The World's Richest Religious Organizations
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The history of religion dates back to the invention of writing some 5,200 years ago when the first religious thoughts and ideas were documented. Needless to say, with that kind of history comes a vast amount of resources and assets that make religious organizations some of the wealthiest in the world.
Of course, to operate a church costs money in the same way it costs to operate a business. People who work for the church need to be paid, and the maintenance of some of the most historic buildings in the world has to be funded. But, unlike businesses, churches and religious organizations are typically exempt from income tax, making their wealth an age-old subject of contention.
So, what are the world's richest religious organizations, and how have they amassed their billion-dollar worths? Let's find out.
13. Church of Scientology
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Worth: $2 billion
Religion: Scientology
Country: United States
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard once said, "You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion."
This is not surprising considering how Scientology got its start. Hubbard initially developed a set of ideas as a form of therapy called Dianetics, but the organization he developed to promote these ideas went bankrupt in 1950. So, "Why not start a religion?" he thought.
By 1954, he uncharacterized the ideas as a religion, probably for tax reasons, and Scientology was born. The controversial organization has since been defined as everything from a cult to a business to a new religious movement. While some countries recognize it as a religion, others, like Germany, have deemed it an "unconstitutional sect."
Headquartered in Riverside County, California, the religious organization is a sort of blend of science and spirituality with three main principles: that humans are immortal, a person's life experience transcends a single lifetime and humans have infinite capabilities.
It has a particularly lucrative revenue model by claiming traumatic events that cause "engrams" in the mind can be removed through a session of "auditing." Of course, each session costs a fee, and typically, years of sessions are required to make it to the "clear" status. After that, followers are invited to participate in the Operating Thetan levels, which also require payment to move up.
* Dollar stats come from Wikipedia's dynamic list of the wealthiest religious organizations unless otherwise noted. It's important to note that most religious organizations never disclose all of their financial information to the public.
12. Opus Dei
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Worth: $2.8 billion
Religion: Catholicism
Country: Italy
This is the first of many Catholic Church institutions on this list. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, Opus Dei was actually founded in Spain in 1928, and it follows the same doctrines of Catholicism.
However, it emphasizes specific aspects of the Catholic doctrine — specifically, the lives of the Catholic laypeople. Opus Dei, for instance, does not have nuns, and only a small portion of its members are priests. Instead, it focuses on bridging the gap between spiritual life and professional, social and family life, with most of its members living very ordinary lives by incorporating God into their work.
11. The Holy See
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Worth: About $5 billion
Religion: Catholicism
Country: Italy
The Holy See is a sovereign entity and is the jurisdiction of the pope, who oversees Vatican City, the city-state within Rome, Italy. It is administered by the Roman Court, the central government of the Catholic Church.
While the global Catholic Church has about $73 billion in total assets, the Holy See has about $5 billion that it uses to operate like a country. After all, it is one of seven absolute monarchies in the world.
10. Trinity Church
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Worth: $6 billion
Religion: Anglican
Country: United States
This historic parish is located in New York City's Financial District, and it follows the traditions of the Episcopal Church and the global Anglican Communion. Its history dates back to the late 1600s, and it's helped shape some very important parts of U.S. history, including the founding of Columbia University in 1754.
It's basically the definition of White Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture, and its main church building as well as its other real estate properties make up much of the organization's worth.
9. Church of Sweden
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Worth: $11.42 billion
Religion: Lutheran
Country: Sweden
As the largest Lutheran denomination in Europe and the third-largest in the world, the Church of Sweden has a membership of about 5.6 million people (more than half of the Swedish population).
The Church of Sweden's work is mainly financed by its members — typically a percentage of the individual's total income that members pay through their tax returns. In addition to fees, the church owns several forests and agricultural land as well as medieval buildings, for which the church receives subsidies from the state to administer and preserve.
8. Church of England
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Worth: $11.97 billion
Religion: Anglican
Country: United Kingdom
The Church of England famously dates back to 1534 when Henry VIII decided to separate from the Catholic Church after Pope Clement VII refused to annul the king's marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
Today, it operates about 16,000 church buildings and 42 cathedrals throughout the United Kingdom. Apart from some funding for work on the historic buildings, the Church of England doesn't receive any direct government support. Instead, donations make up about 75 percent of its income in addition to returns from its investment portfolio.
7. Seventh-day Adventists
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Worth: $15.6 billion
Religion: Independent
Country: United States
This Adventist Protestant Christian denomination practices common evangelical Christian teachings. But it is distinguished by its observance of Saturday as the Sabbath (as opposed to Sunday) as well as its emphasis on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the belief that, after the Last Judgment, all damned humans and fallen angels will be completely destroyed instead of going to hell.
It's also one of the fastest-growing churches in the world, with more than 12 million members to date.
6. Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple
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Worth: About $20 billion (perhaps way more)
Religion: Hinduism
Country: India
This Hindu temple is located in the capital of the state of Kerala, India. It and its assets belong to the deity for whom the temple is named, but they're actually controlled by a trust headed by the Travancore Royal Family.
In 2011, the Supreme Court of India ordered authorities from the archaeology department to open the temple's secret chambers to see what treasures were being held inside. As it turns out, there were a lot. Think 3 feet, pure-gold statues, precious stones and diamonds the size of a thumb. The treasure's estimated value is about $20 billion, but if you factor in its historical value, it could be worth 10 times that.
However, one of its vaults has yet to be opened by authorities, and the Travancore Royal Family estimates the assets stored inside to be valued at more than $1 trillion. Factoring in these valuables, the temple is the wealthiest place of worship in the world.
5. Catholic Church in Australia
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Worth: $20.5 billion
Religion: Catholicism
Country: Australia
Australia's Catholic Church, like many other Catholic organizations, is somewhat secretive about its finances, but 40 Freedom of Information requests to local councils in Victoria required a release of data from reluctant authorities as well as exclusive access to state government-owned information.
The data identified church-owned properties across 36 municipalities — including nearly all of metropolitan Melbourne — with “capital improved values” (this includes land plus buildings) of just under $7 billion. While the property portfolio features many churches, hospitals and schools, it also includes offices, conference centers, car parks, mobile phone towers, tennis courts and a restaurant.
Now, that's just in Victoria. The church has a larger portfolio of assets in New South Wales than in Victoria, with more than 160 church-owned nursing homes, more than 550 schools and close to 400 parishes. Queensland also has a large network of parishes, schools, hospitals and nursing homes.
4. Catholic Church in France
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Worth: $23 billion
Religion: Catholicism
Country: France
Considered the "eldest daughter of the Catholic Church," the Catholic Church in France has deep roots. In fact, anywhere from 47 percent to 88 percent of France's population is made up of either practicing Catholics or lapsed Catholics.
With more than 45,000 Catholic Church buildings and chapels, the Catholic Church in France owns several real estate holdings — many of which serve as popular tourist spots for those making the pilgrimage each year.
3. Catholic Church in Germany
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Worth: $26 billion
Religion: Catholicism
Country: Germany
The Catholic Church in Germany is the richest part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church.
While a lot of the Catholic Church in Germany's worth consists of valuable real estate holdings, it also benefits from a church tax imposed on all its members. In fact, the law requires all Christian taxpayers to declare their religious affiliation so that the state can deduct a church tax from their paychecks and pass it on to the associated church in the state where the taxpayer lives.
Not surprisingly, German Catholics are divided over whether or not a church tax should be imposed, which may affect the church's net income in the future.
2. Sree Venkateswara Swamy Temple
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Worth: $35 billion
Religion: Hinduism
Country: India
Located in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India, this temple is controlled by the Andhra Pradesh Government and is believed to have been constructed in the fourth century. It is one of the most visited religious sites in the world, with an average of about 60,000 daily devotees visiting.
Like Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, it also has several assets that include land parcels, buildings, cash and gold deposits in banks — all of which were given to the temple as offerings from devotees.
1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Worth: $200 billion
Religion: Christianity (Latter Day Saint Movement)
Country: United States
For such a young religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is known to be one of the wealthiest religious organizations on the planet, but like most religious organizations, it never truly discloses its financial information to the public.
The church is known to own significant assets, including real estate, investments and businesses. But, according to David Nielsen, a former senior portfolio manager for the investment arm of the LDS Church, something more nefarious has been going on in recent years.
He alleges that the church violated its tax-exempt status by creating false records and statements to present itself as a charity, all while accumulating funds and deceiving church members. Nielsen called the earnings part of a "clandestine hedge fund."
The IRS seems to still be investigating the tax fraud allegations, so only time will tell how much this church is worth in the end.