HEADLINES iPhone mania hits U.S. stores
06/28/2007 09:20 PM
By: Associated Press
"iPhone is a revolutionary new mobile phone that allows you to make a call by simply tapping a name or number in your address book, a favorites list, or a call log. It also automatically syncs all your contacts from a PC, Mac, or Internet service. And it lets you select and listen to voicemail messages in whatever order you want — just like email." - Apple Promotion
By the way - the iPhone is pocket sized and also functions as:
An iPod mp3 music and video player, as well as an Internet mail and search engine, with built-in functions for Google Maps and other useful tools.
I'm resisting the great temptation to spend the $600 to buy one for a couple of reasons.
- In about three months there'll be an improved version that will be cheaper.
- and...I'm almost certain that I don't really need one!!!
So now, from my experienced mind of wisdom - I'm holding off buying an iPhone for a couple of weeks!!
I'm resisting the temptation to turn my want into an irrational need.
"POD" MANIA
Our culture seems to be obsessing about this idea of combining things that we want into a handy-dandy "pod" configuration - as if we're trying to integrate all segments of our life and world into a single "personal" version.
I was struck the other day by this "innovative" pod that is available from a church supply web-site. It helps make communion services - "more efficient."
The Communion "Pod"
This compact Eucharistic module comes with a juice cup and communion wafer hermetically sealed in an easily dispensed "pod." Perfect for large church gatherings. No messy cleanup.
I'm speechless.........
ALSO AVAILABLE -- the "iGod!"
The iGod - or, as I'd like to call Him - the "me-first God" appears to be the new Deity of choice. A handy-dandy user controlled "device" that provides comfort, consolation and self-justifying righteousness based on whichever button you press, whenever you choose to press it.
There's a button where you can pick your "preferences" for how you want to worship - for how you want to communicate - and for how you want your iGod to perform. You can also choose your own method of interface with iGod - or switch Him off completely, or "mute" Him when you don't want to be "disturbed."
But, I'm not going to get an iGod for awhile - I'm sure if I wait a little while He'll get a little more user-friendly and have even more features that I can use to tailor Him to my liking. Plus acquiring an iGod will probably get a lot easier and less "expensive."
TOUCHING IS BELIEVING
The lengthy promotional video for the iPhone ends with a marketing slogan: "Touching is believing."
That's a true statement - but as Jesus said to St. Thomas, who had to "touch" to believe.
"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” - John 20:29
I want an iPhone - but I NEED the REAL God!!!
8 comments:
I'm sure we have a couple of iGods laying around the Vineyard you can use.
Funny blog, but what alternative do people have who want to experience God but don't want a practice as one described by Presvytera Deborah Kostoff as "too hard." Where do people go if there is only ONE church and the rest are a facade? Does that mean that hell is going to be pretty full? Or do we get a pass even though we are not a part of The Church but love God anyway?
I'm making you think this morning.:)
Don
Cincinnati, OH
Don, I think that what I'm getting at is that when it comes to experiencing God I don't see any examples where it's a matter of personal preference. Most of the Patriarchs, Prophets and Apostles did not seem to actually get to choose their particular method of relating to God - like Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Jonah, Paul etc. It appeared that it was more the case of being open to hear Him and obedient when He spoke. Perhaps the fact that it's hard makes it all the more fruitful, I can't really say.
The encounter between Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10 seems to say that God reaches out to everyone - but the response is up to us. When Paul experienced God on the road to Damascus, his response was to join the existing Church, not start a new one, which would certainly have been easier for him given his reputation as a persecutor of Christians.
With regard to "Hell," (to paraphrase Paul's letter to the Corinthians, it's not up to the Church to judge those outside of it - which is certainly not the feeling you get from most of the Churches I've visited!!! If God was prepared to give His life to overcome so great an enemy as death - then I don't think He's going to let people choose Hell without a fight!!!!
Great blog entry and comparison. So true!
In the Orthodox liturgy we often speak of God as "a good God" who "loves mankind." Therefore, I do believe that there will be many people in Heaven who were not officially members of the Church but who loved Him and their neighbors and did their best, given the light they were given. However, having said that, I do believe that God expects each of us to act on the grace and knowlege that He has given to us. In other words, I think that it would be very dangerous spiritually to believe that a particular religious group is the "true church" or the "true religion" but to decide to stay outside it simply because it makes difficult demands such as fasting, standing through long church services, attending lots of services, etc. There could, of course, be valid reasons to stay outside the church even if one believed it to be true, such as because of a desire to maintain family unity or a marriage which would be severely threatened by conversion. But those would be reasons of charity, not personal convenience or comfort.
Any chance of eucharistic digitization, Marty? If celebration and reception of the Eucharist is constitutive of the Church, how do we look at online "churches" such as St. Pixels? Can we render the Communion Pod in some programming language? Perhaps rather than their online avatar consuming the virtual elements, we could get it all together in an executable file. That way, we don't ambiguate the resulting communion-like product with divisive, theologically-loaded terms. Each worshipper can download communion and then do what they want. For example, one might save it to disk to consume at their leisure after a relaxed breakfast at IHOP; vehemently anti-papist tee-totaling Protestants might like to further distance themselves from the dark red wine they've caught a brief glimpse of on the Catholic cable network while flipping channels to Desperate Housewives by having theirs rendered in white non-alcoholic grape juice with a whole grain saltine rather than the standard Welch's (not to mention that razor-thin cardboard wafer, which, by the way, should be reserved exclusively for astronauts and active duty military); Roman Catholics could open it with a transubstantation application; or parents looking to somehow recreate the arts & crafts aspect of Sunday School in the home for their children might open the file in MS Paint to change the color of the communion pod's contents to something more closely approximating their kid's favorite Kool-Aid flavor. Communion Pods in Purplesaurus Rex, Great Bluedini and Ecto Cooler (inspired by Slimer of Ghostbusters fame) are sure to go off smashingly with the Spongebob set.
Marty - For further consideration regarding the source, purpose, and fruit of such powerfully alluring gadgets as the Apple iPhone, several journalists are calling it the "Jesus phone!" Coupled with the prophecy from Revelation that the false prophet (the beast with two small horns, like a lamb) will make the image of the first beast come to life, and cause all to worship it... you get my drift. This is idolatry in one's pocket, a worship of the gadget itself, and whatever shows up on it. When the Antichrist comes, will he utilize such technology to communicate with the masses all over the globe all at once? iRepent!
I wonder if you could recommend a good gerneral introduction to the Orthodox church and tradition?
Prometheus - a couple of classic books are "The Orthodox Church" and "The Orthodox Way" by (Kallistos)Timothy Ware.
If you're a Podcast kind of person - I'd recommend "Our Life In Christ" or "The Illumined Heart," which deal with Q&A's often asked by seekers about the Orthodox Church. Links to both Podcasts can be found at
http://ancientfaithradio.com/
Marty
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