While being doorstepped by dark-suited representatives of a fundamentalist religious sect the other day, all that talk of conversion and redemption reminded me to check the share portfolio. The thought also occurred that, apart from the obvious, religion has a close affinity with the world of business and finance - most major religions sharing a mindset not unlike business. Take, for example, our Mormon friends from the Deep South. An aggressive international retailer, strong on customer service, its highly motivated sales team offering a large stock of plain goods at reasonable prices through a well organised door-to-door mail order programme. Roman Catholicism, on the other hand, is less a single business than a spiritual hypermarket governed by centralised management, providing a largely consumer-unfriendly range of services. Over the entrance a sign says "the management is always right" - and they mean it! Judaism is a large banking concern that has been in the family for generations. Generally they prefer to deal with insiders but if your money's good they'll talk a deal. While Islam is a going concern it's hard to say precisely in what business. Although active in oil trading the front office usually has a "Closed - Get Lost" sign on it. Those who venture in may not be seen again for several years except in fuzzy videotapes, mumbling that they are still in good health. Finally $cientology . . . but then that would be stating the obvious!