Privacy
There's an on-going debate about privacy. The US government
has introduced systems that will enable them to trace individuals through their
usage of bank accounts, purchases, phone calls and in fact any data that can be
cross-related. The arguments can be distilled roughly as ‘it is an invasion of
privacy’, and on the other hand, ‘if you haven't done anything wrong, you have
nothing to fear’. A recent article I read related that if the systems to cross-relate
data were available before 2001 it would have highlighted some of the Sept 11th
conspirators as being potential terrorists. It didn't say how many other people
it would have highlighted.
The book of Revelation in the Christian New Testament has references to what it calls ‘The mark of the beast’. The beast, and his mark, is a theme that runs through the book. This mark is a number stamped on the forehead or the arm that uniquely identifies everyone and no person can buy or sell without it. The mark has been interpreted in the past as a tattoo with an identifying number. More recently it has been interpreted as a microchip implanted under the skin.
Leaving aside the specifics of what this mark might be, and also other more arcane
topics such as the number 666, the Book of Revelations carries the concept that
having control over everyone's life is satanic. Lack of privacy means having no
secrets and if there are no secrets then anything you do is open to interpretation
by someone else – often the government. The net result is pressure to conform.
Those who don't conform are assumed to have sinister motives. We can see the signs
of this already in the US in the wake of the September 11th tragedy. Those who
have ideas that out of the ordinary are treated with suspicion. Even those who
criticise George Bush are careful to establish their patriotic credentials.
I've mentioned before (‘The Creation and the Devil’) how the devil is equated
to rigidity and inflexibility. In this regard the trend towards conformity is
a move towards Satan. The concept of the Antichrist is that of a prophet of the
devil, as Christ was a prophet of God, so the antichrist promotes conformity.
In his domain there are no secrets and there is no individuality.
