Pope Benedict XVI plans to send out spiritual text messages to thousands of young Catholics during World Youth Day this summer. 200,000 young people are expected to attend the six day event in Sydney, Australia. The entire WYD08 is going Web 2.0 by broadcasting religious teachings on the web and setting up a social networking site.
Do you think The Pope Mobile-phone has predictive text? Is this a sign the Church is ready to modernize its message, not just the messenger?
Meanwhile in India, texts are bringing economic salvation to farmers who live in poverty and experience high suicide rates. The text service, which costs $1 per month, helps the farmers make a better profit on their crops.
In the morning, farmers get the weather delivered right to their mobile phone. At lunch time, the going rates at the market show up in their inbox. These text messages allow farmers to save money on water if it's going to rain, as well as the time it would take them to go to the markets themselves.
The India text program shows the potential of information to bring people out of poverty. Can you think of any other creative ways to use the power of the text? What do you think a Pope text would say? I C U! Dont 4get 2 pray!
Steve Madden
Blue Wax
Henrik Vibskov
Is this a sign the Church is ready to modernize its message, not just the messenger?
Absolutely not.
1Why does the message need to be modernized? The teachings apply today just as well as they did 2000 years ago
2Other uses: to warn soldiers in battle, to cheat on tests, for corporate spying during a meeting
3Reminder to vote on election day, notice of an accident or bad traffic
4I am with UnDave. Why would they "modernize" the message. What exactly is there to make Modern?
5Thanks Cine Go Team Red
6Team Red!
7Well there are a few things, lots actually, that could be brought up-to-date, or at least out of the middle ages. It would actually be a return to 2000 years ago, back to the Founder and his message of love and inclusivity.
8What if the Pope texts soldiers "Thou shalt not kill"?
9What if he texts Lou Dobbs and the Border Patrol "Love Thy Neighbor"?
10What if he texts Obama: yes you can.
11At my church that is what is preached and discussed. Message of love, charity and forgiveness. Pretty great messages that I don't feel need to be updated. If people don't like the Catholic church, then don't be apart of the Catholic church.
12The pope just texted me!
13LOL! that reminds me of the time I called a college friend not knowing that she was shall we say enjoying her boyfriend from out of town. At the end of my message on her answering machine I said and remember God is watching you. They both fell out laughing.
14
Hypno, you are bad!
15I'm just saying, if the Pope can sit with his feet up and contact us one on one, he might get more specific than general messages of love and charity.
16the bigger question is: can we text the pope back??
17Holy Text Thumb Batman!
18It's yesteryear!
19Stephley, can we love our neighbor, and ask that they stay on their side of the fence? Just asking....
20Let's face it UnDave one day the whole world will be one nation under God.
21This was my text from the pope...
22"Geben diese Botschaft an Hypno,
Gott ist beobachten ihn."
Dave, I don't think God made the world with borders. Man draws them in and changes them all the time, so I doubt they're of any importance to heaven.
23nah... he doesn't have my digies anyway. he did hit me up at the club but i was all like 'uh, no, i got a man.'
24You are such a Lady yesteryear!
25hahhah i know. it may be hard to believe from my picture, but in person i am like a delicate flower. no one, not even the pope, can resist my charms.
26But heaven and earth are two separate places. As long as "satan" controls earth, I'd like to make sure there is a system of boundaries between him and me.
27Modernize? Don't they modernize all the time? What about Vatican II?
28Vatican 2.0
29Dave, did you just call everyone beyond you Satanic?
I like a lot of what Vatican II did, but I'd love to go to Mass in Latin more easily. You have to know Mel Gibson, hunt around the city or get up at dawn IF you can find one.
30satan doesn't control earth.
31Didn't the Vatican also make de-Saint Saint Christopher because it was a pagan symbol in 1969? I think the Vatican modernizes all the time. If they don't Scientology is going to be more dominant in the next 20 years they say.
32Nope - Just acknowledging that he is out there, and I would like to keep him away from me...
33No, yesteryear, Satan doesn't control the Earth. He controls your blackened heart.
34i dont' think satan is coming after you dave. raciccarone on the other hand... he has some serious explaining to do to the dark one.
35Satan doesn't go after the people he already has. He goes after those he needs to get.
Just kidding Racci
36Then I think it's a NO on telling people to stay on their side of the fence.
37I thought this was going to be about the girl who was home sick and texted her home when someone broke into the house. Which makes a little more sense if you ask me
38who does satan need to get? he's already got enough!
39Welcome to CS, MindayH.
40Stephley - what if the Pope texts these two passages?
"Then King David went forward and took the city by the tip of his sword..."
"Go now and do the same."
41YY - he doesn't have everyone. That's his goal.
42GO TEAM BLUE!!!!
43where do we get the emoticons?
44Hmm, if the Pope sends you a commandment, you're going to rebut by cutting and pasting text?
45Please. No more emoticons. It's like I'm on acid.
46dave: gotcha. thanks for the info. im going to discontinue this because it's clear we do not believe the same thing and i dont want to disrespect your religion. your political views, now that's another story!
47exactly, rac! i'm peaking, yo!!
48Those are passages from the Bible, which is what the Pope will be sending. Just two of the many he could draw from.
49http://teamsugar.com/group/82779/blog/258833
Here you go yesteryear!
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