The Apotheosis of Google.

Google has given birth to a brand new religion. Welcome the Universal Church of Google!

(April 27 2004) No-one can disagree that Google has changed internet searching for ever. Indeed both the World Wide Web itself and the processes of research will never be the same. Here at Pandia we are great Google fans, but never the less we were surprised when we came across The Universal Church of Google.

The Universal Church of Google is an online community founded by Reverend Peter Olsen of the Universal Life Church, who claims that one can make a convincing argument that Google is in fact a deity:

"It is certainly all-knowing," he says, "and it can provide immediate answers to nearly all of your questions, which is far more than can be said for many of the popular deities of today."

The goal of the Church is to increase the knowledge of its faithful by encouraging them to ask questions of their god, Google. In fact, the only commandment of the Universal Church of Google is that once a week the faithful search Google with a question whose answer they did not know.

It is all very tongue in cheek, really.

Olsen is not the first to have discussed the deification of Google. Last year Says Alan Cohen, a V.P. of Airespace, a new Wi-Fi provider, said the following to CNN:

"If I can operate Google, I can find anything. And with wireless, it means I will be able to find anything, anywhere, anytime. Which is why I say that Google, combined with Wi-Fi, is a little bit like God. God is wireless, God is everywhere and God sees and knows everything."

Is it providence or coincidence that led us today to find two separate sources claiming the divinity of Google? Considering the size of the web, we lean towards coincidence - you can find someone claiming almost anything out there.

And should adherents of more traditional churches fear the competition of this new god? We certainly think not. While Google may have many redeeming features, the God of Muslims, Jews, Christians and others has the additional boon of being a personal companion.

Anyway, we are going to be ecumenical and endorse the following statement from the sermon of The Universal Church of Google for Sunday April 25th 2004:

"Find out things you didn't know before, because a greater understanding will lead to a greater experience in life. Use Google as your guide in your everyday quest for enlightenment."

Getting access to the Universal Church

Like for most genuine religious mysteries it is actually hard to get access to the Universal Church of Google. The community lives its spiritual life isolated in cyberspace, in Orkut to be exact.

Orkut is -- of course -- a Google product. It is a new social networking service named for the Google engineer who developed it, Orkut Buyukkokten (According to Google Orkut is easier to spell and pronounce than Buyukkokten).

To take part you will have to be invited by someone who is already a member. They tell us you can buy a membership at eBay. Or you can send us an eloquent mail telling us why you deserve to member of such an exclusive club.

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