Mecca Cola and Jesus Pepsi: Religion as a Commodity

Mecca Cola and Jesus Pepsi
Religion as a Commodity

I was viewing a web clip of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” the other day when, to my surprise, the comedic newscaster who pokes fun at real world events, proclaimed to his viewers that a new cola company had arisen out of the Middle East. (PS: I DO NOT ENDORSE THIS SHOW - IT IS USUALLY PERVERTED) It’s called, catch this, “Mecca Cola.” Perhaps, in the words of Jon, the purpose of this new Islamic based company is to soon become the new competitor of the more popular American Jesus/Jewish Coke. This product is currently available in most Middle Eastern countries and will be arriving in Canada soon – no word on its entry to the United States.

As quirky a story this may be, it is a poignant picture of the commoditization of faith based culture. It seems as though the 21st century has made God a commodity, whose ever-so faithful servants stand in the market place hawking the latest bobble-head Jesus to keep on your dash or Muslim cola to quench the thirst of your fellow Arab brothers. It seems as though the shallow marketing, profit hungry concepts that rule most of our society have made its way to the last place we would expect, the doors of the church, or mosque for that matter.
If it seems like I’m a little passionate about this subject, I am. As a dedicated Christian, and youth pastor, I have grown tired of the “market place” faith that seems to dominate our western culture.

“What does this have to do with anything?” you may ask. Lots. Faith has been the bedrock of all societies in human history. It has been faith that has sustained us through our most difficult times. When the “Twin Towers” fell, for a brief moment, church attendance spiked and prayer vigils were held as people came together searching for answers to our deepest and darkest fears. It was the faith-based community that acted as a springboard for Martin Luther King’s message of equality and social justice for the Black community. Faith pervades all faucets of our society, influencing the core of our value and life convictions
What has alarmed me is that faith based communities and organizations, especially mainstream Christianity, have become so shallow. No longer is it clamoring against the throes of social injustice, inequality and outright sin, but rather faith is pimping itself in the market place. And in the process, is losing most of its core values that define it, that being a lifestyle of love, humility, godliness and self-control. Perhaps the starkest example of this would be the recent release of a new PC video game called “Left Behind.” “Left Behind” the game is loosely based on the hit novel series by Tim LaHaye and Larry Jenkins. The following list is a description of the game by its developers:

· Lead the Tribulation Force, including Rayford, Chloe, Buck and Bruce against Nicolae Carpathia – the AntiChrist
· This game does not include references to any religions
· There is NO killing in the name of God, and NO convert or die missions
· All content has been reviewed and approved by Tyndale House Publishers prior to publication
· Conduct warfare using PRAYER and WORSHIP – these are more powerful weapons than guns
· Recover ancient scriptures
· Witness spectacular Angelic and Demonic activity as a direct consequence of your choices
· Fight against negative spiritual influences against the Antichrist and his forces
· Command your forces through intense battles across a breathtaking, authentic depiction of New York City
· Control more than 30 unit types – from Prayer Warrior and Worship Leaders to Spies, Special Forces and Battle Tanks
· Enjoy a robust single player experience across dozens of New York City maps in Story Mode – fighting in China Town, SoHo , Uptown and more
· Play multiplayer games with the Tribulation Forces or the AntiChrist's Global Community Peacekeepers with up to eight players via LAN or Internet (http://www.lbgstore.com/left-behind-eternal-forces-the-pc-game-esrb-teen.html)

At first glance this game seems like the perfect solution to the wary parent. A game that features worship and prayer as weapon sounds great, right? I give this game a big, fat thumbs down. The rapture, next to the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, will be the most significant event in human history. It must never be packaged into something as trivial as a video game. According the above description, gamers will take on the identity of either those left behind or the armies of the Antichrist. First of all, once the rapture has taken place there is no hope for those “left behind.” So why create a game that glorifies those who are acutally left behind? And secondly, who in their right mind wants to be the Antichrist?

The following example portrays a sad picture of our society. The bony, greedy claws of hegemony and its fixation on profits have finally pierced our spirituality. And with its lust for profit and power has degraded the purity of human spirituality

I think though, we should look beyond what the profit-faith industry means now and ask ourselves of the results and future implications the commodity god. The answer is both simple and bleak. We live in a world of trends, right now we live in a very pluralistic, irreligious society with convictions much like the Ancient Greeks (another subject for another day). However, as history would teach us, society changes much like I change my socks, almost everyday. And, in a few years or decades, society will once again reach for faith. But faith will have nothing of substance to offer it, nothing but a few cheap bracelets, apostle plush toys and yes, a carbonated beverage.