computers and religion

The development of electronic computers in the second half of the 20th century changed many aspects of life, including religion. In particular, changes in religion have been brought about by the development of the personal computer in the 1980s and of the Internet in the 1990s. These effects are still taking place, and people are still trying to determine exactly what they have been. Computers and the Internet have benefi ted religious organizations in several ways. They have even benefi ted some ultraconservative communities that may otherwise appear old-fashioned, such as the Lubavitch community of Hasidic Judaism. Computers allow organizations, including religious organizations, to keep more accurate records and analyze them more quickly. They can identify trends more easily—for example, when they are losing or gaining members—so that they can respond to those trends. Some religious organizations and individuals have also used computers for study purposes. It is possible to store entire volumes on a single CD and then to search those volumes quickly for information on a specifi c topic. For example, CDs allow people to compare quickly many different translations of the BIBLE or to fi nd a HADITH on a specifi c subject. Some wealthy organizations have even made individual, computer-aided learning a part of their educational programs. Through the Internet religious organizations can communicate with people over greater distances much more quickly. For example, a Hindu organization in India can now communicate virtually instantaneously by e-mail with one of its branches in South America, as can a community in Japan with one of its branches in Europe. Such organizations may use e-mail to spread news, distribute new instructional materials, raise money, or even, in a few unfortunate cases, coordinate violent activities. In addition, most religious organizations now have Web sites. These Web sites make it much easier for people to learn about the organizations. For example, people with access to the Internet can now fi nd out quickly where the synagogue, church, temple, or mosque closest to their home happens to be. In fact, Web sites are a relatively inexpensive way for new and small religious organizations to establish themselves. People have worried about what effects computers might have on religion. For example, some have worried that computers might harm religious communities. Because of computers people would encounter each other less. Many people now think, however, that computers have been more helpful than harmful. They have especially helped members of minority communities living away from their home base, such as Hindus and Muslims in North America, fi nd others who share their hopes and beliefs. They also strengthen such people's sense of belonging to the religion by allowing them to participate in a virtual community. One problem with such communities, however, concerns authority. For example, the advice a person receives from a GURU, RABBI, or priest online may turn out to come from a well-meaning adult who does not have the education that is expected in a religious professional—or even from a 13-year-old having fun. Because human beings fi nd religion in so many places, it would not be surprising to discover that computers have taken on religious signifi cance for some people. One might even say that computers have already given the world one millennial cult, a cult built around expectations of disaster at the end of an age. In 1999 many people worried about "Y2K": What disasters might strike if the world's computer networks all failed on January 1, 2000? The disasters people imagined and the steps they took to avoid them resembled what has happened in many earlier millennial movements.