In a crowded sanctuary, the queue of believers stretches for blocks, and each brings expensive offerings. Some come to pray for the health of relatives, but many have other desires: a promotion at work, winning the lottery, or the defeat of an enemy. Near the altar, the priest promises that a larger donation will ensure faster divine intervention. It is easy to blame the priest and call it exploitation, but this scene reveals a deeper and more troubling truth about human behavior.
This idea is reflected in a famous phrase inspired by the reforms of Emperor Ashoka: 'As long as there are people who approach gods with greedy hearts, there will be priests with greedy hearts to receive them.' This quote is taken from Witze Keuning's historical novel 'Ashoka the Great,' where the author literarily recreates Ashoka's thoughts and speech.
Essentially, this quote demonstrates the interconnectedness between the exploiter and the exploited in the religious world. It implies that spiritual corruption arises not only from dishonest religious leaders but also from the demands and desires of the people themselves who seek their services.
When people perceive the divine as a celestial machine into which they can insert prayers, money, or offerings to gain wealth, success, or power, they create conditions for those willing to sell such promises.
Although the exact wording is a modern and dramatized version of an older concept, its roots trace back to the reforms of Emperor Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE. Ashoka ruled the Mauryan Empire from approximately 268 to 232 BCE. His life changed drastically after witnessing the devastation caused by the conquest of Kalinga. Shocked by the suffering of war, he renounced violent expansion, adopted Buddhism, and began spreading Dhamma—a system of moral and ethical existence.
Ashoka recorded his ideas on large stone pillars and rocks across India. In Major Edict IX, he criticized many religious rites of his time. He explained that people, especially women, often performed rituals during illness, weddings, childbirth, or before important journeys, believing these actions would bring them good fortune.
According to Major Edict IX, 'People perform various auspicious ceremonies... But such ceremonies yield little fruit. The ceremony of Dhamma, however, yields great fruit.' Ashoka was not merely mocking superstitions; he was challenging a system that allowed certain priests to profit from people's fears and hopes. In ancient India, the Vedic ritual system heavily relied on complex sacrifices called yajnas. These ceremonies were conducted by priests who received payment, known as dakshina, from people seeking blessings, protection, or success.
Arguing that these rituals held little value and promoting Dhamma-mangala instead, Ashoka attempted to replace external rituals with internal morality. He advocated kindness to servants, respect for parents, generosity to the poor, and ethical conduct. Thus, he sought to weaken the power of greedy priests by changing the desires of the people who depended on them.
To understand why this idea remains strong, one can refer to the ancient Latin phrase 'do ut des,' which means 'I give so that you may give.' This concept shaped many old religious systems. Rituals often functioned as agreements: if a person made the correct offering, the god was expected to grant the requested reward.
This approach turns faith into a transaction. Religion becomes less a process of transformation and more an exchange. A person gives something and expects something in return. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche later criticized similar models in religious institutions. He argued that some religious systems can become tools of control by exploiting human fear, guilt, and desire.
When people are desperate, the slow process of self-improvement and persistent effort can seem painful and uncertain. The shortcut becomes much more appealing. The 'greedy heart' mentioned in the quote refers not only to money. It is also linked to the desire to receive rewards without effort. This is the pursuit of success without struggle, health without discipline, or forgiveness without taking responsibility.
An dishonest priest or spiritual salesman simply responds to this demand. They find opportunities in people's hopes and fears. Without people seeking easy answers, there would be no market for those selling spiritual promises.
This ancient warning is relevant today. The traditional religious transaction has changed its form and found a profitable niche in the modern prosperity gospel movement. Some televangelists and mega-church leaders tell followers that donating money, often called sowing the 'seed of faith,' can unlock financial blessings from God.
In the United States, organizations such as the Trinity Foundation have investigated cases where religious figures used these promises to maintain luxurious lifestyles, including private jets and expensive homes. Many followers making these donations are financially struggling individuals who hope for a miracle that will change their lives. The system works because of their desperate desire for quick relief and supernatural reward.
This model manifests outside traditional religion as well. The modern wellness and self-help industry often uses similar ideas. Online, many spiritual influencers and manifestation coaches sell programs promising people they can attract wealth by changing their energy or mindset. For a fee, they offer secret methods that supposedly transform thoughts and cosmic forces into financial success.
The old sacrificial altar has simply moved into the digital world. Now, a person addresses a screen instead of a temple, but the basic transaction remains the same. The seeker wants a fast track to success, and the seller provides the promise along with a payment option. Overcoming this cycle requires changing our understanding of spiritual and personal growth. True transformation is rarely a transaction. Significant progress is achieved through ethical choice, discipline, patience, and honest self-reflection. These things cannot be bought, traded, or achieved through someone else's promises. Recognizing that spiritual shortcuts are illusions is the first step toward gaining personal control. When people stop looking for easy deals with the universe, those who profit from false promises lose their power.
According to supplier China Shabalala, participating in the Denis Hurley Centre's StreetLit program, Bibles are a recurring bestseller in both English and isiZulu languages.
In 2024, the centre launched its 'Mandela Challenge,' aiming to collect 10,052 quality used books for Street Lit vendors—one book for each day of Madiba's imprisonment. The collection was halted after more than 24,000 books were received.
This year, the project set a more specific goal: residents of Durban are called upon to donate 1,145 Bibles during July—one for each month of Mandela's long and distinguished life. Other good quality books are always welcome.
The newspaper The Independent on Saturday supports the Street Lit project as part of its Mandela Day initiative. This project changes lives by enabling over 20 literate homeless individuals to sell books at stations across Durban and even in Ballito, earning a modest income and beginning to rebuild their lives. The stories of these vendors are deeply moving: they speak of reuniting with loved ones and children, as well as travelling to places like Poland and Australia as part of literary trips.
Thus, people have an opportunity to clear out their libraries. If you have books to donate, they can be handed over to the Independent Newspapers Marketing Department at 18 Osborne Street Greyville within the next two weeks. Alternatively, especially if you have a large volume of books, you should contact Frank Chemali at 083 230 5629 (preferably via WhatsApp), and the organizers will arrange for the books to be collected.
This review examines various moments that have influenced faith, freedom, tragedies, and the course of world history, focusing on events that occurred on July 16th.
The 'Interesting Fact' section notes that limes sink in water while lemons float because limes have a greater density than lemons.
The Islamic calendar began in 622 AD when Muhammad fled from Mecca to Medina. Experts suggest there are approximately 4,000 religions in the world, including major global confessions, small local traditions, new religious movements, and folk beliefs. The largest include Christianity (with 2.4 billion followers, encompassing 35,000–40,000 Protestant denominations), Islam (1.9 billion), Hinduism (1.2 billion), and Buddhism (520 million).
In South Africa, 85% of the population practices Christianity (including Shembe), alongside Islam (2%), Hinduism (1%), Judaism, Buddhism, and the Baha'i faith (1%).
In 1439, kissing was banned in England in an attempt to halt the spread of the Black Death. In 1661, the first European banknotes were issued in Sweden, although China was the first country to use them. In 1897, the commission investigating the Raid Jameson published its report, which showed that it was carried out with almost implicit support and encouragement from colonialist Cecil Rhodes and greedy mining companies in Transvaal.
In 1901, the British Colonial Office established the Ladies' Commission to investigate the British concentration camps created during the Anglo-Boer War. These camps were poorly constructed and maintained, unsanitary, and overcrowded, leading to the spread of diseases, and at least 25,000 children and women died in the camps. International opinion turned against Great Britain, prompting it to cease holding women and children in these camps.
In 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., a descendant of the influential Kennedy clan, died after his plane crashed near the wealthy Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. In 2006, the first Swedish Gripen fighter jet, acquired as part of a controversial arms deal, was delivered by road to the Ysterplåt airbase from the port of Cape Town.
In 2019, South African musician Johnny Clegg, aged 66, died of pancreatic cancer. In 2023, the Persian Gulf international airport, located on the coast of Iran, reached a heat index of 66.7ºC. In 2024, Paraguay conducted the largest cocaine operation in its history, during which Operation Sweet Tooth seized four tons hidden inside a shipment of sugar.
In 2025, props (a Rosebud carriage) from the iconic 1941 film 'Citizen Kane' were sold at auction for $14.75 million, becoming the second most expensive item from a film collection ever put up for sale.
