Money.co.uk did an interesting article recently on the business of religion:

The link between money and religion is a grey area, fraught with conspiracy and scandal. Some of the wealthiest organisations on the planet are religions or religious movements – some ancient, some modern – yet the followers of religion and the countries in which they are practised are often the poorest.

The give information on some of the financial holdings of the Catholic Church and Church of England, the cost of advancement in Scientology, rich members of the Freemasons, schemes of televangelists, and the even looks at the richest religious billionaires. It sure looks like religion is a top dollar business. Sure, a lot of money goes to charity, but the operating costs and some of the perks given to high ranking members can be quite high.

As it turns out, religion is a big business. Anybody who says otherwise is either lying or duped.