RELIGION AS A FRANCHISE
A religion or a grouping around the God idea is a cult with franchise.
DEFINITION
A franchise (or franchising) is a method of distributing products or services involving a franchisor, who establishes the brand's trademark or trade name and a business system, and a franchisee, who pays a royalty and often an initial fee for the right to do business under the franchisor's name and system.
Religion is similar to this. It is similar enough to call it a franchise. So we can apply the definition of franchise thus.
A religious franchise (or franchising) is a method of distributing sacraments, holy revelations supposedly from God or doctrinal teaching services involving a franchisor, who establishes the brand's trademark or trade name and a business system, and a franchisee, who pays by devotion and by money for the right to do business under the franchisor's name and system.
RELIGIOUS FRANCHISE AS A LABEL
A religion with low standards such as a "liberal" one, it's hardly liberal if you want clear standards not vague ramblings and it won't provide, is using the religion's trademark. If it were possible it could be sued for doing so but as there is no fear of that it may not be entitled to use the trademark at all. The religious label can be considered a trademark that is there but is not really respected.
RELIGIOUS FRANCHISE AS A SOCIAL FORCE, A COMMUNITY
Those who use the religious label and try to use the religious system while abandoning some core doctrine or practice are crooks. For example, you have no right to lie to people that you are a good Catholic when you rarely bother going to Mass knowing the rule is that for a serious reason you attend Mass on Sunday and on Holydays of Obligation. You have no right to provide abortion and claim that saying a rosary a day and going to Mass even daily and claim to be a practicing Catholic. A practicing Catholic means you have to line up to a standard and it is not up to you to set the standard. You cannot go to swimming lessons and call yourself a swimmer if you never enter the water.
RELIGIOUS FRANCHISE AS A CORPORATION
Some religions are very loose. Others are just an umbrella for different systems some of which are controlling organised religious systems. Hinduism is like that. It has its loose groupings and its more organised ones. But some kind of corporation is needed to decide that that is allowed and to be facilitated. Scriptures become like the corporations articles of association. Money has to be involved for a religion to exist in any form at all.
