> there is a spiritual purpose behind it, not connected to money, Religion, especially in what's pretty much a theocracy-lite, is very much tied to power and m

> there is a spiritual purpose behind it, not connected to money, Religion, especially in what's pretty much a theocracy-lite, is very much tied to power and money. SA is swimming in oil money, so it doesn't need to perform some crass commercialization (although I'm sure the restaurant, transportation, and hotel industry benefit directly), but maintaining and consolidating power is part of this game. Humanity didn't start religion because we felt unusually generous. Its a way to gain power and resources by exploiting various human desires like the need for meaning, the need for afterlife beliefs, etc.