Articles
Religions are Commercialized
Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan | 15-Oct-2025
Just recently I hired an autorickshaw in Bengaluru. While traveling in the autorickshaw I noticed a printed caption above the driver’s seat. It read: “Price the Lord”. My mind said that there is a typo. The word “Praise” has been wrongly spelt as “Price”. But that caption lingered in my mind for a long time. While looking at the reality I felt that God is indeed converted into a commercial commodity.
Commercialization of religion has always been a disturbing factor to me.
There can be no single definition of what constitutes religion because the word means many different things to different people. But certainly, many people would agree that religion is a multifaceted entity consisting of but not limited to theology (study of God), philosophy (study of wisdom), anthropology (study of human beings), mysticism (awareness of an ultimate reality), morality (rules of personal conduct), cosmology (relationship between humans and the cosmos), social action, ethics, rituals etc.
India is renowned for its remarkable religious diversity. It is home to nearly all major world religions. The country is the birthplace of four religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. India’s major religions include:
- Hinduism: The largest religion, comprising about 82.41% of the population. It has various sub-groups such as Vaishnavas, Shaivites, Shaktas, and Smartas.
- Islam: The second largest, accounting for 11.6%. It includes sub-groups like Shia, Sunni, and Ahmadi.
- Christianity: Makes up 2.32% of the population, with concentrations in southern states.
- Sikhism: Represents 1.99% of the population, primarily found in Punjab.
- Buddhism: Accounts for 0.77%, with a notable presence in Maharashtra.
- Jainism: Comprises 0.41%, concentrated in states like Gujarat and Rajasthan.
- Zoroastrianism: It is considered one of the world’s oldest religions. Recent estimates claim that there are no more than 200,000 Zoroastrians left, with the majority living in Iran and India. Even so, they only make up roughly 0.1 percent of the latter’s overall population.
Historically, most indigenous and traditional societies viewed religion as a sacred space - as an animate, spiritual force often embodying deities, ancestors, or cosmic principles. The deep understanding of nature’s primacy as the ultimate sacred force, as well as the evolving perception of the relationship between human and nature, has been revered. However, the advent of industrialisation, scientific rationalism, and modernity has increasingly eroded this sacred reverence.
There is an interesting book titled: The Divine Economy: How Religions Compete for Wealth, Power, and People by Paul Seabright. Major thoughts expressed by the author are mentioned below:
- Churches, mosques, madrasas, temples, synagogues, prayer groups, ashrams, monasteries – these are iron-fisted organisations that need capital and human resources.
- Like modern platforms, religions connect people in new ways, expropriate some of the benefits of this connection, and also compete with each other. This competition is expressed through war and conflict, through demographic rivalry (having more children), and through persuasion.
- Religious organisations keep changing, when they flourish and when they splinter. The power of religion is used and abused.
- A growing corporatisation is at work, as local and folk religions are absorbed into a handful of global religions. Christianity and Islam are booming. Hinduism and Buddhism are also bigger brands now.
- What human needs does religion answer, that secular structures don’t? It provides a sense of the numinous, makes believers feel special and protected. Religiosity is a bundle of diverse traits, and different faiths have crafted varied appeals, from private prayer and meditation to collective spectacle to violent crusades and jihad.
- When political leaders grant protection to one religious movement over others, there is more discord and violence. But ironically, this reduces the catchment area of believers. From Trump to Netanyahu to Putin and Xi, repressive leaders who claim God is on their side should know the diminishing returns of this strategy. When harnessed to conservative causes, religious authority ebbs away.
- Ultimately, a religious platform works best when it persuades, rather than coerces. It has to provide what believers are seeking, not impose itself by force. Because religious power is real and legitimate, there will always be those who use it to send soldiers to battle or voters to the ballot box, and those who are intoxicated by its call.
Indian religions involve various beliefs, worldviews, texts, revelations, morals and prophecies that portray sacred significance to the members of a particular faith. Individuals also practice sermons, rituals, prayers, meditation and feasts as per their devotion to religious faith.
On the other hand, spirituality is an overlapping concept that involves practices and beliefs around the value, connection and meaning of the existence of an individual. It is usually practiced to achieve a positive state of mind with contentment, acceptance and gratitude. Individuals indulge in religious and spiritual tourism, donation drives, books and literature tools, flowers, garlands, candles and incense sticks to practice and propagate their beliefs.
As per the report titled: “India Religious and Spiritual Market Size, Share, Trends and Forecast by Sector, Income Source, Distribution Channel, Religion, and Region, 2025-2033” by imarc, India’s religious and spiritual sector is undergoing a rapid tech-driven shift with the emergence of spiritual tech platforms and faith-tech startups offering services like online pujas, astrology consultations, virtual satsangs, and guided meditations. These services are now integrated with quick commerce models, enabling doorstep delivery of religious articles, prasadams, idols, and ritual kits within hours.
The demand for personalized spiritual experiences, curated rituals based on nakshatra, location, or family traditions, is also gaining traction, especially among younger urban audiences. This digital movement is being fuelled by rising smartphone penetration, comfort with online transactions, and growing interest in spiritual wellness to carer to the Indian religious and spiritual market demand.
However, the market still faces challenges around trust, standardization, and lack of regulatory oversight. Fragmentation among service-providers and varied pricing also create friction for consumers. Despite these gaps, the momentum is strong, with venture-backed platforms working to organize a largely unorganized space, making spirituality more accessible, structured, and on-demand for millions across income brackets and regions.
It is time for all Christian groups/churches to introspect on the widespread commercialisation - how every sacrament comes with a price-tag, extravagant liturgical celebrations, marketing of various types of religious articles and promotion of pilgrimages/religious tourism etc. How long are we going to “price” the Lord? Let us arise, awake and STOP the commercialisation of religion!
(The author is a freelance journalist who writes columns on social and religious issues. He can be reached at mlsatyan55@gmail.com. Views expressed are personal)
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