The Internet & Religion

The Internet has not only changed the way we access information and complete tasks, but it has changed the way we think and interact. It has impacted all aspects of society and contemporary culture, but until I read a recent CNN blogpost, I never thought about how it influences religion.

The article explores a number of statistics that suggest a correlation between internet use and religious 'unaffiliation.'  For example, with the rise of the Internet, the number of first year-college students who are unaffiliated has increased from only eight percent to twenty-five percent since 1985.  

Allen Downey, who completed the study, does acknowledge that other factors could have created this difference, but still claims that a correlation between internet use and religious unaffiliation definitely exists.  I believe that there are way too many other underlying factors in internet use to prove such a relationship.  For example, in general, those who have better access to the internet are usually financially and/or educationally superior to those who do not use the internet as often. 

However, I do agree with Downey when he says that the Internet "opens up new ways of thinking to those living in homogeneous environments" and "allows those with doubts to find like-minded individuals around the world."  It provides easier opportunities for those to explore ideas outside of their up-bringing and affirm their beliefs through connecting with other people and info.

I also agree with Cheryl Casey, another person familiar with the topic, that technology leads to "massive cultural change" in "how God, or the ultimate, is thought of and spoken about."  

I do not think that the Internet is "killing religion" or causing the spike in number of people who do not affiliate with a specific religion.  Instead, the Internet, like any communication and information technology, is simply changing society, and therefore the culture and religion that surrounds it.

As the world progresses, society changes.  The Internet is making these changes easier, quicker, and more widespread.  It breaks down barriers to communication and knowledge, allowing people to access new information and other individuals that they wouldn't have before, to make decisions about what they believe.  

Also, when describing the internet as "killing" religion, it is easy to overlook the benefits and tools that the Internet provides for religion.  Take Christianity.. One of its main goals is to reach people and share its message with others.  The flattened world of the Internet era aids in connecting people and allowing them to share the message of Christianity to those who they may have not been able to reach before.

Andrew Brown, of the Guardian, believes that the Internet and irreligion go hand in hand mainly because "every hour you spend online is an hour spent not doing other things"- in this case, practicing religion.  But for me, the Internet has opened up doors for me to explore my own religious beliefs, seek out individuals who share my religious opinions, and practice my religion in new ways... live online sermons from my church in Wilmington and my hillsong pandora station are just two examples.

Religion isn't endangered- it's just changing.