Is Internet creating a new religion ?

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   Harishprasadposted 10 years ago

   Is Internet creating a new religion ?
   
   There was a time when communication was limited and a few people could travel to the different corners of the earth and that too with spending  a lot of time. Spreading and exchanging thoughts in the matters of religion was limited to a narrow circle. But now with the advent of fast information technology, people are freely communicating and exchanging so diverse ideas that so many windows are opening up and a real churning of different thoughts is taking place so rapidly and it is affecting the whole mankind in a very remarkable way. I think, this will give rise to a new religion,am I right?

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   Barbara Kayposted 10 years ago

   I hope you are wrong. That could be a bad thing and we already have enough religions to begin with.

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      Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Barbara, when I say new religion, just don't take it literally. What I mean is that people's psyche in matters of religions is going to be affected. It may be that a new word emerged in place of religion to reinterpret religions afresh.

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   lone77starposted 10 years ago

   Religion has nothing to do with technology.
   
   Religion is a method for reawakening the spirit within each of us. Many have forgotten this, but their core writings speak of this.
   
   The internet may help facilitate spiritual reawakening by increasing the dialog across prior boundaries, but the internet itself is not and never will be a religion. Someone might want to make it into a pseudo-religion as a method of control.

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      Larry Wallposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Lone77star, you made an excellent observations. A lot of tools, such as the Internet have been used as ways of promoting pseudo religious ideas. However, the internet does not teach religion or teach morality.

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      Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Religion is a method for reawakening the spirit .......... . This sentence reflects a real definition of religion but how many think like that and endorse it is a matter of speculation. lone77star, I appreciate your outlook of religion.

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   Neil Sperlingposted 10 years ago

   if anything the open dialogue between people of diverse cultures is showing that mankind has reached a point where following ANY religious dogma is no longer necessary. In the deeper meanings of religious sects, they all point to the same thing.
   Religions have taught mankind the value of moral rights. To this end they have completed the conscious shift. Religions were necessary to bring this about. Now the internet is exposing the truth that lies deeper, the truth that all mystics and guru's have been saying, and the truth that parallels what is now being researched in Quantum Physics. The internet is bridging these differences and thus I will say again - the internet is showing us we no longer need religion.... we  need progress. Character Progress..... not technological advances. Back to Zero.... build a new man from the inside out. (as my hub states)
   
   I hope the internet will assist in doing away with religions and mankind learns to live and work together as ONE unified group of advancing humans..... Key word "Advancing".

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      peanutroasterposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Religions don't teach morals.  Morals are part of a groups survival instincts.  A group doesn't survive long if it didn't maintain the simple rules like don't kill each other.

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      Larry Wallposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      They shall not kill is one of the key points in the Bible, thus while there are plenty of references in the Bible to murder and sacrifices, most religions do teach that it is wrong to kill.

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      Neil Sperlingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      All religious texts promote and encourage Love. If love does not open the doors to teaching moral values what does? Of course religions teach/promote moral values by promoting the values (instincts)  necessary for "group survival".

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      Larry Wallposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Religion supports group as a result of reaching the individual. A majority vote cannot lead a group to accept faith in God. It takes an individual commitment by each person. That sometimes leads a group to believe in faith, but not always.

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      Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Neil, Concept of God and religion will prevail till the whole creation is not understood thread by thread by us humans. However dogma and blind belief are going to be replaced with authentic concepts. Religion  will emerge into a new avatar surely.

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   peanutroasterposted 10 years ago

   Did the printing press create a new religion?  Rather it flooded the world with too much information or noise.  Internet is the same - explosive amount of data in which one has to dig through to find the signal among the noise.
   
   One great positive of the spread of information is common folk no longer need to ask gatekeepers for information. They can find their own truths via print or Internet rather than going through the filters of religious leaders who use religion as mind control.

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      Larry Wallposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Finding truths on the Internet can be challenging. Finding opinions, which may support your opinions and which may be able to quote some ancient document may help. but the "filers" are there. Whenever, you ask a person his opinion, there is a filter.

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      IDONOposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Isn't anybody speaking their belief actually a statement of opinion? Every person on Earth can be a filter to God if you want to put it that way. As people, books internet or whatever, it's only our job to plant the seed, no matter how.

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      Larry Wallposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      IDONO,  we are closer in views that some might think. Any true believer in God can be a conduit to finding God.  I will say God exists & Jesus died for my sins so I can enjoy eternal life. I will get him a Bible and recommend resources to explain

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      Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Peanutroaster, you have spoken the truth and I agree to it to the extent that if you are in direct contact with an really enlightened being and not a mere preacher kind of sort, you are awakened much. This cannot be done by Internet despite all data.

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   Larry Wallposted 10 years ago

   The Internet is not a religion. It is an obsession for some people, who mistakenly believe anything they read on the internet as being factual and appropriate. Religion--any religion--is first based on faith which may then be supported by the teachings and writing of others.
   
   The internet can only convey the history of religion and the opinions of some. Those teaching may lead to an acceptance that becomes faith. The internet as a tool just transmits information. It cannot and does not show the value or the understanding of faith. That becomes a very personal matter.

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      Ericdierkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Larry I thought about this. And it struck me that the internet may not be a religion but it sure as heck can be a church.

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      Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your nice response, Larry Wall. Though religion is mostly unlike science but one similarity is that the more we dive deeper into this subtle phenomenon, the more insightful and clear we become in our approach to it. Internet helps a lot.

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   Ericdierkerposted 10 years ago

   I think that in a very practical sense that things are becoming different for religion. When I am now teaching I have several "fact checkers" in the room. Instant access to several bibles and other tools of understanding. Dates, times, cross-references and quotes and dissent and analytic. So we have to be right on the money and walk the straight and narrow.
   Churches used to have preachers that told us what the "word" was. Now we can spend time on applications and more "how to" stuff. More dialogue and less quotations. Of course I work with younger people who get the technology.  It would seem like the elders kind of still like being told what to think.
   Right now we have a big churchy decision to make for our future. Somehow the elders and the lead preacher man are giving the youth 2 choices. And the youth are saying "why are we limited to just the two choices". That would not have happened 20 years ago.
   So maybe we are not going to get a new religion. But we are getting new ideas about religion. Because so much dogma is out there now, it is normal to question it. Nobody under 50 is buying that there is only one way to do things. That old automaton method is dying out, thank "whoever".
   If "religion" is the rules and regulations and dogma that we are following and accepting, then yes we are already seeing new religions based on information availability and the passing of dictator preachers.
   But if "religion" is the love shared by a group in community and joint worship, then there never ever will or can be a new religion.

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      Ericdierkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      How about we move forward and not worry about labels. How about we just love each other and see what crazy whacked out world happens. Let us embrace the internet and use it for good!!

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      Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Ericdierker, your words are like imported from my heart and are also very insightful. Thanks for such a thoughtful response.

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      Ericdierkerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You and me buddy. In the day let us give hugs to all we meet. I like your being.

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   M. T. Dremerposted 10 years ago

   If anything, I would argue that the opposite will happen. There are two things the internet has no shortage of. The first is information, and the second is trolls. People are more likely to consider different religions (or no religion at all) when information about all faiths and sciences are at their finger tips, as opposed to being taught a single religion from childhood. And, when misinformation is stated on any sort of forum, there is no shortage of trolls to come out and correct (or ridicule) the person who stated it. The internet is what it is, regardless of whether or not we think it's a good thing. But that kind of environment requires flexibility and adaptability to thrive in. The more rigid beliefs will then be reduced to fringe websites without much pull on the larger conversation.

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      Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You are right,M T Dremer. Information along with trolls are going to leave a greater impact upon the psyche of the international community and religious beliefs are also to be affected to a great extent and something new will surely emerge out.

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   Peggasuseposted 10 years ago

   I wouldn't say it's creating a new religion.  But I would suggestion, as you have, that people are learning a lot more about what is believed in other parts of the world.  It explores the differences in beliefs, but it also points out how similar all our beliefs are.

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      Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, when we witness every kind of religious stuff in one place so conveniently, it is definitely going to make an effect on our own religious thinking and way of worshipping God though not apparently but surely in a subtle way perhaps.

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    ReneeDC1979posted 10 years ago

    Is Internet creating a new religion?  No!  I think it is opening up more lines of communication about religion, as well as ways to learn about many religions.  But, religion is religion - it has to do with your faith and belief.  But, Internet is a tool to gain knowledge about many different topics - you still have to research and verify because everything on the internet is not true or real, nor should it be treated as something to worship.

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       Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       ReneeDC1979, thanks for response. When we are free to allow different kind of religious stuff into our mind, it remains as seeds there, if neglected, it withers away, if watered, it grows into a full blossomed tree but it depends on us how we take it

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    lesliebyarsposted 10 years ago

    You make some good points but I hope it is not so. We have so many different religions already.

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       Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       You are right,lesliebyars. What I want to convey is that a real awakening with regard to all religions will take place in view of so fast a communication taking place in Internet. Thank you very much for your response.

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    Darrell Robertsposted 10 years ago

    The internet is not creating a new religion, it is allowing people forums to share and express their experiences that they have gained in this world.  Most religions have some kind of scripture or reference story that the follower use to identify themselves, and justify their actions.
    
    The internet is a great resource that we could use to check to find out if some one is going by the book of their particular faith or if they are a pseudo follower. 
    
    Best wishes.

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       Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you, Darrell. Do you agree that when in a market , a lot of varieties are found in one place, we flock to the best. Same is going to happen in a near future.

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    mintinfoposted 10 years ago

    The internet is not creating a new religion, it is allowing us to break the chains of religion and rediscover our true spiritual selves by gaining knowledge read more

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       Harishprasadposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       mintinfo, thank you very much for giving such an elaborative and informative response.

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