Suppose that the prophets and the messiahs walked the earth long ago spreading God’s truth. But suppose thousands of years later some unscrupulous entrepreneurs had an idea to profit from this plethora of information originating from the heavens. They gathered all the information that was available, and deleted and added what they thought was appropriate to solicit contributions from the masses. They called this their sacred book from God. They anointed themselves as God’s messengers of the truth. They guaranteed the salvation of the masses by soliciting gifts and donations. From this largesse, they lived comfortable lives.

But how could they continue to increase in wealth? They needed to bring in more people to believe. They needed to build more churches to house the people seeking their salvation. As more people came into the religion, the unscrupulous establishment collected more money. Great cathedrals and elegant churches were built to bring in the masses. Schools were built to teach people how to bring in more people (clergy). The church becomes an institution to make money, and the teachings become secondary.

This is not a story of one religion on this earth. But it is a story of almost all the religions. Some how greed has become incorporated into our religions. It is not surprising that even the religious people do not understand God’s truth.