(V): "Quite frankly, in America religion has become too much of a business."

I think the larger issue is materialism over spirituality, which is a fault of all western religions & also western science. Science is changing by degrees as new mysteries are explored and the old pat answers are found to be inadequate.

Eastern religious and philosophical thought is definitely a guiding light both to science & religion in this regard.

In America's case, the word "materialism" ought to be exchanged for "crass materialism" or "gross materialism." You are correct, in that in some of the religious branches, most notably some fundamental (but not all) and some pentecostal (but not all) & charismatic groups, materialism has gained the upper hand until material prosperity is a mark of God's approbation almost beyond anything else, and what's more, God is there like a puppet to answer all prayer for wealth according to the petitioner's faith. As Blavatsky rightly surmised, any kind of prayer or meditation or "magic" for purely selfish motives is necessarily "black magic."

So these TV preachers, the televangelists, the faith healers, these are the con artists that unfortunately all these ignorant Christian masses, none of whom apparently can "discern the spirits," fall prey to & hand over their money for blessings. It's to the point now that any sincere seeker for a spiritual faith, or any disinterested observer, can immediately see through the manipulation & is turned off from Christianity as a result. And that is a shame, because of what you suggest....that "there is much to see," if one knows where & how to look.