![](https://i.imgsafe.org/ec/ec120439db.jpeg)

Ok, so this may get some people really riled up. This is also my first slightly controversial post on Steemit. Those who know me in real life would know that me being controversial is an understatement, but the difference in real life and online conversations is that, offline, I get to gauge the response and apologise if needed. 

Online is a totally different story.

Regardless, do know that it’s not my intention to belittle, make fun or insult any religion, their followers and their practices. It’s just a case study, a metaphor, if you will. I was a novice Buddhist monk before, and because how strict as the practice were (similar daily routines, meditation, no eating after noon, silent retreats, no dancing, no music, no entertainment), it was common to get questions around the tone of “how did you survive, man?”

*Well, I did.*

![](https://i.imgsafe.org/ec/ec124394b0.jpeg)

Anyway, if you are sensitive towards topics around religion being used as a metaphor, please stop reading, accept my apologies, and read something else on Steemit.

*Ready?* Let’s go.

I guess when I say *"Study Religion”*, I don’t mean the content precisely (though it’s recommended, because I believe all religious teachings encourage good deeds), but rather the propagation of it. Observe how the ideologies are being taught over time, how human emotions and psychology comes into play, what words and phrases were used, how the practices of devotion were structured… the whole works.

And if you do, you won’t be that surprised why these sets of beliefs stood the test of time. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and many others, have all been around for two thousand years, and while the environment, culture and circumstances around humanity has evolved over those times - war, peace, education, politics, economics - the followers are still around, some stronger than ever.

![](https://i.imgsafe.org/ec/ec1275b64d.jpeg)

Without getting into the details, here are some questions that you, as a marketer, may want to ponder. I will let you come to your own conclusions, because frankly, the truth really lies in the eyes of the beholder, and how deep you want to question.

1. What are the dominant emotions that kept the followers faithful?
2. What are the dominant emotions that kept the non-believers, well, non-believers?
3. How has the internet and the digital age affected the spread of the message?
4. In history, if you look at the major shifts (wars, economics, natural disasters), how was religion used to bolster the spirit and unify the spirit of man?
5. Has human values evolve over time?
6. Has human values evolve with the introduction of the internet?
7. What makes two followers instant friends, even though they have never met before, comes from different background, culture and upbringing?
8. What does the grandparent say to the parent, and what does the parent say to the children, about their religious choices? How did the practices change with times, and how were the core values kept in tact?
9. How did the environment cultivate the need for faith?
10. Why did some discover faith only later in life, while some lose faith over time?
11. With the internet and the ease of accessibility to study other religion and exposure to other practices, what helps in keeping the faith?
12. How did people from different faiths come together and became good companions for life?
13. How did people put their differences aside in times of crisis, joined hands for the greater good, even if good means compromising on certain ways of life?
14. As a parent brining up a child, what are the different tones, methods and ways were the religious beliefs taught? 
15. A toddler, a tween, a teen, a young adult, a family man, all have different sets of challenges, needs and expectations. How did religious teachers tweak their approach, without sacrificing the value of the message, to keep the contents and practice relevant?

![](https://i.imgsafe.org/ec/ec12a64579.jpeg)

If you’re a good marketer, which I’m sure you are, you will pick up the underlying reasons why these questions are crucial in understanding the psychology of humans, their willing to accept beliefs, and the principles they hold to keep their faiths intact. Fundamentally, it leads to us understanding their buying behaviours, decision processes, and the values that guide their very perception of the worldly items.

Great marketers who understood those lessons are responsible for creating products and services that are always in demand, and almost always have loyal fans that are cult-like in nature. It spurs the same beliefs why an iPhone user would never switch over to Android, why some coding languages are dominant despite being outdated, why we continue to buy things that we don’t really need, why we project our persona through our buying decisions, and more.

Because really, how many products of men ever really stood the test of time?

![](https://i.imgsafe.org/ec/ec12197da7.jpeg)

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*Wait, why's Mav posting on Steemit nowadays?*

Well, unlike other blogging and social media platform, **Steemit** is the only platform that allows me to earn cryptocurrency when I engage with it. Yup, one Steem is about USD1, and you, too, can earn Steem Dollars every time you:

- Create content (articles, blog posts, podcasts, videos, photos)
- Upvote (like) other people contents
- Comment on other people's posts
- Have discussions, share opinions etc!

Yup, basically it's the very same thing you're doing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc all along!

*The only difference?* For once you can earn a nice income on the side!

Sign up for a [free Steemit account](https://steemit.com/pick_account), and you can thank me by coming back and upvoting this article. And guess what, you will earn Steem too for doing that! #awesome

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