一個生活非常貧窮的木匠有一尊赫耳墨斯的木質雕像，他每天都向雕像祈禱自己有朝一日可以成為富翁。但是，不管他多麼虔誠地祈禱，他的生活卻每況愈下。終於，憤怒的木匠把雕像從底座上拿起來狠狠地摔到了牆上。雕像被摔碎了，木匠意外地發現雕像的頭部竟然有很多黃金。木匠趕快把黃金撿起來，對著雕像說； “這真是矛盾啊 !之前我對你那麼虔誠，我卻一無所獲；如今我把你摔碎了，你反而給了我這麼豐厚的回報。 ”
人們總是期待他們信仰的宗教可以給予回報。
A very poor marade，had a wooden image of Mercury，before which he made s day by day，ahe idol to make him ri spite of his eies he became poorer a last，being very aook his image down from its pedestal a against the wall. When its head was k came a stream of gold，which the ter quickly pid said，“Well， I think thether tradid unreasonable；for when I paid you honor，I reaped now that I maltreat you I am loaded with an abundance of riches.”
People expect religiohem profit.