As a priest with a wonderful Catholic primary school in my parish, I often meet parents who want their children to go to the school because they like its “ethos”, but wish it didn’t have to be so obviously “Catholic”. It seems not to occur to them that its “ethos” might be connected to its Catholicism. They want the culture, but without the cult which it is founded on.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, seems to have fallen into a similar trap. Earlier this week, he gave a speech in which he observed that "People who go to church are more likely to volunteer and give to charity - not just because they're religious, but because they're part of a community." This, he believes, is a good model for how Facebook can benefit society. "A church doesn't just come together. It has a pastor who cares for the well-being of their congregation, makes sure they have food and shelter. A little league team has a coach who motivates the kids and helps them hit better. Leaders set the culture, inspire us, give us a safety net, and look out for us." Accordingly, Facebook has just changed its mission statement, from "Make the world more open and connected" to "Bring the world closer together".
