The Internet: 21st-Century Tower of Babel By Eric Anderson 1999 "The Internet is, arguably, one of mankind’s greatest accomplishments in this Information Age. But this new technology not only saves time—it wastes it too. It makes life simpler, yet more complicated; it brings us together, yet pushes us apart. Now that is a paradox!" "Over 4,000 years ago, a remarkable parallel to what is happening today occurred. Historic records show us that two generations after the great Flood, there was a population explosion on earth. Many people congregated in the lower plains of what is now known as the Persian Gulf (Gen. 10:10)." "Under the influence of Nimrod, the world’s first dictator (vv. 8-10), men began to organize themselves and build an enormous tower. “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen. 11:4). At that time, there were no communication barriers, because everyone spoke the same language (v. 1)." "Mankind had finally designed a symbol of their God-rejecting society. The ancient city of Babylon, and its planned sky-high structure, was the epitome of man’s rebellion against his Maker. Men remembered the Flood and thought they could outsmart God by building a structure that would be higher than the waters, should such a global calamity ever strike again." “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded” (v. 5). God knew man’s inherent capabilities. He knew this was just the beginning of the amazing things men would try. But He also knew man’s inherent weaknesses—that man was not yet ready to be allowed to exercise his tremendous latent powers. God knew man’s character had to be developed first, or chaos would result." “And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do” (v. 6). Men had decided to pool together their resources and share information. God saw that nothing would be withheld from their imaginations. The Creator foresaw that men would rapidly develop scientifically and technologically; He knew that nothing would be too difficult for man’s scientific genius—that he was already then well on the road to an eruption in scientific knowledge." "It was not yet God’s time to allow humankind to advance this far. Had the Creator not stepped in at this point in history, men would have raced along in the acquisition of scientific knowledge, undoubtedly to such heights that the nations would have discovered how to use the atom even before the time of Christ! So God confounded their language (v. 7), effectively nullifying their ability to unite. The less they understood one another, the more they argued. Arguments grew into fights—and work came to a screeching halt. Not understanding their neighbors, many moved away to seek a living in distant parts of the land. The tower was never completed." "But today, man has finally succeeded in overcoming communication barriers. And he is once again uniting and merging his scientific genius. The Information Age—and especially the Internet—is a prime example of this." "Yes, we can accomplish technological feats. When it comes to constructing an intricate technological wonder such as the Internet, people can unite with absolute determined effort to produce a nearly miraculous achievement. But try to work together to formulate some kind of a plan for harmonious living, and it seems we’re doomed to abysmal failure!" "Unlike at the Tower of Babel, where God forbade the people getting together, this time our Creator will allow men to get together one last time. He said, through the prophet Daniel, that at the time of the end “…many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Dan. 12:4). The word “knowledge” in this verse is rendered trouble in the Moffatt translation. The Companion Bible says that this “knowledge” equals calamities or wickedness." "Our troubles and calamities have not just doubled; they’ve multiplied—thanks to modern technology! But our God has allowed modern communication methods to dramatically increase. The Internet is bridging the gap that He put in place some 4,000 years ago." "Already, the minds of the people of the nations of the world have been drawn closer together—and now, with the help of the digital information superhighway, man has turned earth into a “global village.” With this invention he’s not only collapsed distance; he’s demolished all inhibiting boundaries."
"Where is the Tower of Babel located? The tower of Babel was built in the plain in Shinar. Shinar is the Hebrew name for Babylonia. This location of Shinar is first mentioned in Genesis 10 in relationship to Nimrod and the building of his kingdom. If you want a modern-day reference, Shinar is located in what we now know as Iraq." (Read More)
I hope this is considered on topic to your main point. About a month ago I happened to run across an image of the Tower of Babylon, created with the help of so-called "modern technology." It was so real looking I had to double check that such a structure doesn't really exist somewhere. This is an example of one of the dangers I see in technology and the internet. It has an ominous look, doesn't it?
It is "Man reaching for the heavens! I think the draw to the Great Pyramid is it's height! Standing and watching an Apollo lift off is the modern version.
There are a few pieces of background history regarding its principle builder, Nimrod that I think should be entered into the discussion. For one, Nimrod was the grandson of Ham, one of three sons of Noah. Just a thing of interest is that Cush, Nimrods father, is noted as being the first metallurgist and in the line of firsts, Nimrod, known as a “great hunter” was the first post flood king to promote the eating of meat which is one of the methods he is known for falling away from the ways of his father. One thing that I kind of shake my head about is the fact that here we have Noah, Ham and Cush all having a monotheistic belief in one God, then a third generation is started with the birth of Nimrod who rebelled against his father and later initiates polytheism and the belief and promotion of at least a half a dozen other gods. Getting back to the “Tower”, Nimrod had already built a “temple of clay bricks” and dedicated it to the freshwater god, Enki, so the Tower of Babel was going to be dedicated to one of his new gods as well. Now, to the conversation involving the internet, post “The Great Flood” was a time of inventiveness and imagination and a falling away from conventional beliefs just as the post founding of the internet has brought to bear a wider range of whatever mankind can imagine and a greater falling away from those things we previously deemed to be moral. It’s a given that there is an overwhelming amount of positive things we can say that the internet has established but it would seem that the negative aspects are the things that people thrive upon and cling to. Just as the Tower of Babel was indeed a great undertaking but dedicated to a god, the internet is being treated AS a god of sorts. I do wonder; how soon will it be before its builders are “confounded” or will there be such a time?
Is the internet God? Alexander Bard's Syntheism paves the way for a new elite (2014) The participatory culture of the internet will overturn our sense of ourselves as individuals, says the activist and new religious leader (NOTE: Language!) "It is (11) years since Alexander Bard founded a new religion called Syntheism in which he claimed that the “the internet is God”. "Activist, musician and now religious leader – and playing “the nasty judge” on Swedish Pop Idol - Bard now has a new way to spread the word with the publication of his latest book, Syntheism - Creating God in The Internet Age...." “In Christianity, one of the last things Jesus said to his disciples was ‘I will always be with you’, meaning that the Holy Ghost is the manifestation of God when the believers are together,” says Bard. “The internet is 7 billion people connected together in real time, and if that isn’t the holy spirit then I don’t know what it is.” "In Bard’s analysis of history, where feudalism had Christianity to keep people on the land and capitalism had individualism to keep people consuming, so the internet age is going to have Syntheism to keep people online." “Religion is first practised then formulated. Saint Paul wrote his letters after Christianity was being practised across the Roman Empire. I firmly believe that Syntheism is already being practised and we are just formulating it.” "Bard helped to found Syntheism in 2012. It is based on the idea that if man creates God, then it’s about time we created a religion relevant to the 21st century. “Syntheism” comes from Greek syntheos, meaning humanity creates God – as opposed to the “God creates humanity” basis of the traditional monotheistic religions. It is inspired by the writings of the French surrealist philosopher Georges Bataille in the 1950s and now has “thousands of followers of its online forums”. "What WikiLeaks and the Pirate movement have understood and what Syntheism is all about is, he believes, that the internet is actually going to overturn our sense of ourselves as individuals. It teaches us, rather, that our value is as social nodes in the networks created online. Bard dismisses those who see the internet as creating a culture of narcissism as “completely missing the point”. "But Bard warns about the dark side of Syntheism. Much like the wars of religion that followed the invention of the printing press and then the Reformation, Bard says the major conflicts of the 21st century are going to be between the old and new elites." “The state and the big corporations will want to control the web – the new netocracy will want it to be free and open,” he says, drifting further from lucidity. He claims to believe that controversy over net neutrality and mass surveillance will lead to physical conflicts." READ MORE
The Tower Of Babel In The Modern Era A Modern Tower of Babel "It was just a few days later when I read that Bezos is planning to build a brand new Amazon headquarters in Virginia called, “The Helix”. The building is not only modern, but mimics the appearance of the Tower of Babel that we have painted in our mind." "I always find things like this interesting to observe. I feel it is a sign of the times as men grow further a part from God and attempt to “make a name for themselves”, just like mankind did at the Tower of Babel." "You know what happened shortly after that…" “The LORD came down,” (Genesis 11:5-8).
Further, many years ago the European Union promoted a poster depicting the Tower of Babel and the phrase, “Europe: Many tongues, one voice”.
Across the world today for the most part we can understand each others language but it would seem even less and less understand our wants and needs, indeed the definition of “a confusion of sounds or voices” could be written as a Confusion of ideas and beliefs......The world today sure is all of that, perhaps it has always been such but with our modern communication we just are more aware of those with which we dont agree with. As one who has no time for religion of any kind which I guess makes me an Atheist (although if I must be 'labeled' I prefer the term Humanist which outlines my thoughts better) I think I agree with those who say that much, if not most, of the worlds conflicts have been started and maintained in the name of one 'religion' or another. Sure there are some conflicts because of a different color of their skin or where they live but for the most part it is because of a difference in their beliefs expressed in a religions manner. I simply do not understand why it is necessary to express your religious beliefs in a recognizable manner of dress or in religious ceremony's. I am not saying that you should not but what is the point, what does it accomplish? As for attacking those who do so either verbally of physically that says more about the atackee than the beliefs of the attacked no matter how far 'off the wall' those may be!
Lessons From the Tower of Babel " Bible readers often wonder what was so wrong with building this tower. The people were coming together to accomplish a notable work of architectural wonder and beauty. Why was that so bad?" "To arrive at the answer, one must understand that the tower of Babel was all about convenience, and not obedience to the will of God. The people were doing what seemed best for themselves and not what God had commanded. Their building project symbolized the pride and arrogance of humans who were trying to be equal with God. In seeking to be free from reliance on God, the people thought they could reach heaven on their own terms." (Read More)
I believe religion is the foundation of civilization. Arnold J. Toynbee once posited 27 civilizations if I remember correctly. He reduced the number, but I imagine there must have been more than 27 in the distant past. I believe the Tower of Babel story to be a put down of the majestic and superior temples, ziggurats, and temple grounds (Garden of the God: Gate ("bab") of the god ("El") ("Bab-El"), when compared against the crude blocks serving as temples that dotted the land of the Hebrews of Canaan and their bulky, "horned" altars to El, Ashteroth, and whoever else. A kind of "temple envy" resulting in a childish sour grapes attitude - "Well, their temples are bigger and stronger and prettier, but God hates them anyway. He only likes our temples. And besides you're just adopted."
In his later years, on November 26, 2002, Johnny Cash was interviewed by Larry King. Larry asked John if he was mad at God for the way his life turned out. He had lost his health, and suffered much as he aged. Did he blame God for all that? John's answer was quick and sure. He said "Oh no, I don't blame God. I have been given a wonderful life, full of blessings from God. He went on to thank and praise God, and ended with "My arms are too short to box with God"! This has always been my favorite quote of his, and I try to remember it, as I age. It remains sound advice for us all.
The Tower of Babel – Moon Launch Platform? December 4, 2013 David Halperin "No, it’s not my idea. It was Jonathan Eibeschuetz, the “heretic rabbi” of 18th-century Prague, who came up with it. I discovered this a few months ago, while surfing the Hebrew-language Web. I came upon an article by one Noah Zevuluni, published in an Israeli newspaper in August 1962–right about when the US-USSR “space race” was at its height. “Did the generation of the Tower of Babel send a spaceship to the moon?” the headline demands. The article relies for its (tongue-in-cheek?) affirmative answer upon the Torah commentary Tiferet Yehonatan, first published in 1825, some 60 years after Eibeschuetz’s death." (READ MORE)