Need source for newspaper article
 

Hi, I am a reporter with The Journal-Standard in Freeport and wanted to do an article about the Church of Google and a look into what constitutes religion, church and spirituality. I need a person I can contact and have a phone interview please contact me by my work email if interested. Please respond as I have an fast approaching deadline for this article.

Thanks,

The Journal-Standard
hilary.matheson@journalstandard.com

Re: Need source for newspaper article
 

Hi there hilary - how long until your deadline? I'll email those who should be able to give you some decent copy.

Out of interest (sorry, I've had dealings with journalists before :D) what is the leaning of the article? Subjective or objective?

Re: Need source for newspaper article
 

I am asking for people who are members so that I can get all sides. I tried to email the address for this site and am waiting for a reply. My article needs to be turned in Tuesday, Jan. 8.

The article will go into the five W's of the Church of Google and it's creation and various ideas on what the definition of religion is or if there is one. I can try to do questions through email and talk to my editor but it would be feasible to do a phone interview.

Anyone, including yourself can give me a call (or I can call if a phone number is given). Please send me an email at hilary.matheson@journalstandard.com (please no spam). I will send my work phone to those who reply and genuinely want to express their opinions.

Thanks!

Re: Need source for newspaper article
 

You'll need the interview by Monday am at latest I suspect?

Are you especially interested in people from your paper's demographic?

Perhaps an idea of the questions you want answering would help? You can email me at prussicacid@googlemail.com or post them here.

I'm sure someone can help. I'm from the UK so I'm not sure how that would sit with your readers.

Anyway - I'll nag people for you.

edit:
Hilary - I've posted your request in the *ministers lounge* and, fingers crossed, you shall go to the printer!

PS - interesting periodical. Slightly Christian?
PPS - that's not a problem by the way :D

Re: Need source for newspaper article
 

I've PM'd Matt (Method-X) to let him know but no knowing when he will be around. If anyone has his direct email then maybe they can drop him a line too.

Re: Need source for newspaper article
 

Hi Geoff - yeah, I just e-mailed Matt.
I'd still like to see the questions first though :D

Just call me paranoid

:icon_eek:

Re: Need source for newspaper article
 

Ah, good old Black Sabbath, I remember them well! ;)

Re: Need source for newspaper article
 

Thanks guys for being so helpful!

I also would like to send out my personal email because I know some email accounts bounce back emails sent to my work address. It is hrmatheson@gmail.com please send a duplicate to hilary.matheson@journalstandard.com as well.

I would be interested in people from all areas, but it would be great to have someone from the US and if someone was from Freeport, IL that would be fantastic.

I will post the questions I can think of right now, if anyone knows how to get me into direct contact with the ministers as well as the founder(s) of the Church of Google (if I haven't already mentioned this) I would appreciate it.

1. Do you consider Googlism to be an organized religion? Why?
2.How did you hear about the Church of Google and Googlism? How did it exist before the internet and Google itself was created?
3. What does Googlism do for you spiritually, or does it involve spirituality at all?
4. In your opinion should a god(s) be something that is tangible and understandable by people?
5. Is it a serious part of your spirituality or is it more of a statement against/for organized religion?
6. How is it god if it was created by a person?
7. Are you a part of any other organized religion? Can a Googlist belong to another religion may it be Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, etc. etc.
8. Google has to rely on the internet and users so does that fit into a category of all-powerful?
9. What does a Googlist do to worship or pray or do they do this?
10. Are members required to worship Google?
11. Is gathering online and using Google or talking in the forum a type of worship or 'church.'
12. Is there anything else you'd like to say about this topic and Google or know anyone else I could speak to?

These are just a few. Please email to the emails listed above including real name and country/state living in.

Re: Need source for newspaper article
 

Hey, Reporter, thanks for the interest. I'll try to help out.

First, from Wikipedia:
I'm pretty sure Googlism fits these guidelines. We all believe in (basically) the same concepts. Googlism is about the promotion, organization, and spread of information throughout mankind, or as YouTube puts it, "from the masses to the masses."

And it's not like there's only a couple of us. If you look on the forum's home page, I believe that currently there are upwards of 1,100 members.

Personally, I found out about the CoG through Jetset (now Epic-Fu). There is actually a thread where people talked about this.

Quite simply, it didn't. I'm not entirely sure about the history (MethodX, got the History page up yet?). But then again, every religion had a beginning. THis question is similar to asking, "How did Islam exist before Muhammad?"

Well, there's always the aspect of being in a group (1100+ strong) of people that believe what you believe. Also, Google is kind of spiritual: you think about all of the programming that went into it, and realize how impossible it would have been eve a decade earlier.

Most definiitely. Well, at least to the second part. I'm not entirely sure of what you mean by "tangible." If you mean physical able to touch, then no, that restricts all of religion to idolatry. However, if you are using it as a synonym to understandable, then yes.

I am constantly amazed how much people take their own religions on blind faith. I think it should be vital to all religions that the followers know what/who they are following. Otherwise, you reach a point where people will believe anything thier leader tells them, and something like the Crusades happens. (Pope Urban II manipulated Christianity into where it was holy to kill Muslims.)

Googlism has two main purposes. First is explained above, the spreading of knowledge to all. The second is also mentioned, to point out the flaws of blind faith. It is very much a part of our spirituality: it is a beautiful idea, where knowledge is free to all and blind faith is abolished.

This question comes up a lot. People are often posting (anonymously, for some bizarre reason) on how in every religion, god(s) made man, but in ours it is the other way around.

Our response is in our Arguments Section:
If you look around our forum, you'll notice how many members are Pastafarians as well. There are also a few Wiccans as well, I believe. In answer to your question, sure you can, doing so doesn't violate anything in Googlism, but I'm pretty sure it violates a few ideas in the religions you mentioned...

Not exactly: Google doesn't have to rely on the internet. Examples: Google.org, Google storing government data, Google bidding for the 700Mhz band, etc.

As for users, the same applies to every god/goddess. Just look at Thor: no one (at least I have heard of) worships him nowadays, yet he's still technically omnipotent.

One more thing: we never said Google was all-powerful. There are major logical issues with omnipotency. For instance: Can God create a rock so heavy that even he cannot lift it? If you put that into an indirect proof, assuming God is omnipotent, you have a contradiction.

in short: you don't have to if you don't want to. If you want to, however, there is a holiday about this.

No. See above.

It's not really "worship," more like a gathering to discuss matters of all different sorts.

I'd like to say that Googlism is about spreading knowledge, and making a point: never take something on blind faith. Blind faith has caused countless issues throughout history. Personally, if my work at the CoG can convinc someone out there to stop and think about something they're taking on blind faith, then I have succeeded.

Although i do not personally know any of the members of the CoG, be sure to talk to at least one minister.



Hope this helps.

scikidus

Re: Need source for newspaper article
 

... if anyone knows how to get me into direct contact with the ministers as well as the founder(s) of the Church of Google (if I haven't already mentioned this) I would appreciate it.

Hilary, the identities are there for the asking on this site:D.
Just click on forum leaders at the bottom of the main forum page - you can see who's a minister on there!