Atheists, Christians, my fellow business minded individuals?

I would have to disagree. It doesn't seem like Jesus ever really tried to be much of a businessman. He had someone he knew was a thief handle his money. When the rich young ruler asked what he must do to be saved, Jesus told him to give his money to the poor. He didn't say, "give your money to me." They had to get a penny from a fish's mouth to even get into the temple.

Even the apostles were broke. When a beggar asked them for money, they said, "gold and silver have we none..." Then there was the whole thing where people sold all they had, but everything was redistributed in a communist way.

The church might have later developed some pretty clever ways to get money. But they must not have been interested at all in making money in the beginning.

"Do you realize that religions are founded upon the most sound business models I have ever seen..."

Wow, you must not have seen much.

"Sound business models" produce self-sufficient businesses in short order, and profitable ones as well. Any "business" that has to continually guilt people into giving it money (or cajole, browbeat, demand, threaten, etc. -- you know, the things religions do) is most certainly not a "successful business model."

I started my own business in 2006. The first year, I had to put money INTO it. By the second year, it was more than self-sufficient, with no more "donations" needed. That, my friend, is a successful business model.

Religion is an incredible product, it is invisible, and never gets paid off.