Things I don't understand

Normally, I don't like the idea of making fun of religious beliefs.  I'm largely an agnostic; being raised within a deeply divided family helped to push me away from any sort of faith.  And, while I don't have a strong faith of my own, I learned that I really didn't like it when people criticized religion.  To an outsider, any religion can appear ridiculous, and throwing potshots at other faiths does nothing to advance your own, I decided.  However, there are some times when I find myself unable to avoid commenting.

While browsing Goodreads, I ran across a giveaway for this book: Purging Your House, Pruning Your Family Tree: How to Rid Your Home and Family of Demonic Influence and Generational Depression by Perry Stone.  At my last glance, 208 people have entered the giveaway to be one of five lucky winners of a free copy of the book.

Some of those entrants are probably what one might consider a collector; they'll enter any giveaway for the sheer delight of winning something free, never mind what it might be.  However, some people are undoubtedly interested in the book itself.  The one review on Goodreads at the time that I'm composing this blog, takes this book to task pretty seriously.  Greg states that novels of this type are "the next step in the prosperity gospel continuum," and explains that

After years of giving these snake-oil con-men at least 10 percent of their earnings, over-drawing on credit cards with the hope of god ejaculating riches on you as a reward for fiscal stupidity, and being a dope that after not finding results in Joel Olsteen's first book Your Best Life Now keeps shelling out money for the follow ups (which shouldn't need to exist, how can you have a better than a best life?) and finding that their life still fucking sucks and maybe it could be because life is unfair and sucks, or because the decisions one made are shitty, or maybe it is because all the giving and praying to Dr. Dollar, or TD Jakes or Joyce Meyer or to that douche bag who looks like Tom Cruise in Magnolia, maybe I'm just not seeing results because there are demons living in my fucking house! Or even worse it was an ancestor who was a sinner and demons are still lurking around!!!!

While Greg's language is a bit much, I have to admit that I do understand his point.  The prosperity gospel teaches that, so long as you believe correctly, your life will be good.  This may (and they would like to imply, does) often take the shape of wealth, but it can also be peace and tranquility within the family.  The prosperity gospel teachings try their best to ignore that capitalism is not a Christian philosophy.  Instead, capitalism is based in the idea of profit and that some will succeed while others fail.  The prosperity gospel would like to claim that those that fail--the poor, the infirm, the bankrupt--made bad moral choices and are therefore being punished.  In that concept, the wealthy must then be very moral, as they have been rewarded with earthly goods.

A book like this reaches out to those that feel left out by the prosperity gospel, as Greg claims above.  This sort of book is for the true believer that followed the tenants of the prosperity gospel only to see prosperity pass him or her by.  These people fail to understand that capitalism must have its victims, and the morality of those victims means nothing in comparison to other factors such as their education, skill set, location, and the demand for laborers with their skills.  Instead of seeing their failure as a function of capitalism and of our society, this book would have them look for demons.

The books cover copy does indicate that much of its title is a metaphor, as it explains

Purging your house involves removing spiritual, emotional, and mental hindrances from three houses: spiritual, physical, and emotional. The author teaches readers the 3-step process of removing the leprosy (laying aside the weights or sins), rebuilding a fresh foundation (replacing old thoughts with new thoughts), and restoring the house (new friends, relations, directions). Pruning your family tree involves a process called redemptive alteration, which positively impacts your future when the Word of God defeats the sin habits and overcomes the carnal nature through regeneration.

So many of the claims here are weasel words--what precisely is "redemptive alteration," for instance?  Perhaps I would understand if I read the book, but with sort of cover copy, I don't intend to ever even allow it in my house.  I don't like the way the author connects leprosy with "weights or sins."  At the end of the cover copy, the author apparently connects the dangers that can harm families with the dangers that destroy trees.  By my count, he's got three metaphors running:

1. The house as a person
2. Sins as disease
3. Modern life as the dangers that harm trees

Nowhere in this list does the author even attempt to explain what he means by demons or "generational depression."

I have not read this book, and I have no intention of reading it.  Not only does it mix metaphors dreadfully in its cover copy, it seems to further an argument that I find repellent--the concept that morality is rewarded with a good life.  As Americans, we live in a capitalist society, and capitalism does not care about your morals.  In fact, if you really want to succeed as a capitalist, it would be best if you abandoned your morals straightaway.  (See J.R. Ewing from the 80s nighttime soap Dallas for an illustration of this concept.)

Until we accept that religion and capitalism are not friendly concepts, books like this will attempt to cash in on the discontent of believers.