A Pew Research study showed that 92% of American adults hold some kind of spiritual belief. Most Americans believe in God, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, an afterlife, or the supernatural. While exploring the spiritual realm is fascinating, it also presents a space that has long been exploited by high-demand religions, con artists, abusers, and other predators.
"Monetizing Jesus" spotlights the predatory behaviors that bait followers with Jesus or other esteemed figures. Predators initially promote noble values of "mind, body, and soul" but subtly shift to their real agenda of "power, sex, and money."
The problem is that predators cause significant harm through their charming but totalitarian schemes. Behind their slick narratives, a predator's dogmas and rituals contribute little to solving the world's real troubles. They put God behind a paywall.
The genius of Jesus is that he shook up the status quo and taught his followers to test the evidence. He seemed to love a good debate. In an egocentric and sociocentric society, Jesus introduced a fresh, world-centric perspective.
The real Jesus rejected a materialistic lifestyle. He had a global concern for the poor, hungry, sick, imprisoned, and elderly. Jesus' harshest criticisms targeted hypocritical church leaders and child abusers.
The solution lies with principled people who share these values. They are evidence-based, insist on full financial disclosures and getting the complete story from all sides. Principled people reject motivated reasoning, undue influence, and logical fallacies. Of course, they report any allegations of crime to law enforcement.
"Monetizing Jesus" examines predator-prey dynamics and principled worldviews. Regardless of one's spiritual beliefs or unbelief, principled people think critically, go beyond their comfort zones, judge less, and understand more. All of this is in an effort to think globally, stand for something, and contribute to humanity.
