Religions as Brands New Perspectives on the Marketization of Religion and Spirituality

During the twentieth century, religion has gone on the market place. Churches and religious groups are forced to 'sell god' in order to be attractive to 'religious consumers'. More and more, religions are seen as 'brands' that have to be recognizable to their members and the general public. This interdisciplinary book treats new developments in three fields that have hitherto evolved rather independently: (1) the commoditization of religion, (2) the link between religion and consumer behaviour, and (3) the economics of religion.