The various faces of religious competition

Some recent news articles and items illustrate the various dimensions of religious competition. Sorry I don't have time to say more about them.

From the recent AP Religion News in Brief:

• Hindu militants in India have attacked and even killed Christians and destroyed churches. This is an example of "social regulation" by citizens not government, which we will discuss next week in class.
  
• Churches must also find ways to innovate in producing their religious goods and services. An Episcopal Church in NY removed two dozen pews to improve the "feel" of the religious meetings. You can apparently get one of those pews for "only" $300 on Craigslist.
• As religious organizations adapt in order to compete in the religious marketplace, some members may not like the adaptation, and this can lead to the break-up of a Church. The Episcopal Church has faced such internal pressures recently.
  

Also from the AP, see this article about secular humanists using advertisements on buses as a way to compete with religion as the holiday season approaches. Humanists argue that they provide a good substitute for religious belief and activity.