Googlism Is a Parody Religion
The Claim
There is a religion called Googlism, in which followers believe Google is God, and the Church of Google backs it.
News posted on
Emerging story
Claims made by social media users that there is a real religion called Googlism, supported by The Church of Google. Posts add that a group of people considers Google's search engine a God, and the reason is that it contains everything and knows everything. The religion is called Googlism. Claims go as far back as 2020.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar's team totally believes that religion is a personal belief, and it is possible for some individuals to believe Google is God. However, the concept of an organized religion called Googlism is satirical. The Church of Google website explains the fundamentals of the religion, such as commandments, proof, and prayers. The website also explains that The Church of Google or 'Googlism' is a “parody religion” founded by Matt MacPherson in 2009, as seen in the image below.
A Tinyeye and Google reverse image search revealed that the image accompanying the claim was first posted on the internet in 2013. In February 2013, it was posted here, related to Google as God but not to the Church of Google website, nor does it mention Googlism. However, it appears to be more commonly associated with digital marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) function done on search engines such as Google, one of the earliest postings in April 2013 as seen below (bottom right corner). Therefore given the context, the Misbar team rates the claim as satire.
