Listening to on-line interviews and written reports of statements of the last few days made by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, it is tempting to see Google as a unique phenomenon. To be sure, Google, with its You-Tube and other subsidiaries to does rank as one of the greatest and most inventive enterprises ever known to man.
As I thought more about it though, I came see parallels between the California-based juggernaut and some of the more traditional, even ancient social enterprises such as the local house of worship. Here are 5:
#1: Google is a company without a vision - but it has values
CEO Eric Schmidt revealed that Google has values that influence its direction, but no vision. In fact, its main creed is a bedrock value he refers to as "No evil."
Similarly, the enlightened religions of the Western world have done away with most of their apocalyptic visions in favor of a value system that pretty much consists of "no evil."
Their franchised houses of worship have taken it even further. For the sake of getting along in a world of consumer/worshipers and an infinite number of religious competitors, synagogues and churches have toned down or completely done away with doctrine that might be deemed offensive to certain genders or groups. Much to their credit, they are in favor of getting along, but at the same time one has to feel that a homogenized globalization has come to the local house of worship too.
#2 Google has vast storehouses of private information which they must keep private
Schmidt talked about the enormous amount of information that Google knows about its users - to the extent that it can with near certainty predict your short-term future actions based on where you have been on the internet.
Rabbis, priests and ministers know a great deal about their worshipers and not only can predict your short term future, but some claim to be able to predict your future for eternity.
#3 Google is bound by the Patriot Act and other Federal laws that might force it to divulge information to authorities.
Schmidt this week warned customers that "if you have something that you don't want anyone to know, then maybe you shouldn't be doing it." There's no privacy online," he added. I don't know about your religious leader, but Schmidt sounds an awful lot like my rabbi. Both God and Google see all and know all and under certain conditions might be made to tell all.
#4 Both Google and your local House of worship might want to charge for content, but have not yet figured out a way to do so.
In the digital age, much information that was formerly the sole province of newspapers (that you had to pay for) is now free. Google is in the business of providing customers with content and information. Synagogues and churches do the same thing. Neither have been able to monetize the information they provide. All they can do is to link back to sources in the case of Google to websites and in the case of the church, to ancient commentators and biblical sources.
#5 Google has to figure out first how to please the customers and then figure out how to get someone else to pay for them
I can't think of any Houses of worship that charge an entrance fee (except around the High Holy Days). On the contrary, they set out to please their customers and make them happy - within reason - so that they might buy membership, but many don't, or won't which leaves it to others to subsidize them.
