TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2022 - TECHNOLOGY, RELIGION, AND COMMUNICATION

 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2022 - TECHNOLOGY, RELIGION, AND COMMUNICATION

In some Christian denominations, today is “All Saint’s Day” - remembering the Saints that went before us.  According to Brittania “There are more than 10,000 saints recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, though the names and histories of some of these holy men and women have been lost to history. The saints of the church are a diverse group of people with varied and interesting stories.

With that in mind, I am following the last two weeks about technology - and in particular today, communication of thoughts through technology.

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I have talked about my Christian background - but I’m sure my thoughts apply to almost every background. 

In the morning, I “read” scripture online.  Okay, I generally “listen” to scripture and frequently follow reading the text while listening to the narrator. For several years (I can’t remember), I’ve done a “Bible in a year” application.  So, in a year, I listen to (aka “read”) all the books (well, almost all. The version I listen to does not include the Deuterocanonical books). I do read some of the Deuterocanonical books on my own.

I have maybe six Bibles - and most gather dust on my shelves.  I can find particular verses, books, and more online.  Some searches give me the verse in the context of 12 different translations/versions.

For example, Philippians 4:19 is “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. In the New International Version, and “And may my God supply all your want, according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” in the Douay-Rheims version.  Sometimes there is a subtle difference.

During the day a friend sends me spiritual readings, and I get weekly updates from some different religious sources. 

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So, what else is going on in religious communication and technology?

Almost every church/denomination/movement/philosophy/ has a webpage.  Many keep a database of members and others and they send appropriate emails.

Where once upon a time, such communications were done through traditional mail (sometimes called “snail mail”).  The expense of printing newsletters, writing addresses on the envelopes, and putting stamps on the mailing has disappeared as email, websites texting, and even Twitter and other media have stepped up and generally for free - or almost free - and much quicker!!!

DATABASES

Databases are the back-burners of communication.  If I want to send a note to all the unmarried people in their 20s and 30s, that can be done by selecting the right SQL (structured query language) statement to pull the correct records out of the database.  

A “query” might be like “SELECT ALL RECORDS WITH MARITAL-STATUS IS “N”, AGE IS BETWEEN 19 AND 40 AND ZIPCODE STARTS WITH “78”.  The better the database, the better the mailing.

Then you can personalize the message, “Dear <FIRST-NAME> message.”.

(Aside, I still get too many such bulk emails with my previous name from four years ago!!!)

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Obviously, almost any and every group can communicate this way.  Some major religious groups have made an ‘art form’ out of their communication so it sounds somewhat personalized.

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And, if you can’t attend a particular service, you can frequently watch it online - either live or anytime later.  

If you want to know what Buddhists believe, you can find out quickly - or ‘maybe’ quickly.  In some areas, if you ask “What do Buddhists believe” - there might be thousands of websites.  

(I use a lot of internet searches for these daily blogs - and sometimes it takes me hours to get exactly the information that I think will be of value to my readers!!!)

In the new communication area (that is high-speed computing and high-speed transmission, with abundant storage), influence peddlers are everywhere.  Yes, religious groups can spread their message - but so do hate groups.  

As Abe Lincoln said, “You can’t trust everything on the Internet”.  

So, on “ALL Saints” - we too need to take the high road in communications.  Do I say good and gracious things in my communication?  Do I argue?  Do I “practice what I preach”? (That is - LOVE WINS”).  

We are one week from election day.  There isn’t much dirt left in Texas!!  The politicians have mixed it with water to make mud and have been slinging it!!  (only figuratively - thank goodness).  My mother said, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”.  We can disagree on policies and direction - but disagree pleasantly.

I was reminded yesterday of one of my favorite Old Testament scriptures - Micah 6:8 - “What does God expect of you - but to love justice, SHOW MERCY, and walk humbly with God.

Yes, LOVE WINS!!

Karen White, November 1, 2022, ©