Globalize our Theologies
by:
Tom Mahon
when:
Saturday, September 22, 2012 - 09:00 to 10:15
Science and Technology are supercharged in the 21st Century. The natural sciences reveal a sense of 'deep space' and 'deep time' unimagined a century ago. And technology now enables things unimagined even ten years ago. But to guide us with this knowledge and capability, we still rely on moral operating systems that were designed 1,500 or more years ago.
It's not surprising we are in the midst of a global nervous breakdown: my ancestor's image of God was and is the only true and authentic one; all others, including yours, are heresies. Religions cling to the archaic model of a God who says, "I alone will be your God, and you alone will be my chosen people."
Slowly but surely there is emerging a new Big Story, based on what the new sciences are showing us of a much more elegant and spell-binding creation story. Unlike the God of faith who had to make everything piecemeal and by hand, we now see that everything in creation - roses, turnips, Lady Gaga - all evolved out of the same hot ball of energy. There is an emerging global creation story, based on empirical evidence, available to all people everywhere; one that supersedes the various tribal stories from antiquity, and that does not required unquestioned faith in ancient allegories. The old authors did the best they could with the information at hand then. We have more information available now, with much more to come, and our creation stories and belief systems should keep up. (See the story of Edward the Electron at www.tommahonbooks.com.)
Tom Mahon has been, at various times, a merchant sailor, heavy machine operator, documentary filmmaker, novelist, glass artisan, and, for nearly 40 years, a public relations consultant in Silicon Valley.
Since the early 1990s, he has also spoken and written widely on the need to reconnect technical capability with social responsibility; to re-integrate tech-knowledge with self-knowledge.
Speaking venues have included MIT, Stanford, the International Solid State Circuits Conference, a symposium organized by the U. S. State Department, the United Religions Initiative, the San Francisco Fringe Festival, as well as presentations to senior groups, high school students and local congregations. His writings have been published in The Wall Street Journal, Electronic Engineering Times, National Catholic Reporter, and Business 2.0.
In addition, his work has been covered in The New York Times, The International Herald-Tribune, CNN, CNET, Business Week and The San Jose Mercury, among others.
Mahon is the author of “The Fandango Involvement” (Fawcett, 1980) the first novel set in Silicon Valley, and “Charged Bodies: People, Power and Paradox in Silicon Valley” (New American Library, 1985) an award-winning, non-fiction book about the place. Both books are available in print at Amazon. Mahon also wrote and performed two one man plays about technology through history: “At Home in the Universe” and “Are We Having Fun Yet!”
He holds an MBA in International Business and has had his own public relations consultancy since 1984 representing firms in electronic and genetic engineering. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Mary. They have three grown children.
Web Site: www.tommahonbooks.com