In the Bible Belt it's hard not to run across snake oil salesman, but an article for a faith and development class stressed how important them and prosperity gospel might actually be for the global south. If you come from nothing and have nothing and it's a massive generational climb to win any kind of power, a fervent if even delusional belief that against all odds god is going to grant you health and riches can actually be an incredible motivator. It leads to effective projects that actually empower the community like the above.
Not sure how to feel about it. Joseph Smith for example was a complete charlatan and liar, but some of the most honest and hardworking people in tech and elsewere you will ever meet are Mormons. There's a lot of people on HN who have wrong beliefs about tech but are incredibly productive in spite of (or because of it), so it's hard to judge people too much if it works for them.
From outside the US, the glaring problem with "prosperity gospel" thinking seems to be that the unfortunate (the "losers") are blamed for their misfortune. It seems like a case of selfish individualism being supported by religious doctrine.
The fix for this is supposedly a certain dose of collectivist thinking, even just recognition of notions like "ubuntu".
Oddly enough, I personally think "prosperity gospel" is almost the antithesis of Christian doctrine as given by the scriptures. I know some Christian articles even go so far to describe it as "heretical".
Others don't go quite that far, but they let their opinion on the philosophy be known pretty clearly. (Take this answer from Billy Graham, who represents sort of the "old school" of American televangelism in many ways: https://billygraham.org/answer/does-god-really-want-everyone...)
This is pretty much it they have developed a way to take credit for whatever good thing that happens to any member of their congregation while effectively blaming those with misfortune as the creators of their misfortune as they either did not pray enough or give their tithes to god.
I find it amusing how much these churches have adopted the very practices that Martin Luther rebelled against. Yet they have no problem casting aspersions upon the Roman church.
You are right about religion being a pretty powerful motivational force in the lives of folks who are stuck deep down one of life's holes. It's interesting to see not just how people are capable of finding hope in terrible circumstances, but how others such a priest or a community member use their faith to help out.
People need to study the good stuff religion does, improve it and stand up to the dogma and snake oil where it arises. It doesn't matter which religion you pick. They all exist because human suffering exists. And tech and science has ways to go in addressing human suffering.
I am not Christian nor have I have I read the bible or anything but there was this series of interviews with Joseph Ratzinger (former pope) by Peter Seewald that communicates this idea much better than I ever could.
Not sure how to feel about it. Joseph Smith for example was a complete charlatan and liar, but some of the most honest and hardworking people in tech and elsewere you will ever meet are Mormons. There's a lot of people on HN who have wrong beliefs about tech but are incredibly productive in spite of (or because of it), so it's hard to judge people too much if it works for them.