What’s shopping
got to do with church? Deborah Sloan looks at the effects of consumerism on our society and on our faith.
“W
hat’s that got to do with church?” asked my daughter when I said I was writing an article about shopping for the Presbyterian Herald. “Everything,” I replied. Christmas 2024. It seems like a distant memory now. Those electric vans have stopped arriving at my gate and leaving brown packages on a daily basis. The last tub of Celebrations has been finished and recycled. The overflowing wheelie bins have returned
…we’re all being… manipulated into desiring material possessions we believe will make our lives better… 32
Herald March 2025
to some degree of normality. My garage has been decluttered of the random bits and pieces for the charity shop. I am enjoying listening to music through my new wireless earbuds. I am no longer frustrated by the old ones which required a recharge after less than 40 minutes. The batteries couldn’t be replaced and so, I had no choice other than throw them away. But where exactly is this magical place called ‘away’? Well, according to the recent Netflix documentary Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy, ‘away’ means I’ve made it someone else’s problem. Away is out of sight and out of mind. As we head towards Easter, and the shops fill up with merchandise I might want to purchase to mark the next significant event in the Christian calendar, I am certainly not thinking about where my festive rubbish has ended up. But perhaps, I should be. I rarely go on a ‘shopping spree’. I
