Shopping: A Religion

If shopping is a religion then most of us are devoutly religious. Society is constantly shopping not only for things we need like food, but for many things we do not need. Clothes, furniture, houses, stuffed animals, Royal Daltons, comic books. We spend for the sake of spending but many people argue if you have the money, why not shop? Well, as Shania Twain remarks in the song “Ka-Ching”, “…our religion is to go and blow it all, so we are shopping every Sunday at the mall” (Twain). People shop regardless if they have the funds to support it and often spend over saving for the future. The devoutness to shop is so strong, that people are shopping at any time of day from virtually anywhere making a case for the argument that shopping as a new religion.

A Brief History of Shopping

20 years ago, malls were not open on Sundays. Sundays were days for rest. Time put aside to spend with family and friends after the busy work week. A time when people could go to church, do self-reflection and reaffirm their commitment to the Lord. Today, malls are not only open on Sundays, some malls are open almost all year round, even on the most religious of holidays such as Easter. Places like the Eaton Centre and Square One are deemed “tourist attractions” to justify remaining open. In some countries, religious centres and monuments are deemed “tourist attractions” however, our religious monuments and places of worship include malls? When did the Eaton Centre become the religious equivalent to “Christ the Redeemer” or the Vatican?

Furthermore, online shopping has revolutionized shopping even further then the informercial because as long as you have an internet connection you can shop. Online shopping’s revolutionary change to shopping is analogous to how televangelism has transformed physically attending a church service to something available anywhere there is an internet connection. Joel Osteen is a television producer turned preacher who used his knowledge of media to create a cult-like following across the United States, and right around the world, by posting videos of his church sermons on the internet. Now followers of Osteen’s church or people looking to watch a religious sermon, can search the type of message they wish to receive into an internet browser like Google, and tailor their religious experience to whatever they feel like watching. How do these revolutionary changes in how a religion is practiced, alter the definition of a religion?

Defining Religion

The truth is, there is no concrete definition of religion (Harris). In fact, there are few universal criteria that exist to even narrow it down. For instance, does the religion have to believe in a higher power (Harris)? Does the religion need to have sacred objects (Harris)? These are inherently subjective questions essentially leaving religion up to the individual to define for themselves (Harris). Historically, religion has referred to community who practices shared beliefs, values and rituals that happened to have higher powers and places of worship such as Christianity or Islam. However, perhaps it is time to modernize the term and broaden what classifies as a religion. Drawing on J. Z. Smith’s discussion of religion, he defines the term very broadly as a subcategory of human activity (Benney and Smith). He argues that only scholars are trying to define religion thus, scholars place restrictions or limitations on the application of the term (Smith, 269). Based on Smith’s argument every activity, if completed in a ritualized fashion, whether individualistic or communal, could be deemed religious and thus, be its own religion. If this is the case, then sports, shopping and even worshipping a spaghetti monster.

The Proof is in the Shopping Bag

Phrases like “shopping is my religion” or “my closet is heaven” seems to imply the shift to this more broad way of thinking has already begun (Harris). Further supporting this notion is the fact that individually defining what religion means to us and putting few restrictions on what counts as a religion is supported by various legal systems. For instance, according to section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, people are free to practice virtually any beliefs they wish, as long as they do not promote hatred towards or physically hurt others (Government of Canada). However, to be fully recognized as a religion by the government or to get funding, a religion needs to show proof of what it is practising and that it has a substantial, consistent number of followers (Religion in Canada).

However, if you think about it, shopping fits all that criteria and more. With the exception of some holiday shopping, most shopping is harmless to others. Malls, whether they are online or physical buildings, are the institution in which people can go to practice their faith. Malls also hold many religious or sacred symbols, the goods for sale in the stores. Millions of people go to shop each week which shows a substantial and consistent number of people practising the religion. Shoppers can pick and choose the type of things they want to buy and the stores or brands they wish to support which shows how people can tailor their shopping experience to fit their desires. Malls promote the buying of goods which helps keep the economy growing and people employed. Thus, all levels of government wish to keep people spending and actually provide tax breaks for people so they have more capital to spend. Though Canadian governments’ are not directly funding malls, they are supporting the people who use them and encouraging the practice of spending, thus supporting shopping as a ritualized practice.

Shopapholics Rejoice!

Thus, do not judge shopapholics but be tolerant of their devotion to their faith and their support for the economy. Embrace the “Ka-Ching” of the cash registers and the swiping of credit cards as the sounds of people just practising their new found faith by buying products that may support your wage. Finally, do not feel guilty for skipping a church service now and again to shop because shopping is a religion and a fundamental pillar of society, at the very least in Canada.

References

Benney, Alfred and Smith, Jonathan Z. Created by Alfred Benney. “Dr. Jonathan Z. Smith Engages with the Question: How Would You Define Religion?”. November 1999

Government of Canada. “Constitution Act, 1982". Web. http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-15.html

Harris, Jennifer. “Theories of Religion and Popular Culture”. Lecture. University of Toronto. Toronto, Canada. September 15 2014.

“Religion in Canada”. Wikipedia. Web. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Canada

Smith, Jonathan Z. “Religion, Religions, Religious.” In Critical Terms for Religious Studies. Ed. Mark C. Taylor, 269–284. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.

Twain, Shania. “Ka-Ching”. Youtube. Web. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUnmTE6ljRg