'Religion is what keeps poor people from killing rich people'
As long as the people think that the meek will one day rule and all the greedy ones are cast into hell, ain't shit changing.
Yeah, but they developed better strategies on top of religion. Social safety nets allow people to have just enough to not think about shit. People can get food. They can get help with energy bills. Help with housing. Grants for school. Unemployment. Disability when not disabled. Credit(this is one of the main things holding all this shit together).
Rich people have devised such a sinister scheme to keep people satisfied that people don't even know the rich profit when poor people are being satisfied.
Take food stamps. The rich fucks refuse to pay a living wage to workers. Workers(such as those working full time at Walmart) then qualify for food stamps. The food stamps are tax dollars. The people using the stamps then spend that money with the rich(sometimes going right back to Walmart). Shit, the bankers even get billions by handling the cards.
Rich have their businesses supported by tax dollars in a slick manner.
Lets say shit gets ugly. The rich just order their politician muppets to increase food stamps to feed people. People get satisfied. Rich get the tax dollars as business income. They have rigged every aspect of the game.
Centuries ago, the rich kings would come take peasant's food as more tax if something happened to their food. Led to revolts. Now, the rich can increase food to the working poor and still come up.
That's just one of their hustles. They know that religion one won't last forever, so they constantly adapt.