As someone who spent years as a missionary I found this notion fascinating, and spent a lot of the night reading about it.

Peloton literally and explicitly set out to create an experience to replicate some aspects of religion.

Thread:

This 15 minute video is a must watch. Foley (Peloton founder) delves briefly into ways fitness classes look like a modern-day religion. From the community to the lighting.

In this post the SVP of Member Experience (note that they have an SVP of Member Experience) lays out how Peloton intentionally and explicitly sets out to “cultivate emotional loyalty.”

https://trueventures.com/blog/cultivating-emotional-loyalty

This post makes a bunch of interesting comparisons between Peloton and a megachurch, also delving into Peloton’s very much intentionally advertising Peloton as “for the rich and ripped” (eat your heart out Girard) https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/the-tribe-of-peloton/600748/