The Profits of ReligionIt is not too much to say that today no daily newspaper in any large American city dares to attack the emoluments of the Catholic Church, or to advocate restrictions upon the ecclesiastical machine.-from "Holy History"Few readers have not heard of Upton Sinclair's 1906 book The Jungle, his fictionalized account of Chicago's meatpacking industry, which set in motion dramatic social and governmental changes and highlighted the power of investigative journalism. But his 1918 book The Profits of Religion, a viciously witty censure of religious institutions in America, remains unjustly obscure. Drolly but bitterly subtitled "an essay in economic interpretation," this potent book condemns religious leaders for taking advantage of the credulity and hopefulness of ordinary Americans to line their own pockets and amass political influence. Not merely a brilliant work of persuasive journalism, this is also a document of the idealistic socialism that lingered after World War I, when the triumph of the movement's ideal still seemed possible.American writer UPTON SINCLAIR (1878-1968) was an active socialist and contributor to many socialist publications. His muckracking books include The Moneychangers (1908), King Coal (1917), Oil! (1927), and Boston (1928). |
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Page 16
... ? What are we to say when we see idealism become hypocrisy , and the moral and spir- itual heritage of mankind twisted to the knavish pur- poses of class - cruelty and greed ? What I 16 THE PROFITS OF RELIGION Religion.
... ? What are we to say when we see idealism become hypocrisy , and the moral and spir- itual heritage of mankind twisted to the knavish pur- poses of class - cruelty and greed ? What I 16 THE PROFITS OF RELIGION Religion.
Page 17
... Morality means the will to righteousness , or it means Anthony Com- stock ; democracy means the rule of the people ... moral strivings of the race , the affections of childhood and the aspirations of youth are made the prerogatives and ...
... Morality means the will to righteousness , or it means Anthony Com- stock ; democracy means the rule of the people ... moral strivings of the race , the affections of childhood and the aspirations of youth are made the prerogatives and ...
Page 22
... moral codes . They would wear special costumes to distinguish them , they would go through elaborate ceremonies to impress their followers , employing all sensuous effects , architecture and sculpture and painting , music and poetry and ...
... moral codes . They would wear special costumes to distinguish them , they would go through elaborate ceremonies to impress their followers , employing all sensuous effects , architecture and sculpture and painting , music and poetry and ...
Page 29
... morals of the tribe- For though some warriors of renown Continue anthropophagous , ' Tis rare that human flesh goes down The low - caste man's aesophagus ! I suspect that we should have to go back to the days of the cave - man to find ...
... morals of the tribe- For though some warriors of renown Continue anthropophagous , ' Tis rare that human flesh goes down The low - caste man's aesophagus ! I suspect that we should have to go back to the days of the cave - man to find ...
Page 31
... moral codes , to shape fashions and tastes , to be revered and regarded - in short , to have Power . How to get this Power and to hold it has been the first object of the thoughts of men from the beginning of time . The most obvious ...
... moral codes , to shape fashions and tastes , to be revered and regarded - in short , to have Power . How to get this Power and to hold it has been the first object of the thoughts of men from the beginning of time . The most obvious ...
Contents
11 | |
19 | |
45 | |
The Church of the Servant Girls | 103 |
The Church of the Slavers | 159 |
The Church of the Merchants | 199 |
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America ancient Anglican Bible Billy Billy Sunday Bishop Blessed Bootstrap-lifters burned called Cath Catholic Church Christ Christian classes clergy clergyman clerical Conrad Noel cult divine doctors of divinity doctrine dollars earth Emma Goldman England episcopal exploitation fact faith Father give hands heart Heaven Hebrew Holy human hundred Jesuit Jesus John Huss King Knights of Columbus Koreshanity labor ladies land ligion lionaire live Lord Lyman Abbott magazine Mammon Mark Hanna Mazdaznan mental million mind modern moral Mother never newspapers olic Outlook paper pious political poor Pope Prayer preach priestly priests prophet Protestant quote reader Reformation religion religious rich Roman schools slave slavery social Socialists society soul spiritual Sunday teaching tells temple thee thing thou thousand tion told unto wage-slavery woman women words write York
Popular passages
Page 212 - Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing : sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven : and come, follow me.
Page 86 - Not to covet nor desire other men's goods ; but to learn and labour truly to get mine own living, and to do my duty in that state of life unto which it shall please God to call me.
Page 282 - And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them : for that is delivered unto me ; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Page 217 - The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is his new creation by water and the word : from heaven he came and sought her to be his holy Bride; with his own blood he bought her, and for her life he died.
Page 200 - Mammon, the least erected spirit that fell From heaven ; for even in heaven his looks and thoughts Were always downward bent, admiring more The riches of heaven's pavement, trodden gold, Than aught divine or holy else enjoy'd In vision beatific.
Page 37 - And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men : and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.
Page 37 - When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou...
Page 86 - To submit myself to all my governors, teachers, spiritual pastors and masters. To order myself lowly and reverently to all my betters.
Page 37 - Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou ; and when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee ; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them ; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them...