Drinking for God

The first post in a new blog is a bit special; it sets the tone for future efforts, defines the blog and establises the principles that will, if the author is lucky, attract readers to his humble scribblings.

As this is a blog for ranting against the cynical opportunism and blatant exploitation practised by some elements of our society, it seems only fitting to kick-off with a topic that blends environmental concern, religion and big business in one convenient package: Spiritual Water.

What, you might ask, could I possibly have against a company selling bottled water, especially one that gives a chunk of it's profits ($0.10 per bottle) to charity? Well, leaving aside the environmental impact of the creation, packaging and distribution of this entirely unnecessary (in the Western world, at any rate) product, I think I would have to focus on two aspects; branding and product.

Let's look first at the product itself. From their website (link):

The delicious Spiritual Water can meet the demands of discerning and health-conscious consumers by offering purified water that also delivers purified thoughts and actions for a totally positive and wholesome lifestyle.

They don't explain how it delivers "purified thoughts" - maybe they have a special process that makes their product more spiritually advantageous than the stuff that falls out of the tap - so I think we can assume this is just marketing guff; they are selling standard purified water and there is nothing special about it at all.

So much for product, what about branding?

The bottles are decorated with Christian symbols and figures and each bottle has prayers in English and Spanish on the label. The company claims (link) that:

Each time you drink you benefit from the soothing, appropriate prayers, for added uplifting inspiration.

Really? What benefits? Do they have any evidence or is this merely an unsubstantiated claim designed to persuade gullible customers that they can accrue spiritual advantage simply by choosing the right brand of water? 

This is the most cynical type of exploitation. The conflation of God, health, positive thinking and purified water in Spiritual Water's branding and literature, along with the use of simplistic religious imagery and dubious health claims ("...drink purified water more often to stay healthier...", link), can only be seen as an attempt to sell an unnecessary product (bottled water) to the least sophisticated sections of the religious community.