It sure isn't working that way for me.
But apparently, the pious earn on average 9% more than the general population. The study attributed this to a number of factors: churches provide more social and business contacts, religion promotes a sense of well being that improves performance at work, churches provide emotional and financial support to struggling parishoners, etc. All these explanations are likely valid. However, the study didn't just examine "churchgoers" at large, but focused on communities where a large part of the popluation associated with a particular religion, and where frequent churchgoing was the norm. In those situations, religion does help cement community ties and provides a common frame of reference. This got me wondering if a strong sense of community itself lay at the root of this increased prosperity. However true that may be, the study's findings do question, or qualify, the notion that the basis of wealth is the untrammeled efforts of individuals to fulfill their desires in the marketplace. As would any honest reading of the Bible or any other scriptures I know of.
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