History Main / ScamReligion

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':
** The Church of Leto, led by [[SinisterMinister Father Cornello]], gathers followers in Lior by convincing them he can do amazing miracles with the power given to him by the sun god, Leto. In reality, he's just a regular alchemist, and not even a particularly talented one, who has a Philosopher's Stone that enhances his alchemy. Edward uncovers the scam very early on in the manga. Much, ''much'' later, we find out he was going to [[LifeEnergy use his followers' souls]] as part of the GambitPileup orchestrated by the BigBad.
** It's implied that the Ishvalan religion was invented by [[spoiler:Father]] in order to have an easy genocide target when the time came. Of course, it's also implied that this god intervened in the fight between [[spoiler:Wrath]] and Scar, blinding the former with a ray of light at a key moment, so [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane who knows]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', this is how Myth/EgyptianMythology is portrayed (justified as this movie is an adaptation of Literature/TheBible's Literature/BookOfExodus, which of course rejects the existence of all pagan deities). The Egyptian High Priests replicate Moses' stick-to-snake miracle, but it's all about creative lighting, ominous statues and chanting, sleight-of-hand tricks, and a big helping of showmanship. While [[UsefulNotes/RamsesII King Rameses]] is impressed, he fails to notice that Moses' snake devours the priests' snakes during the VillainSong. The priests are later exposed when they prove to be utterly useless against the Abrahamic {{God}}'s ten plagues.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': [[WriterOnBoard Many episodes portray mainstream Christianity and Judaism as a scam, either in spot gags or as a main driver of the plot.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has portrayed both Scientology and Mormonism in this way. Ironically, other episodes have shown that Mormons are the only people who get into Heaven, [[SpoofAesop so it's not taking itself that seriously]]. That said, the episode about Mormonism was pretty much entirely "Whoa, Mormonism is a load of bull--but Mormons are the sweetest people on Earth, so who cares?" Scientologists, on the other hand, were depicted as just being stupid.

The followers of the Scam Religion are not evil, it's merely a matter of wasting time and resources. In a setting where there is One True Religion, the greatest crime of the Scam Religion is to keep people distracted, thus preventing them from accepting the ''true'' salvation. In a setting where there isn't One True Religion, then the Scam Religion is, well, just a scam. That said, even in settings where there is no One True Religion, Scam Religions aren't entirely harmless--some of them can literally ruin the lives of their participants financially or relationally or otherwise, and just because the Scam Religion isn't plotting to kill people in society at large or summon TheLegionsOfHell does not mean it is not capable of hurting people. For example, while one may not be seeking to kill people at large, it may be quite willing to kill ex-members who leave and could bring back lawyers and/or media attention. Or the sex the higher-ups are getting is ''rape.'' Or the amounts of money being taken are so significant that victims are left impoverished or dependent on the government or other people. Or its existence justifies a corrupt and unjust secular government. Etc, etc...

** The Church of Leto, led by [[SinisterMinister Father Cornello]], who gathers followers in Lior by convincing them he can do amazing miracles with the power given to him by the sun god, Leto. In reality, he's just a regular alchemist, and not even a particularly talented one, who has a Philosopher's Stone that enhances his alchemy. Edward uncovers the scam very early on in the manga. Much, ''much'' later, we find out he was going to [[LifeEnergy use his followers' souls]] as part of the GambitPileup orchestrated by the BigBad.

* ''Anime/KazemakaseTsukikageRan'': One episode has Ran and Meow arrive to a village that's being scammed out of their money by a group of criminals who fool them with alleged "God's teachings" about leaving their material possessions. Meow falls for it, while Ran, [[FlatEarthAtheist being an atheist]], doesn't.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', this is how Myth/EgyptianMythology is portrayed (justified as this movie is an adaptation of Literature/TheBible's Literature/BookOfExodus, which of course rejects the existence of all pagan deities). The Egyptian High Priests replicate Moses' stick-to-snake miracle, but it's all about creative lighting, ominous statues and chanting, sleight-of-hand tricks and a big helping of showmanship. While [[UsefulNotes/RamsesII King Rameses]] is impressed, he fails to notice that Moses' snake devours the priests' snakes during the VillainSong. The priests are later exposed when they prove to be utterly useless against the Abrahamic {{God}}'s ten plagues.

* Hillman Hunter of ''Literature/AndAnotherThing'' has one of these and is shocked when the apocalypse he's been preaching not only happens, but his cult is let off the planet in time, which (at least superficially) is just as he predicted.

* ''Literature/ReleaseThatWitch'': The witch hunting Church in the story was actually created ''by'' witches, as a means to capture and sacrifice any witch deemed to have lost the SuperpowerLottery to make more magical {{Super Soldier}}s for the coming TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.

* ''Series/Zoey101'' had the Silver Hammer Society, a supposedly elite group which turned out to be a scam for the leaders to get the people who wanted to join to do stuff for them.

* In ''WebOriginal/OrionsArm'', the Epimethian movement promoted subsingularity abdication, that is, returning to an [[FormerlySapientSpecies animal consciousness]] on the basis that language and congnition are a barrer to the true understanding of the world. It managed to convince several sophants to revert back to average primate intelligence to become ''Homo Epimetheus'', which was to live in a park managed by the Epimetheus Foundation, which would receive all the adherents' properties. It was later discovered that the said Foundation was a money-making scheme, and the managers of this scam only invested a minimal amount in the park, which their charges couldn't protest since they already had lost any higher cognitive capacities.

* ''TableTopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' features the Church of the Living God, a {{Cult}} run by Razmir, an incredibly powerful human wizard in GodGuise who employs mages disguised as priests to enforce his will. Note that this setting has BlackAndWhiteMagic, so Razmiran "priest" antagonists are seen using decidedly non-priestly magic. One of the first monsters in the Inner Sea Bestiary splat is an incorporeal undead created from the spirits of the followers of this cult and others who were deceived by their faith, who realize they were tricked upon reaching the afterlife and are consumed by hatred. Known as apostasy wraiths and rechristened abandoned zealots in Second Edition, those who were followers of Razmir in life prefer to go after living members of the same faith, but suffer an ironic aversion to them that, combined with their spite and envy, makes them quite happy to attack followers of other religions as well, since they resent people who have true faith in a religion that isn't a scam.

* ''TableTopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' features the Church of the Living God, a {{Cult}} run by Razmir, an incredibly powerful human wizard in GodGuise who employs mages disguised as priests to enforce his will. Note that this setting has BlackAndWhiteMagic, so Razmiran "priest" antagonists are shown using decidedly non-priestly magic. One of the first monsters in the Inner Sea Bestiary splat is an incorporeal undead created from the spirits of the followers of this cult, who realize they were tricked upon reaching the afterlife and are consumed by hatred. Known as Apostasy Wraiths, they prefer to go after living members of the Razmir cult, but suffer an ironic aversion to them that, combined with their spite and envy, makes them quite happy to attack followers of other religions as well, since they resent the people who have true faith in a religion that isn't a scam.

TruthInTelevision to some extent: there have been "religious" or "spiritual" movements throughout history that were primarily focused on [[AFoolAndHisNewMoneyAreSoonParted relieving their followers of their money]], and some people will use the concepts of religion to promote financial scams (e.g. the "affinity scam" where a person operating a non-religious scam like a FourOneNineScam or a {{Ponzi}} scheme markets it to churchgoers using religious jargon). Also compare FakeCharity, which similarly uses a seemingly worthy cause as TheTale for a con.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Zara of the Crimson Flame is a con artist villain who uses charlatan tricks to dupe people into joining her made up cult and then takes their money and uses threats and more stage magic to make them scared enough to do her bidding.

* In ''Videogame/Yakuza0'', one of Majima's sidequest has him rescuing a young woman from a shady cult extorting its members for money and planning to make a harem from its women by infiltrating the cult and beating the crap out of the leader.

* ''FanFic/WithStringsAttached'':

* In the ([[AlternateUniverseFic vaguely]] ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia''-based) fic ''FanFic/SoldToTheHighestBidder'', the character [[ManipulativeBastard Toris]] uses one of these as an instrumental tool in an assassination, [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized by convincing a leader to kill himself]] in pursuit of [[HeavenSeeker divinity]].

* The Oscar-winning documentary ''Marjoe'' follows former child evangelist Marjoe Gortner, who returned to evangelism [[OnlyInItForTheMoney just to make money]], but eventually decided to [[CuriousQualmsOfConscience come clean]] and let them film everything.

'''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease - There is a reason that this trope is the [[MedalOfDishonor example used on that page.]]'''

* ''VideoGame/GuildWars:'"

'''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease There is a reason that this trope is the [[MedalOfDishonor example used on that page.]]'''

'''Administrivia/{{No real life examples| please}}, please. There is a reason that this trope is the [[MedalOfDishonor example used on that page.]]'''

The followers of the Scam Religion are not evil, it's merely a matter of wasting time and resources. In a setting where there is One True Religion, the greatest crime of the Scam Religion is to keep people distracted, thus preventing them from accepting the ''true'' salvation. In a setting where there isn't One True Religion, then the Scam Religion is, well, just a scam. That said, even in settings where there is no One True Religion, Scam Religions aren't entirely harmless--some of them can literally ruin the lives of their participants financially or relationally or otherwise, and just because the Scam Religion isn't plotting to kill people in society at large or summon TheLegionsOfHell does not mean it is not capable of hurting people. For example, while one may not be seeking to kill people at large, it may be quite willing to kill ex-members who leave and could bring back lawyers and/or media attention. Or the sex the higher-ups are getting is ''rape.'' Or the amounts of money being taken are so significant that victims are left impoverished or dependent on the government or other people. Etc, etc...

The ''founder'' of the religion is another matter. He might be [[StrawHypocrite outright evil]], an [[ChaoticNeutral immoral]] ConMan, the victim of a ThePresentsWereNeverFromSanta situation, [[IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance Ignorant Of His Own Ignorance]], crazy, [[UnwantedFalseFaith an unwilling victim of his own hype]], a person who has [[BelievingTheirOwnLies brainwashed himself into believing his own empty hype]], all of the above, or ''whatever''. However, if he's still around, he does not (usually) [[PathOfInspiration use his cult for purposes more nefarious]] than getting undeserved admiration, money, and sexual encounters from his followers.

* * One of the pieces of local color in Westmarch during the first part of Act V in ''[[VideoGame/DiabloIII Diablo III: Reaper of Souls]]'' is the "Order of Malthael", a "religion" that plays off people's fears of the Reapers in order to get them to "sacrifice" their money and valuables to the order's scam artist leader so that the Angel of Death may spare them. Since Malthael is an OmnicidalManiac who wishes to KillAllHumans for having demon blood, anyone who knows what he's about can see through this scam quite easily.

* One of the bits of local color in Westmarch during Act V of ''VideoGame/DiabloIII: Reaper of Souls'' is a group called the "Order of Malthael", a "religion" that plays on people's fears of the Reapers to get them to turn over their money and valuables to the order's scam-artist leader so that Mathael might spare them from his wrath. Considering that Malthael is an OmnicidalManiac who wants to KillAllHumans for having demonic blood, it's pretty easy to see this so-called religion for what it really is.

* One of the pieces of local color in Westmarch during the first part of Act V in ''[[VideoGame/DiabloIII Diablo III: Reaper of Souls]]'' is the "Order of Malthael", a "religion" that plays off people's fears of the Reapers in order to get them to "sacrifice" their money and valuables to the order's scam artist leader so that the Angel of Death may spare them. Since Malthael is an OmnicidalManiac who wishes to KillAllHumans for having demon blood, anyone who knows what he's about can see through this scam quite easily.

* ''VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar'' has the order, a front for the Illuminati created for the sole purpose of unifying all religion. Aside from the leader herself, everyone thinks it's the real deal, even the leader's second-in-command.

* Angie Yonaga of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' is a devout preacher of her religion, which worships a god called Atua. From her comments, it's pretty clearly a scam, and she's one of the suckers who fell for it. There are multiple ranks of membership earned through accumulating "points" (which can also be deducted for insubordination), with members being allowed to boss around any one of a lower rank than them. There are even ExperienceBooster incentives for converting other people into the religion, with both the converter and converted gaining double points for a while.

[[folder:Films]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', this is how the Egyptian mythology is portrayed. The High Priests replicate Moses' stick-to-snake miracle, but it's all about creative lighting, ominous statues and chanting, sleight-of-hand tricks and a big helping of showmanship. While Rameses is impressed, he fails to notice that Moses' snake devours the priests' snakes during the VillainSong. The priests are later exposed when they prove to be utterly useless against the Abrahamic God's ten plagues.

!!Examples

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
%% ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' had the Luud cult.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder:Film]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]