Study: Religion contributes more to the U.S. economy than Facebook, Google and Apple combined

[rug]

By Julie Zauzmer
September 14 at 12:00 PM

Religion is big business. Just how big? A new study, published Wednesday by a father-daughter researcher team, says religion is bigger than Facebook, Google and Apple — combined.

The article in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion said that the annual revenues of faith-based enterprises — not just churches but hospitals, schools, charities and even gospel musicians and halal food makers — is more than $378 billion a year. And that’s not counting the annual shopping bonanza motivated by Christmas.

Georgetown University’s Brian Grim and the Newseum’s Melissa Grim — in a study sponsored by an organization called Faith Counts, which promotes the value of religion — produced a 31-page breakdown of all the ways religion contributes to the U.S. economy.

The largest chunk of that $378 billion tally comes from faith-based health-care systems. Religious groups run many of the hospitals in the United States; Catholic health systems alone reportedly account for 1 in 6 hospital beds in the country.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/09/14/study-religion-contributes-more-to-the-u-s-economy-than-facebook-google-and-apple-combined/

Abstract: http://www.religjournal.com/articles/article_view.php?id=108

[Skittles]

1. I bet they cost us a lot more

[rug]

3. I'll take that bet.

This higher-end estimate is based on the household incomes of religiously affiliated Americans, and places the value of faith to U.S. society at $4.8 trillion annually, or the equivalent of nearly a third of America’s gross domestic product (GDP).

In contrast, last year total world military expenitures were $1.6 trillion.

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/campaigns/us-military-spending-vs-world/

[Skittles]

5. I'm talking about the cost of religious nuttery

over-population, homophobia - the costs are staggering

[rurallib]

7. well said!

[cleanhippie]

10. +1000000000000000

Perfect.

[rug]

11. How much of religion do you consider "nuttery"?

[AtheistCrusader]

13. Is there a part of it that can be proven to be real?

A single piece. A shred. A trifle.

If so, that part I will not call nuttery.

[rug]

15. The claim of "nuttery" is what must be proven.

Although it looks like what's happening is simple name-calling.

[AtheistCrusader]

16. If the shoe fits.

I could use some shoes.

[Skittles]

18. LOL

religious nuttery must be PROVEN? So the war on women is all in our minds.

[rug]

19. If you're going to the trouble of calling something "nuttery", the least you can do is describe it.

Otherwise you're just posting smileys on the internet.

BTW, I don't think you meant to say that misogyny is "nuttery". There are much more accurate words.

[Skittles]

20. sorry rug, I don't like to waste my time

[Lordquinton]

33. That'll hold up in court!

"You're honor, my opponent has to prove every single word he says, Me? it's all at face value, I don't have to prove a thing"

One shred of anything Rug, can you do it?

You can't even say if you are for or against Abortion, so my money is on "no you can't prove a thing" and that you're go back to name calling, and insinuating that anyone who dares question you is an idiot.

Although it looks like what's happening is simple name-calling.

That's pretty much any time you post rug, you haven't answered a question in years, except to people who already agree with you.

[rug]

35. You would make a shitty lawyer.

[Lordquinton]

38. Really?

So you actually can say that everything I say doesn't have to be proven, while my opponent can be considered to be lying unless he can document every word?

Your god doesn't exist Rug, your pope is a bigot. Feel free to prove me wrong.

[cleanhippie]

17. Being unproven as real aside, the nuttery is found in the absurd implausibility

Of religious beliefs.

[cleanhippie]

22. All of it that is absurdly implausible.

Feel free to show what not.

[rug]

23. Which?

[cleanhippie]

24. Which what?

[rug]

25. Which do you consider absurdly implausible.

[cleanhippie]

29. Again, which what?

i already answered your inquiry.

All of it that is, post 22.

Feel free to show what isn't.

[rug]

31. That's fine, retreat to incoherence.

Much easier than stating your position clearly and bravely.

[rug]

36. Actually, the reply was to cleanhippie.

But I can understand your confusion.

[Lordquinton]

39. Pop quiz Rug

Are you fully for Marriage Equality, no strings? There is one answer, and anything but the right answer makes you a Homophobic bigot, like your spiritual leader.

[rug]

41. Start a thread, quinton.

Read the OP before you post you manic obsessions again.

You can't even formulate the right question, let alone judge "the right answer".

[Brettongarcia]

26. So non-faith business is 2/3 of the US economy at least

And by the way, art and entertainment contributes 1/2 trillion.

[rurallib]

2. Sure would be nice to know how much property they own that should be taxed

plus as such a huge business, seems to me they should be paying some taxes for roads, police and fire protection etc.

[rug]

4. It would be much nicer to just slash military expenditures.

[rurallib]

6. doing both would seem to be the best

[rug]

8. Which do you think is more likely?

[rurallib]

9. neither

proposing either one is a death wish in our politics.

Try to move one military related facility out of any congressional district and the local congress critter, all the mayors, county and state officials are there to stop it. Even if the facility makes military grade thumb tacks.

Say anything about taking away church tax exemption and all the religious crazies grab their constitutions and go to battle on their tax exempt radio and TV shows.

Neither will happen in my lifetime; both should.

[AtheistCrusader]

14. I like 'both'.

[Scruffy1]

12. "Contributing to the Economy is pure BS"

When you just transfer money from one pocket to another without adding any tangible value that is a zero sum game. I have no problem with religious people, but to claim economic gain is disingenuous.

[Bradical79]

21. I don't like religion

but there's no doubt that it can be extremely profitable.

[Brettongarcia]

27. Pat Robertson's operation is said to have $1 billion.

Just keep promising miracles for cash, "seed money," and the dollars roll in.

[rug]

28. That sounds high.

[Brettongarcia]

30. A billion bucks isn't what it used to be

In the last 70 years or so, there's been about 1000% inflation.

So billions are the new millions, in some ways.

It's not quite Robertson's personal fortune too. It's a fund he controls.

As I very roughly recall, it was mentioned on the news once.

[muriel_volestrangler]

42. Probably low for the organisation, but about right for him personally

Robertson is the founder and chairman of The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) Inc., and founder of International Family Entertainment Inc., Regent University, Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation, American Center for Law and Justice, The Flying Hospital, Inc. and several other organizations and broadcast entities. Robertson was the founder and co-chairman of International Family Entertainment Inc. (IFE).

Formed in 1990, IFE produced and distributed family entertainment and information programming worldwide. IFE's principal business was The Family Channel, a satellite delivered cable-television network with 63 million U.S. subscribers. IFE, a publicly held company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, was sold in 1997 to Fox Kids Worldwide, Inc. for $1.9 billion, whereupon it was renamed Fox Family Channel. Disney acquired FFC in 2001 and its name was changed again, to ABC Family. The network was renamed to Freeform on January 12, 2016, though Robertson's sale of the channel continues to require Freeform to carry four hours of CBN/700 Club programming per weekday, along with CBN's yearly telethon.

Robertson is a global businessman with media holdings in Asia, the United Kingdom, and Africa. He struck a deal with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based General Nutrition Center to produce and market a weight-loss shake he created and promoted on The 700 Club.

In 1999, Robertson entered into a joint venture with the Bank of Scotland to provide financial services in the United States. However, the move was met with criticism in the UK due to Robertson's views on homosexuality. Robertson commented that “In Europe, the big word is tolerance. You tolerate everything. Homosexuals are riding high in the media ... And in Scotland, you can't believe how strong the homosexuals are." Shortly afterward, the Bank of Scotland canceled the venture.[21][22]

Robertson's extensive business interests have earned him a net worth estimated between $200 million and $1 billion.[23]

A fan of Thoroughbred horse racing, Robertson paid $520,000 for a colt he named Mr. Pat. Trained by John Kimmel, Mr. Pat was not a successful runner. He was nominated for, but did not run in, the 2000 Kentucky Derby.[24][25]

In 1994, in the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide, Robertson solicited donations for his charity organization Operation Blessing International to provide medical supplies to refugees in neighboring Zaire (present-day Congo), where Robertson had allegedly negotiated a diamond-mining contract with Zairian dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.[26] According to two Operation Blessing pilots who reported the incident to the state of Virginia for investigation, rather than delivering relief supplies to refugees, the organization's planes were primarily used to haul diamond-mining equipment to Robertson's mines in Zaire.[27]

According to a June 2, 1999, article in The Virginian-Pilot,[28] Robertson had extensive business dealings with Liberian president Charles Taylor, with whom Robertson negotiated a multimillion-dollar contract for gold mining operations in Liberia. In response to Taylor's alleged crimes against humanity, the United States Congress passed a bill In November 2003 that offered two million dollars for his capture. Robertson accused President George W. Bush of "undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels to take over the country." At the time Taylor was harboring Al Qaeda operatives who were funding their operations through the illegal diamond trade.[29] On February 4, 2010, at his war crimes trial in the Hague, Taylor testified that Robertson was his main political ally in the U.S., and that he had volunteered to make Liberia's case before U.S. administration officials in exchange for concessions to Robertson's Freedom Gold, Ltd., to which Taylor gave a contract to mine gold in southeast Liberia.[30] In 2010, a spokesman for Robertson said that the company's arrangements — in which the Liberian government got a 10 percent equity interest in the company and Liberians could purchase at least 15 percent of the shares after the exploration period — were similar to many American companies doing business in Africa at the time.[31]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Robertson

The $200m-$1bn was in 1999: http://www.sullivan-county.com/news/pat_quotes/palst.htm . Diamond and gold mines are lucrative assets.

[Angry Dragon]

32. The catholic church has been pretty much about the money over the years

I would like to see a list of the souls they have saved

[Lordquinton]

37. Comparing literally anything remotely related to religion to a couple of companies?

The actual tech sector is around a trillion dollar mark in the US economy.

Nice dishonest comparison. And Religion doesn't pull it's own weight either.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

43. It's nonsense. For example, Halal and Kosher are non-productive costs.

Stuff like Halal and Kosher just adds cost to food. It does not increase productivity. If people weren't wasting time blessing stuff they could actually be producing stuff. Calling it a "contribution" is ridiculous. We don't call make-work paper shuffling a "contribution".

Christmas shopping bonanza occurs in atheist countries. Solstice is the reason for the season.

Time spent listening to music would be spent listening to other similar sounding similarly uplifting music. Musicians making it would be employed making the other music.

Counting religious volunteerism and forced labor (nuns for example) is also not good accounting. Those people draw social benefits from society that they don't pay for; working taxpayers pay for it. Pay those people a decent wage and they wouldn't have to live in substandard housing like they often do.

Church land and property is excessive and often unproductive.