thinks this way, logically, and because I was brought up to think what I want for myself. Also mainly because the negative impacts that religion inflicts on the world as a whole, which to me is not worth nor equate the good it inflicts. Spirituality, friends/family, and one's own mindset, thoughts, and beliefs can suffice for me at least, the position for religion.
I don't hate on any religious supporter, if that's something that works for you, and is something thats beneficial in your life, then by all means do what you need to do. It just doesn't prove to be anything positive or necessary in my life, as I also see it as creating more harm than good in the world anyway.