When we started cynic, we were desperate to do some work for a religion simply because we liked the idea of doing work for someone that stood for something.
None of this, “it’s all about you” or “your choice, your way” nonsense, they say stuff they mean and believe in.
Stuff that has a point.
Stuff that makes a genuine statement.
We never did manage to get one, however we were lucky enough to end up working with Virgin – a different sort of religion – so we were able to relieve our mouthy bastard tendencies with someone else … and that’s fortunate because last week I was traipsing online, I saw this:
Yes, it’s Norman the Morman.
NORMAN THE MORMAN!!!
And it’s not a joke.
It could be. It should be. But it’s not.
OK, so they’re obviously trying to tackle the view that people of science don’t believe in religion which is a fair idea, however by using Norman the Morman [sorry, I can’t stop myself from typing that!] as the campaigns figure-head, it sort-of undermines the magnitude of such a revelation, resulting in people – or at least me – remembering the slogan but having no interest in [1] delving any deeper or [2] understanding why Norman decided being a Morman was right for him.
Alright, so maybe Norm is the only follower they have who is also a scientist – which would undermine their entire argument somewhat – however that aside, choosing a spokesperson who sounds like some spoof character on the Fast Show is not the best way to encourage religious conversion – at least with people who you might actually want to see in your Churches.
I know a number of religions are experiencing massive shortfalls in ‘membership’ and maybe part of that is because they are deemed irrelevant to the lifestyle and situations that so many people now live – however relevance and dumbing down are not the same thing and religious beliefs aside [mainly because I haven’t got any] I find it pretty tragic that one of the only industries that has not been afraid to say what it believes and stand up for what it believes has decided acting like an FMCG brand – “say little, but say it everywhere” – is the best course of action for their business.
Bring back the fire and brimstone I say … turn it into an XBOX game – at least if you do that, I might spend some time thinking about it which I can tell you, will improve the odds of converting me by about 10,000,000%, especially if the alternative is trying to lure me in with scientist Norman the Morman.