Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Jayam Subramanian and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net [Transcriber's note: The spelling inconsistencies of the original are retained in this etext.] The Profits of Religion An Essay in Economic Interpretation By UPTON SINCLAIR CONTENTS NEW YORK VANGUARD PRESS VANGUARD PRINTINGS First-January, 1927 Second-April, 1927 Third-June, 1928 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OFFERTORY This book is a study of Supernaturalism from a new point of view--as a Source of Income and a Shield to Privilege. I have searched the libraries through, and no one has done it before. If you read it, you will see that it needed to be done. It has meant twenty-five years of thought and a year of investigation. It contains the facts. I publish the book myself, so that it may be available at the lowest possible price. I am giving my time and energy, in return for one thing which you may give me--the joy of speaking a true word and getting it heard. Note to fifth edition, 1926: "The Profits of Religion" was first published early in 1917. The present edition represents a sale of over 60,000 copies, without counting a dozen translations. In this edition a few errors have been corrected, but otherwise the book has not been changed. The reader will understand that references to the World War are of the date 1917, prior to America's entrance. This book is the first of a series of volumes, an economic interpretation of culture, which now includes "The Brass Check," "The Goose-step," "The Goslings," and "Mammonart." * * * * * #CONTENTS# #Introductory# Bootstrap-lifting Religion #Book One: The Church of the Conquerors# The Priestly Lie The Great Fear Salve Regina! Fresh Meat Priestly Empires Prayer-wheels The Butcher-Gods The Holy Inquisition Hell-fire #Book Two: The Church of Good Society# The Rain Makers The Babylonian Fire-God The Medicine-men The Canonization of Incompetence Gibson's Preservative The Elders Church History Land and Livings Graft in Tail Bishops and Beer Anglicanism and Alcohol Dead Cats "Suffer Little Children" The Court-circular Horn-blowing Trinity Corporation Spiritual Interpretation #Book Three: The Church of the Servant Girls# Charity God's Armor Thanksgivings The Holy Roman Empire Temporal Power Knights of Slavery Priests and Police The Church Militant The Church Triumphant God in the Schools The Menace King Coal The Unholy Alliance Secret Service Tax Exemption Holy History Das Centrum #Book Four: The Church of the Slavers# The Face of Caesar Deutschland ueber Alles Der Tag King Cotton Witches and Women Moth and Rust To Lyman Abbott The Octopus The Industrial Shelley The Outlook for Graft Clerical Camouflage The Jungle #Book Five: The Church of the Merchants# The Head Merchant "Herr Beeble" Holy Oil Rhetorical Black-hanging