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Sweden now has a new, officially-recognized religion: File-sharing. The government agency, Kammarkollegiet, has finally registered the Church of Kopimism as a religious organization.

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No one was more surprised than Thomas Carpenito with the credit-card invitation that landed in his mailbox earlier this year.

The 27-year-old deli owner from White Plains, N.Y., had about $10,000 in old debts and a credit rating 200 points below “good.” He recalled thinking the post office had delivered the letter to the wrong house.

Far from a mistake, the offer was part of a controversial and growing partnership between debt collectors and banks that profits both. To get the new credit card, Mr. Carpenito agreed to repay $400 on a seven-year-old debt that had expired under New York’s statute of limitations.

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But if a debtor agrees to make even a single payment on an expired debt, the clock starts anew on some part of the old obligation, a process called “re-aging.”

Why is it that debt collectors are able to buy debts for pennies on the dollar, but the debtors aren’t offered the same deal? They should pass a law saying that a debt can’t be sold without giving the debtor right of refusal on the same terms. That would stop these vultures in their tracks.

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This video, shot at lake Saarijärvi in Vaala (Finland), will get you confused.. But it’s a joy to watch when you understand.