I yesterday mentioned how money can bring you further in healthcare matters. That is not only a matter with doctors and in hospitals however, it is something you can see in nearly every sector and field of industry! In the religious industry, too!
Yes, the spiritual industry has not remained untouched from business either! Especially here in India, if you are rich and have sufficient funds, your money brings you a better treatment with any spiritual guru! Those religious godmen will grant you an appointment much faster than they would to any ‘regular’ devotee that does not offer any extra notes or coins! You also get closer to that guru if he feels you are worth it. That worth is measured financially however and not, as you may think, in spiritual terms! You just get a much better treatment.
Even temples offer this kind of system: in the so-called ‘place of god’, it is not hidden what is going on: there are printed tickets of different price classes. Those which are more expensive, let you access the holiest of places quicker and you are allowed to get closer to the deity. Ordinary devotees have to wait and see god from far!
So your pocket decides how close you are allowed to get to god. Some kind of skeptical person similar to me once made a joke: if I pay a bit more, maybe I can ask god to come to me instead! Why do I go towards him? He can come to me instead – maybe I have to just pay a bit more. And if I pay much more, he may even come to my house himself, personally. Then I don’t need to go!
Why not? If you can bribe god into forgiving all your sins, why would he not get bribed into coming to a rich devotee’s home?
God and religion – it is anyway all just business!