Warp Speed Ahead for Spirituality, Thanks to Technology Used Wisely
Some twelve years ago on one Sunday morning in Cavite, a group of people boarded two vehicles unique to the Philippines – the world-famous Philippine jeepneys. The leading one had a bullhorn attached to it, playing a popular television show’s theme song. People heard it and recognized it, and followed the jeepneys with lingering looks as they drove past.
Both jeepneys were filled to the brim with a variety of individuals, both young and old. After a while, the jeepneys parked in one town’s busy area – by the market square, and the people moved swiftly and positioned themselves to hand out flyers with sincere smiles.
After a little bit over an hour, they boarded the jeepneys once more, and circled a large residential area to give their flyers out and put them in mailboxes and house gates. Written in the vernacular, the flyers read: You are cordially invited to attend the Ang Dating Daan’s Mass Indoctrination, complete with the coordinating center’s address and phone number.
Today, the invitation is still extended on a regular basis to those who are interested to hear and understand Christ’s doctrines. The manner of inviting though, has broadened significantly, thanks to that wonderful invention of man – technology.
The Start of Savvy
The advent and success of the telegram to telephones to beepers and cellular phones have paved the way to push technology to bigger and better heights. And we Filipinos know this for a fact, being fervent lovers of technology. Even during the early 2000s, for our humble nation, technology is seemingly indispensible.
We Filipinos are known for using technology to our advantage – changing the course of Philippine politics forever by sending text messages to hordes of our kababayans, encouraging one another to don black shirts, stand as one and oust then President Joseph Ejercito Estrada via Edsa Dos. Granted, we didn’t exactly change it for the better when the one who took over the presidency actually took over, but still, the fact remains – through technology, we’ve accomplished something noteworthy.
Three Cheers for Technology!
Enter the Internet – where emails have replaced snail mail, and chatting, lengthy phone conversations. It has spawned a vast collection of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which have revolutionized information dissemination at a speed unseen in previous years. Today, with Facebook’s users numbering more than 1 billion, it’s safe to say that a considerable part of humanity is looking at that familiar blue homepage, liking or sharing something that catches their fancy.
Even on Twitter, which was launched in 2006, a few thousand users’ fancy were caught. 26,597 people RT’d this tweet from Taylor Swift, a popular singer from the US:
Photo courtesy of Taylor Swift’s Twitter account. Link: https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/146471212455968769
A bit of publicity for a song, a desire to go back in time, a cry for help, her then state of mind, a philosophical notion, or maybe a metaphysical point, we’re not a hundred percent sure. But 26,597 people retweeted that one single, ephemeral tweet, making it one of the most retweeted tweets of all time.
If something like that was retweeted several thousand times for thousands or possibly millions to read, I believe that we can all do the same for something that would benefit us all – something spiritual. Something good for the soul. After all, in these perilous times, spirituality is the best armor anyone could have.
Bro. Eli Soriano, a preacher hailing from the Philippines, who is known for answering any and all questions on faith and spirituality, believes in the power of technology in spreading God’s words, as evidenced by his tweet:
Photo courtesy of Bro. Eli Soriano’s Twitter Account. Link: https://twitter.com/BroEliSoriano/status/34035565770833920
The preacher has brought his Bible Q&A format to his Twitter account and is open for all. It is aptly called Tweetanong Mo Kay Soriano, named after his popular and award-winning religious program, which originated in the Philippines. He is taking advantage of technology to bring God’s words to a greater number of people.
With a simple click of the button — a simple “share,” “RT”, “favorite” or “like”, we could be the efficient bringers of God’s words to our friends, friends of friends, or the public – near or far and transcending time zones, through technology. While photos sporting the infamous “duck face” look and snapshots of what people had for lunch abound on our timelines and dashboards, let’s share Bible verses and words of wisdom. You’d never know who’d be able to read it and be consoled by God’s words – all because you chose to use technology wisely.
Mass Indoctrination Invitation on Facebook; from http://www.facebook.com/BroEliseoSoriano
Today, leaflets are still being handed out in person, and the people doing so still give good-natured smiles. But thanks to technology, the number of people who are able to know about an upcoming spiritual event like Mass Indoctrination sessions or Bible Expositions are not limited to one busy market place and a residential area.
Thanks to the gift of technology, we are able to extend a cordial invitation to the world.
In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. – Ecclesiastes 11:6
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. – Luke 8:11
Faith & Etcetera 