Can Religious Materials on the Internet Create the Same Experience as Non-Internet Materials?

Religious denominations are using the internet more than ever. There are online scriptures, online talks, video conference congregations, pay pall donations, and many other religious services. Many people are using the internet to stay connected with their religion or to participate more in their religion.

The Question

The question I had while reading and researching about religion and the internet was can people have the same religious experiences through online religious materials as they would have in a congregation, personal group setting or through non technological materials?  I have listed a couple of specific question after each of the topics but they all tie back to the main question previously stated.

Scriptures on the Internet

The first topic I looked into was scripture on the internet. Many churches, including the LDS church, have a copy of the scriptures on the church Web site.  Religions such as other Christian sects, Hinduism and the Church of Scientology also offer their scriptural texts online. Do you think that reading scriptures online creates a less personal experience for the reader?

Do you think that someone can have the same personal experience of reading the scriptures online as they would reading a printed version?

Many people say that being able to mark their scriptures provides and very personal religious experience for them. However, other people say that they feel they can have more experiences with reading their scriptures because they can access them from their phones or their computers whenever they want.

http://www.biblegateway.com/

i Religions

The internet religion, known as the i religion, is also growing rapidly. The i religion is an online religious community that provides religious sermons, discussion groups, and other group activities through video conferencing and pre recorded materials.  If someone were to miss church or not be able to attend the scheduled meeting, they could go the website of whatever religious group they were associated with and watch the sermon. They could also participate in discussion groups with other members.

Do you think that communicating in a discussion group online could bring the same personal experiences as communicating with other members in a church setting? Or in other words, is communicating with someone online the same as communicating with them in person?

One view is that it is better for someone to watch a sermon or talk online than not watch or hear one at all. The opposite view is that providing the religious sermons or talks on the internet gives people an excuse to miss the interactive setting of church and get to it when they have more time and it is convenient.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0nYg9kR4TE

Pay Pal Donation Plates

The most interesting religious opportunity I found was the “donation” pages on many of the websites. If someone didn’t go to church but wanted to donate they could watch the talk, sermon, or speaker and choose to donate to the church through a pay pall account.

The personal experience question that I thought of for this was do you think that someone would have the same feelings about donating to a church through a credit card and pay pall as they would through tangible money?

Do you think that they would feel as if they were paying bills more than donating or do you think it would have the opposite effect?

Question:

1.     Do you think someone can have the same religious experiences through online religious materials as they would have in a congregation, personal group setting or through non-technological materials?