A few months ago I remember Hearing about an online church, thinking it was just a rumor. After a few days of research I found that there are more than just a few churches offering online services. People can go to church in their computer while staying at home. I wonder if at some point they could even download pod casts and have a “church to go” in their iPod.
I even found a website listing all the positive things about an online church service.
http://online-churches.net/ol-churches.htm
To some degree the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has done this as well, by allowing web live steaming during general conference. This may benefit religions by allowing them to reach more people, not to mention that it will make life easier for goers who can stay in their pajamas on a Sunday morning.
However, there is another side to this. Some online churches like the Universal life church ordains ministers online. This allows anyone to have his or her own congregation without little or almost non-existent accountability. You can even choose how to name your own church without needing any religious framework.
http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/1987166
http://www.themonastery.org/?destination=ordination
How is the Internet going to affect the future of religion? Will religion as we know it change and become part of a digital world affecting the way that people traditionally interact with religion? And, how will this change the hierarchy of church authority?
Andrew Van Wagenen
ReplyDeleteI feel one of the draw backs of this class is that we don't have any classmates that aren't LDS. My problem is that it's hard to let go of this Mormon filter that is ingrained into who i am.
Through this LDS filter I don't see the internet as a something being very helpful. With people being able publish their own views of religion, set up their own churches, or maintain a very individualistic approach to their religious experience, people no longer participate with a physically interactive community. They pick and choose the doctrines or beliefs that are convenient and comfortable, even without leaving their own homes. As Mormons the religious experience I feel is directly related to the community and being part of the kingdom of god and having witnesses and serving others, etc. All this is part of our personal spiritual growth.
On the other hand, I've come to adopt the belief that spirituality is personal and each individual is can be more prone to drawing toward god through various paths. All good things come from God. One person might reject our missionaries; however, he might see an online Buddhist community and find God and spirituality that way. So, for those who otherwise may not be religiously incline, perhaps online religion is a middle ground where spiritual edification can foster.
I really liked how the reading for Thursday, "Click Here" To Accept Jesus, made the distinction between "religion online" and "online religion". I think that established churches, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the Catholic Church, merely use the Internet as a tool to further the work and spread the gospel. The printing press may have revolutionized and shaped religion, but newer technologies, such as TV, radio, and now the Internet, are used to help the church reach a wider audience. One of my favorite things about our church in particular is that it is the same “yesterday, today, and forever.” Yes, we may have adapted to incorporate new technology into our methodology of spreading the gospel, but the hierarchy of the church will never be changed by a new innovation, and I believe the same goes for any firmly established religion.
ReplyDeleteAs for “online religions,” I think they are just another permutation of a trend that has existed throughout history. People don’t agree with certain doctrines of a church, so they branch off and create their own—this isn’t a new concept! King Henry VIII wanted a divorce, the Catholic Church wouldn’t let him get one, and so he created his own church. Did he really have the authority to do so? Technically, no, he didn’t. The Reformation was also an example of this trend. The relative ease of becoming ordained and setting up a new church online also reminds me of the Second Great Awakening, which was going on during Joseph Smith’s time. During this movement, anyone who wanted to could set up a camp meeting, start preaching, and gain a following. Internet-ordained priests are really not that much different from these spontaneous spirituals of the past; they’re just an old archetype utilizing a new technology.
Taking these two points into consideration, I don’t think the Internet will revolutionize the way anyone views religion. Established religions will utilize it to strengthen their congregations, lazy spiritual “questers” will use it to avoid physically attending a worship service, and those who don’t agree with accepted religious dogma will use it to create their own, personalized off-shoots. In the end, the Internet will do nothing more than give the religious trends that appear through history a face-lift and perpetuate antique patterns in a modern setting.