Selling Spirituality: The Silent Takeover of Religion

Selling Spirituality examines how corporations and capitalist systems have co-opted spiritual practices and traditions for profit. The authors trace how meditation, mindfulness, and other spiritual concepts have been stripped of their original religious contexts and repackaged as commodities. Through case studies and cultural analysis, Carrette and King demonstrate the transformation of spirituality into a privatized, consumer-focused product separate from community and ethics. The book investigates self-help literature, corporate training programs, and wellness marketing to reveal patterns of spiritual commercialization. The authors analyze how this "spirituality" serves neoliberal economic interests while appearing to offer meaning and authenticity to modern life. The book contextualizes these developments within broader historical shifts in religion, society, and global capitalism. This scholarly critique raises questions about authenticity, cultural appropriation, and the relationship between spiritual practice and social responsibility. The work challenges readers to consider how spiritual traditions might retain their integrity and ethical foundations in an increasingly market-driven world.

Readers appreciate the book's critique of how corporations and capitalism have co-opted spiritual practices for profit. Many note its thorough examination of how Buddhist concepts get repackaged and commercialized in Western contexts. Positive reviews highlight the detailed analysis of "mindfulness" as a corporate tool and the historical context provided around spirituality's commodification. Multiple readers praised the academic rigor while remaining accessible. Critics found the writing style repetitive and overly academic at times. Some felt the authors took an excessively negative view of all spiritual adaptations in modern contexts. A few readers wanted more concrete solutions rather than just criticism. Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (119 ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (22 ratings) Sample review: "Important critique of neoliberal spirituality, though sometimes gets bogged down in academic language. The analysis of mindfulness co-optation by corporations is spot-on." - Goodreads reviewer

Sacred to Profane: Religion in the Workplace by Richard Lambert Examines how corporations transform religious practices into management tools and marketing strategies.

The Mindful Elite by Jaime Kucinskas Documents the transformation of Buddhist meditation practices into corporate wellness programs and productivity tools.

McMindfulness by Ronald Purser Investigates the commodification of Buddhist mindfulness practices by corporations and self-help industries.

Brand Buddha: The Commercialization of Asian Wisdom by Marcus Chen Traces how Asian spiritual traditions become consumer products in Western markets.

The Wellness Syndrome by Carl Cederström, André Spicer Analyzes how the wellness industry appropriates spiritual practices to create marketable lifestyle products.

🔹 The authors argue that corporations have co-opted Buddhist concepts like "mindfulness" and transformed them into tools for workplace productivity, stripping away their original spiritual and ethical contexts. 🔹 Jeremy Carrette previously served as Professor of Religion at the University of Kent and has extensively studied the intersection of psychology, spirituality, and capitalism. 🔹 The book examines how the $11 billion self-help industry repackages religious practices as secular "spiritual" products, particularly targeting stressed corporate professionals. 🔹 The term "spirituality" has evolved significantly since the 1950s, shifting from its religious roots to become what the authors call a "privatized, commodified, and psychologized" concept. 🔹 Despite being published in 2005, many of the book's predictions about the commercialization of Eastern practices have materialized, as seen in the rise of corporate mindfulness programs and luxury meditation retreats.