madamfluff
Without a doubt it is a good business! It is one of the most thriving businesses in the world that's been taking place for over 2 millenia. My idea about the poverty stricken is that I feel that some eventually have their beliefs fade away due to the realization that He may not exist - or simply that they did a lot to piss the guy off?
Not really. There are many forms of christianity, and there are "special" forms of it that are taught to enslaved people or poor people (ie: African-slaves brought to the US/Native Americans and Mexicans by the missionaries /etc). These religions emphasise suffering as being a "GREAT" thing that will GUARANTEE you go to heaven. If you hear the majority of spirituals, most of the lines of hope basically say "I know I'm going to heaven and soon I will be dead from all this suffering. PRAISE THE LORD!"
Mexican-American Catholics tend to have a similar stance in their religion. The more you suffer, somehow, the more virtuous you are.
There's a lot of emphasis on pain being connected to virtue, and the holy priests basically say, "all YOU PEOPLE OUT THERE, you're going to heaven! Nevermind that I'm in this nice big mansion with tons of money and feasts every night! I'm keeping this luxury from you ON PURPOSE, so you will all be able to suffer enough to go to heaven!"
>_>
