From the Washington Post:

Study: Religion contributes more to the U.S. economy than Facebook, Google and Apple combined

The article in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion said that the annual revenues of faith-based enterprises — not just churches but hospitals, schools, charities and even gospel musicians and halal food makers — is more than $378 billion a year. And that’s not counting the annual shopping bonanza motivated by Christmas.

Georgetown University’s Brian Grim and the Newseum’s Melissa Grim — in a study sponsored by an organization called Faith Counts, which promotes the value of religion — produced a 31-page breakdown of all the ways religion contributes to the U.S. economy.

The largest chunk of that $378 billion tally comes from faith-based health-care systems. Religious groups run many of the hospitals in the United States; Catholic health systems alone reportedly account for 1 in 6 hospital beds in the country.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/09/14/study-religion-contributes-more-to-the-u-s-economy-than-facebook-google-and-apple-combined/

we would still have private schools and hospitals without religion, bands would still play music. Are they saying secular versions of these things would not exist, they make a profit someone would capitalize on it. IMO we would be just fine without religion and the facilities would still exist, it's just another way for religions to pick up a few more dollars.

Question: how do churches taking in money (which is what revenues are) contribute to the economy?

The "largest chunk" that comes from health-care systems, sure -- those support jobs.

I'm not sure any of the rest "contributes" to anything but the revenues of churches. It seems an awfully big stretch to go from "churches take in boatloads of money" to "churches contribute to the economy." And no, I'm not being biased against religion -- if google's revenues didn't support jobs and stockholders and have a bunch of it get turned around into R&D (with more jobs), I'd say the same about them...

Lastly, claiming "christmas shopping" is something that religion contributes to the economy is going way too far.

I agree... unless religion all of a sudden decides to pay taxes
I don't see how it contributes to the economy.

can't believe I forgot that, saucie! Thanks.

Indeed, google, apple (well, maybe not so much -- see recent Ireland scandal), and facebook all pay taxes on their revenues.
Churches don't.

:)

It's important and instructive to always check out the source of a study. In this case, "...in a study sponsored by an organization called Faith Counts, which promotes the value of religion..."

You would expect they would find value in religion during a study they sponsored, just as pharmaceutical companies fund studies that support drugs they produce. I understand this dynamic and findings are often interesting and sometimes even unbiased. But it's worth viewing the results as objectively as possible.

I also agree that you can't attribute the "shopping bonanza" that is Christmas to religion. I do one-half day of shopping at Christmas time and even that is painful for me (I'm not a natural shopper at any time). In that time and during other observations I see a lot of secularism going on. Nothing wrong with that - but it's not funded overtly by religion is my point.

What's does it contribute!? It isn't a search engine like Google or Social media app like Facebook? It;s not a online store like Amazon where one can buy things and get them in the mail.
Doesn't it basically promise lots of empty promises unless you're one of the top dogs in whatever religions and make loads of money!??

You could have titled the original article, "Religion sucks $378 billion a year out of the economy" and been entirely accurate. :)

Where's the tax revenue?

I'm going to go full political for a short time.


While revenue is the appropriate term I always get pissed at the phrase "tax revenue".


Done.


Generally it is the velocity of money in the economy that matters. If revenue off of faith based enterprises is $378 billion (I guess LDS inc really is insignificant). Than before they can show that it adds value they would need to show how quickly the money turns.

Also just to be perfectly clear. The US economy is $18 trillion. That would make the "religious" sector 2% of the economy. Smaller than Waste Management at 3% and significantly smaller than Heath Care at 8%. Needless to say, I'm not impressed. But, good news, I'm even less impressed by LDS inc's paltry contribution. So yay.

Thanks for this! Well done.

I second the motion!

What ANY system 'gives', it takes away from someone/something else.

GNPE Wrote:
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> What ANY system 'gives', it takes away from
> someone/something else.


Not in economics. It is not, and never has been a "zero-sum game."

Thriving economies actually create wealth. Here's an explanation from a funny Harvard MBA:

"World economics are definitely NOT a zero-sum game. Were that truly the case, you’d still be sitting around your cave with your buddies Thak and Grunt, snacking on beetles and grubs. Clearly, the world economy is larger today than it was 25 years ago."

http://www.asktheharvardmba.com/2008/05/03/is-global-economics-a-zero-sum-game/

religion is really cashing in on the health care racket.

can you say hill-burton funding ? I knew you could.

Dave the Atheist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> religion is really cashing in on the health care
> racket.
>
> can you say hill-burton funding ? I knew you
> could.


And they are delivering better quality care in the process.

"When it comes to quality and patient satisfaction, nonprofit church-owned hospitals outperform their public and for-profit counterparts, thanks in part to their religious mission, according to study results released this week by Truven Health Analytics."

http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/healthcare/study-nonprofit-church-owned-hospitals-better-than-secular

except that they are not.
nice try.

Religious faith is also used as a weapon to destroy lives.

No one doubts the economic impact. Southern Baptists and evangelicals generate billions of dollars...far in excess of what LD$, Inc. makes.

Using that wealth as a means of oppression is the problem.

Take that, Facebook, Apple, and Google! And they thought they were the Holy Grail of the modern economy. ;o)

Religion is big business.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2016 06:21AM by Amyjo.

I sure hope they contribute! That's the cost of selling their product. Charity for most religion is typically is akin to putting a bow and advertising the senseless controlling pap they incorporate into their "charity."

If a charitable act includes handing out bibles, faith counseling or contingency upon following their beliefs, we are all going to feel differently about the level of charity and motivation.

I credit the good efforts, I really do.

Charity is one of the few redeeming functions of religion, because their sheep organize in groups and obey instructions to participate in their "charities." The problem for me is that the sheep seem to think that peddling charity with the religious agenda is the preferred way to provide charity. It is really more about advertising and making the sheep feel good about themselves. When you see a giant church with a preacher in a slick suit next to a small run down school, that's really what you need to know about their claims of charity in the community. If the school isn't a Christian charter school, screw them. Ultimately they are about perpetuating the religion.

Resources that went to private religious schools and hospitals are resources the religions kept from building better public schools and hospitals. It's divisive, IMO.

Religion is not needed to perform charitable acts, contribute money and build sound charitable services, IMO. It is dividing the resources to build their own facilities with their own agenda.


My employer likes to take credit for the "volunteer" and service activities of its employees. It's disappointing. They want us to "serve" and wear their dam# T-shirts. I think I would rather pay higher taxes and contribute privately.

dagny Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> I credit the good efforts, I really do.

Do you? How far are you willing to go with your credit?

>
>
> Resources that went to private religious schools
> and hospitals are resources the religions kept
> from building better public schools and hospitals.
> It's divisive, IMO.

Actually, since there are studies showing that religious schools and hospitals offer better results than their secular counterparts, if you're concerned about providing the best schools and best hospitals for any given community, perhaps you should shutter all those that are run by the government and for-profit companies and devote those resources to religious schools and hospitals. They are more likely to provide better results at a lower cost than those provided by the government and corporate world.

>
> Religion is not needed to perform charitable acts,
> contribute money and build sound charitable
> services, IMO. It is dividing the resources to
> build their own facilities with their own agenda.
>

Because only religious charities have an agenda?

Do you support World Vision? One of their leaders funneled millions to Hamas: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/world-vision-s-gaza-manager-funneled-millions-hamas-israel-n623421

And let's not even mention the charities run by both our current front runners for POTUS. One has salaries and expenses that eat the vast majority all monies and the other is a shell corporation masquerading as a family foundation.


>
> My employer likes to take credit for the
> "volunteer" and service activities of its
> employees. It's disappointing. They want us to
> "serve" and wear their dam# T-shirts. I think I
> would rather pay higher taxes and contribute
> privately.

Well, businesses can benefit from demonstrating they are active in the community, and many employees see these acts as part of improving the brand name and improving their long-term job prospects.

I think we could all kill the Catholic church, or at least do it some serious damage, if we all stopped going to Catholic hospitals and clinics. I bet it's the one of the few things it does that makes money.

Because of the money spent on paying out lawsuits to settle the cases of pedophilia in not so distant past inside the Catholic church, some of those hospitals had to be sold to pay off the creditors.

Not that those who'd been abused didn't have a right to be compensated for their losses.

It was the Catholic hospital caring doctors and nurses who saved my daughter when she was born premature, after the local state run hospital didn't have a clue what they were doing. I requested to be transferred to there, where she was born at the best NICU for miles around. Because of that Catholic hospital, my daughter is alive today.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2016 04:13PM by Amyjo.

All I saw was religion grabbing ten percent of a large family's budget. Some contribution.

Most Pyramid Schemes are successful. At least for a time. When you sell a non existent product, eventually a better scam comes along and consumes, or it simply dies on the vine. either way.. too bad I won't live long enough to see the religion scam die its scheduled death.

HH =)