Re: Selling Points of the Major Religions

(I have to cut my newsgroup list down to appease my news server)

They don't seem to be really the selling points. The selling points
would be why each religion should be the one you choose - and has to
cater nowadays to people not being willing to just believe unless they
were born into the religion. Religions are having to sell to people who
can see so many different ones on offer and can compare them and don't
know why they should believe in, say, Jehova as opposed to Brahman.

How would each religion actually _sell_ itself to those in the market?

On 2008-05-11, Free Lunch <lunch@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Sun, 11 May 2008 13:28:53 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Kraus
><jkraus_1999@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>>1.  Christianity:
>>
>>"We offer a personal relation****p with God."

Christians have seemed to try a number of sells (as well as that one)

  We offer free salvation - just believe and you'll be saved.
    Now not any other religion can give you that can it Sir? Look at
    those Buddhists for example - believing everything is suffering? And
    those Hindus going round and round and having to _work_ for their
    salvation. With us it's all for free if you wish to accept it.

  (The CMOT Dibbler approach - Pray for one, get one free, on a
   stick! Hope Source available at no extra cost)

And failing that

  We are the _best_ view. Just look at how Christ was. Surely that's the
  most complete.

  (The used car salesman approach - ****ny bodywork on that one! Just
  look at the chrome plating!)

There are sales practices I question.  Christians tend to have both
the inclination and resource to try to sell. Wealthy, well resourced,
Christians coming into a deprived area can do well in that market selling
on the back of good works. Also, as anything, it's not actually free
and results are not guaranteed.

>>2.  Islam:
>>

I know little about Islam.  Muslims I know and have met haven't pushed
their religion, though I think I'd be welcome to discuss if I asked with
sincerity. Of the Abrahamics I'd be better sticking to Christianity.

I can guess from what I've seen that Islam works very well.  There's
strong belonging, strong community, strong devotion. Claims from many that
they were/are ahead in many ways. At the moment maybe more appealing to
people wanting structure and tradition? Pity about the odd rogue salesman
out there.

>>4.  Hinduism:
>>
>>"There are many paths to truth, but some are more direct than others."

"We don't believe in selling. Many of us believe you can't even 'buy'
it." (Continuing the sales metaphor),  Normally a peaceful lot. True
inner peace?

  "Just follow the path. We're easy going. You'll find it in time
   and when you do it will be great!  Can't go wrong - even if you don't
   make it this time you'll reincarnate somewhere better next time"

Or if life was like a video game

  "As many extra lives as you need"

(I nearly said "As many extra balls" - too much pinball in my youth!
Multiball would be - amusing, and probably just as hard to control)

One I heard

  "We're an eco-friendly religion, seeing the whole world we live in
   as divine" - backed up to some extent by an explanation of a ****avite
   puja in which the things honoured included the world for sup****ting
   our lives.

There's also yoga, and a good singsong around the fire.

>>5.  Buddhism:
>>
>>"We can transform life's suffering to the peace of Nirvana."

Some forms sell well to atheists or agnostics - "Religious structure
without needing all this belief stuff". Otherwise I think as you've
described.

"Can apply the teachings on top of whatever you are now - no need to
convert, but we believe you'll see that it works as you get into it."

One I did hear

  "People who've tried Buddhism have re****ted that friends say they're
   a lot more at peace now and asked how it's done."

  "When you realise impermanence it actually frees you up and you value
   what life you have so much more"

>>7.  Atheism:
>>
>>"All religion is superstition, we must seek truth through scientific
>>humanism."
>
> The first six were somewhere in the ballpark of correct. The last one is
> quite misleading.

So if you were a salesman in your booth at the "Which?(tm) God" trade
show, how would you pitch it? Can you pitch it without attacking the
opposition? Something I learned when I worked for a big well known
company is that knocking the competition generally doesn't win customers
who trust you.

Some deconversion stories I've heard have been on the lines of

 "Suddenly I can see the richness of the world as it is, without the
  extra layer of religion on top"

and

 "Suddenly I'm a lot more at ease"

 "Suddenly I don't have to worry about all those bits of scripture that
  I used to worry about not making sense."

and sadly

 "I found all my friend****ps were conditional, but at least I can make
  _real_ friends now".

I think some people do enter the religion marketplace looking for
structure and an alternative to the Rat Race. A sales pitch I've heard
from at least three religions started on the lines of

 "So material success isn't satisfactory then?"

 - Richard

-- 
   _/_/_/  _/_/_/  _/_/_/     Richard dot Corfield at gmail dot com
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 _/_/      _/    _/                Time is a one way street,              

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