Church shopping is an American tradition

Slate.com reported that church shopping is very common among Americans, including now the first family. The idea of applying American capitalism to religion is deeply rooted in our country's history, along with the ideas of freedom of religion and individual autonomy. However, the idea of "commercializing" God gives rise to criticism from some.

Church shopping, marketing, and the not-so-sanctified practices that go with them make easy targets for criticism. But competition among churches for worshippers has always been fierce in the United States, to the benefit of American religion and individual churchgoers. The prohibition against establishing an official state religion helped give us the shoppers' paradise that is our religious marketplace.

(Photo by iboy_daniel; used by permission.)