Over the last six months there has been an ongoing war of words in the UK between politicians and Google. Google have spent the last decade seeing off all competition and making our lives better. However it would seem that they have not paid any tax. Their “UK sales team” don’t sell anything in the UK, which makes perfect sense so it must be OK.
A friend asked “how do I stop using Google products?” on Facebook. So much of our lives is now powered by Google. If you peel off the label of many websites underneath it says “Google inside”. This is of course great. Google make everything work together as a giant benevolent force in the universe.
Well…. Except for the desire to make money. Apart from that they are a giant benevolent force in the universe making everyone’s lives better. How do you stop using google products?
The system goes on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug.
PS If you didn’t spot it, this isn’t really a post about Google. It is about our reliance on technology and giant corporations. I’m currently Robb not 3 of 8.
Last night @charityhamilton sent me this as a text message. So @thebassplayeruk had a rant in her capacity as Resident Psychologist. Then @unshaunsheep made this and the floodgates were opened. “Pseudo science” may have been said. “Why is the Church of England spending my money on this nonsense” may have been said.
It’s a hard life when your vicarage has a resident psychologist and your church likes to do Myers Briggs to everybody.
Apparently I’m Esther, a clever visionary. I’ll take compliments wherever I can get them @thebassplayeruk 😛
As we’ve progressed through this series on ‘identity’, we’ve turned increasingly towards the concept of ‘Christian identity’. How do we view ourselves as ‘Christians’ within a Christian community?
As Christians, the world is viewed in light of our relationship with God. This naturally affects the relationship people have with other people who also have a relationship with God. Relationship is at the heart of Christian identity. Our identity is formed through the way we relate to God through Christ. When the first Christians described themselves as ‘followers of the way’ their identity was firmly routed in their ongoing journey with Christ. That was the way in which they identified themselves. It was others from outside who originally called those first followers ‘Christians’. I use this to illustrate the deeply personal nature of the Christian faith. It is centred around a relationship with God and an ongoing task; take up your cross and follow me.
Over the past few days I’ve mentioned the existential crisis for every ‘goth’: what if I’m not goth enough? It is also at the heart of many followers of the way. What if I’m not a very good Christian? If I am honest, I have those doubts most days. I’m still awaiting the day when the diocese send someone round to my house. They will knock on my door, come into my office, go to the filing cabinet, take my holy orders and inform me that a mistake was made four years ago. “Sorry mate, you’re just not a very good Christian”. I think this is at the heart of Doctor Ruth’s post on Saturday about imitating Christ: we are called to be Christlike, we are not called to be Christ.
Experience is a key component of our Christian identity. When someone is certain of their faith, it can be a benchmark that others will be unconsciously compared to. When someone’s experience of God bears little relation to our experience of God we can either question our experience or theirs. As the diagram illustrates, the way we relate to others often leads to tribalism.
This kind of tribalism leads to the familiar conflict between followers of the way that can often take precedence over the journey. “They are not real Christians…”
