God or freedom?

Here’s an image of a comparison I ran using Google Trends. Google Trends compares the frequency of searches for different terms. In this case, I compared “God” and “freedom.” The frequency of searches including “god” are shown in red; those for “freedrom” are shown in blue. (The image here shows the results as of 12 March 2007. Click the image for a larger view. Sorry it’s so small in the thumbnail version.)

Do Google searchers (around the world) care more about god than freedom? Is that what the results indicate? Do the results differ by geo-political region? Run it again yourself; clicking this link will get updated results. Interpret the data however you wish. (By the way, if you’re concerned about my decision to capitalize “god,” you’re welcome to find out what happens if you compare “God” and “god” on Google Trends.)

Personally, I’ll take freedom. Under that condition, at least my family, friends, and anyone else (including you, me, and people who may consider me their foe) can choose whether each of us wants to worship none, one, or more gods.

Zero, thank you.