Religions are living entities seeking to promote their own survival
and to safeguard their position in the world
through the power of their numbers
and the spread of their influence.

Religions are thus very concerned about numbers,
and the planting of churches into areas where
they have no, or little, representation;
and as little care or knowledge.

The Power of God to heal and save becomes paramount
as an authority delegated and vested in the church leadership;
along with the power to forgive and bless and interpret the Holy Scriptures;
perhaps also the fear of any challenge to that interpretation
or the febrile doctrine which lies behind it.

Within such congregations we find the cult of "The Great Leader",
in which the opinion of the leader may not be questioned
and the leader makes all final decisions.
It is a concept common to North Korea,
to Hitler's Germany, modern China
and to many Christian churches.

The principle depends on an efficient informer system
and thus a spread of reliable agents through the church.
It depends on a set of simplistic principles
which members can be called to affirm.
It also depends on a suitable system
of reward and punishment.

However it does provide a place of rest and safety
for those who lack the energy or wit to run their own race;
those who are happy to obey blindly and without question;
those who desire peace, serenity and an easy life,
instead of the radical non-conformity of Jesus.