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). |
Contents
11 | |
19 | |
The Church of Good Society | 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