Plan B Forum

If you've been a longtime faithful Apple follower your vision of the company's retail store is about to be reborn. Following a one day shut down in mid January, a handful of older Apple stores will officially reopen as The Church of Apple, according to a detailed Scoopertino news report.

“It’s a natural evolution,” explains CEO Tim Cook. “We’ve given our customers a place to shop. What they really want is a place to worship.”

The new concept stores which feature an epic stained glass of Steve Jobs at the entrance, are certain to cause those who religiously use Apple's products to think totally different. The initial test location in North Carolina has proved to be a bigger success than the company first imagined.

One of the more clever services included in the concept store is the addition of a Miracle Bar, where Apple Angels (formerly Geniuses) offer customers personal care — through end-of-life counseling — designed to help followers let go of aging Apple products that are ready to pass on. Angels have undergone extensive sensitivity training in order to assist customers with new purchases to aide in their grieving process.

Cupertino-trained clergy will be on hand to perform daily worship services and will be encouraged to scroll along with the sermon on iPads featuring Apple’s newest app, The iBook of Jobs.

Scans 'show mindfulness meditation brain boost'
The theory that meditation can reduce stress, depression and even chronic pain is one that has been gaining in momentum in recent years.

So the BBC's David Sillito has been learning the art of mindfulness meditation in order to find out for himself.

After getting to grips with the activity, he joined some other devotees for an MRI scan to find out what impact the practice can have on brain activity.

loCAtek wrote:Excitement about religion isn't the same as prayer

they demonstrated that the same part of the brain got excited.

thestoat wrote:

loCAtek wrote:Excitement about religion isn't the same as prayer

Very true, lo (not sure about worship though - think you are wrong there). Of course, the thread talks of religion and not prayer, so not really relevant.

Lord Jim wrote:

they demonstrated that the same part of the brain got excited.

All that seems to demonstrate to me is that when people get excited about something, the same part of the brain gets stimulated.

I suspect you'd have gotten similar results if you compared the "fervour" of the Apple folks to devoted surfing officiandos or chess fanatics talking about their passions....

Most surprising, Steve’s emails show that he’s developed a “holy father/son” relationship with Pope Benedict XVI — a bond that formed when Steve sweet-talked the pontiff into appearing in the Pope Rock iPod commercial earlier this year. “Benny,” as Steve often addresses him, has been trying to get Apple to sponsor his next world tour. Steve emailed back that he’s happy to consider, “if you can just tone down the religion thing a little.”

Scoopertino

Joe Guy wrote: I don't understand why so many people tend to idolize successful people.

bigskygal wrote:Steve Jobs had a very treatable form of pancreatic cancer (the same kind Ruth Ginsberg had) and he refused the treatment that very likely would have allowed him to live many more years of a healthy productive life.

Clearly, a martyr. Thus, divine?

rubato wrote:

bigskygal wrote:Steve Jobs had a very treatable form of pancreatic cancer (the same kind Ruth Ginsberg had) and he refused the treatment that very likely would have allowed him to live many more years of a healthy productive life.

Clearly, a martyr. Thus, divine?

He made a bad decision and delayed more effective treatment in favor of bullshit holistic herbal crap. But it is unknown whether the course of the disease would have been much different. He bought quite a few more good years in any case.

yrs,
rubato