We buy religion from church and then sell it to others. Second-hand religion is a tough (at times, mean) business.
It's toughest when selling faith with fire and brimstone -- emphasizing on the fires and horrors of hell. Yet many sell and others happily buy it this way. I can't understand why anyone would buy and sell his/her faith using fear as its currency.
Since figurative language might not be easily understood by some. We learn about God in church (building and/or congregation) and then teach it to others (usually one's children). The question now is why we learn about God to propagate our new-found faith whichever way we do.
Being negative about life to sell religion is like calling someone a stupid idiot, yet asking him/her to succeed in life. A negative doesn't bring a positive (-n != +n) and it's not absolute (-n != |n|).
One should be positive about religion (the Kingdom of God) and promote this positive aspect (the Glory of God) to others. One shouldn't run from the devil and ask God to rescue us. One should run to God and ask him welcome us.
