{"id":3478,"date":"2017-06-10T07:52:51","date_gmt":"2017-06-10T12:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thewaywesee.com\/religiondetoxnetwork\/?page_id=3478"},"modified":"2025-07-25T07:54:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T12:54:26","slug":"examples-of-business-and-commerce-in-religion","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thewaywesee.com\/religiondetoxnetwork\/religion\/religion-is-not-faith\/religion-is-commerce\/examples-of-business-and-commerce-in-religion","title":{"rendered":"Examples of Business and Commerce in Religion"},"content":{"rendered":"

INTRODUCTION<\/strong>
\nThere are many ways that religious organizations incorporate business practices to accomplish their religious purposes. Similarly, there are many ways that private businesses and non-profits incorporate religion, bible teaching and religious symbols to satisfy their business objectives. In all such cases, they are using, actually misusing, God, Jesus and the Bible to satisfy their fleshly needs and interests (i.e. pride<\/a> and greed<\/a>).<\/p>\n

AUTHORS NOTE: In this series of pages, references to \u201ccorporate religious organizations\u201d are to organizations that are legally organized by state and federal governments to function as non-profit charitable religious organizations for which contributions to the organization are considered tax deductible by the IRS). It must be said, however, that small, informal ministries and mission organizations (e.g. bloggers and podcasters, etc.) are guilty of misusing God’s name and the bible for their own selfish purposes. It must be said also that the fact that the organizations provides useful services (e.g. education, bible teaching feeding the poor, housing orphans, etc.) does not excuse them from using God’s words for personal enrichment.<\/p>\n

Because business in religion and religion in business are so common, it is hard to imagine that there is anything wrong with it. The problem is that no one recognizes that it is one of those activities that is permissible but not constructive<\/a> in God’s eyes.<\/p>\n

Using God and religion to make a living is acceptable and profitable, and there is no end to entrepreneurs who will do it. But once you catch on to it, it is easy to see that every church, large or small, every ministry, large or small, every mission effort, large or small, is involved in business. And once you start looking, it is easy to see how many private business, large and small, are really involved in religion.<\/p>\n

Looking at religious organizations in particular, it can be said that if an organization deals with money at all, it is in business. And since all ministries depend on money (tithes, offerings, donations, fundraisers, etc.) to keep functioning, they must function like a business to prove to the IRS and their supporters that they manage money responsibly. And. looking at organizations that sell products or services that invoke religious themes or images, it is undeniable that their business models exploit God, Jesus and the Bible for personal, financial benefit.<\/p>\n

It can be safely said that religious institutions in the USA (and perhaps elsewhere in the world) operate like businesses. We think this is a fair and accurate conclusion because the following facts about religious institutions satisfy nearly all of the definitions of business and commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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