Jesus vs. Mohammed, Coke vs. Pepsi.

Protestantism was originally a marginal fanatic theological sect later co-opted by power (rising middle-class Parliamentarians) for its political utility.  JUST LIKE early Christianity was a fanatic marginal sect co-opted by the late Roman emperors to unify the empire.  JUST LIKE "Islam" served as a mere tag under which to unify disparate and disempowered Arab populations to grab land back from the domineering Christian empire in Europe.  "Religions" -- a misleadingly broad term -- are only actual philosophical/theological belief systems in their early gestation days; mainstream “religions” are political power-plays at work.  The Heaven's Gate cult, the Branch Dividians: these are "real" religions, if by "religion" one means a philosophical belief system and spiritual practice -- which is what people DO mean.  Surely no religious apologist would say that "religion" is simply a meaningless group-identification tag, and a misleading tag at that.

 

But natch.  An esoteric spiritual practice WOULDN’T become widespread on its own.  Average folks don't give a fuck about Spiritual Exercise or Life’s Great Questions.  They care about immediate well-being: food, shelter, power, social standing.  A “religion” only BECOMES mainstream when it allies with a widespread political power-shift that delivers those things.  Once mainstream, it can hang about as a useful fiction as long as it doesn’t obstruct well-being -- or get out-competed by a new political force uniting under a different religious brand logo.

 

Religious faith is brand loyalty.  Theology is advertising. 

 

Like mainstream religious "belief," brand loyalty is radically divorced from the utility or function of the product.  We eat billions of dollars of "fast" food because we're biologically programmed to hoard sugar and fat and because mega-corporations make gazillions by stimulating and exploiting this biological predisposition -- NOT because the food is "fast," or fresh or tasty or inexpensive or sustaining.  It's none of those things.  Physiologically, it's not even food: if you tried to live on it, you'd get sick and die.  (And we Americans do -- get sick and die.  #1 in obesity, diabetes, heart disease.)  We're #1 in debt per capita because (again) humans are naturally lazy and want something for nothing, and (again) because ultra-mega-corporations with armies of marketers and psychologists in their service spend billions to stimulate and exploit this natural predisposition.