Project Gutenberg's The Profits of Religion, Fifth Edition, by Upton Sinclair

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Title: The Profits of Religion, Fifth Edition

Author: Upton Sinclair

Release Date: August 7, 2005 [EBook #16470]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PROFITS OF RELIGION ***

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[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