In case you didn’t catch my interview on CBC’s The National on Easter Sunday, the segment on religion and technology has now been posted online here:
I thought the piece was pretty thought-provoking. Different religions obviously have varying takes on the limits of technology in one’s faith journey. I’d love to hear your opinion in the comments box below!
I think Catholicism is well positioned for the digital age. Protestant Churches, OTOH, are on much shakier ground since:
(1) You can read the Bible on your own or with friends and family
(2) You can listen to podcasts from several preachers to get your fill of sermons
(3) You can sing along with youtube or family and friends to get your fill of hymns
(4) You can volunteer or join events from various believers to get your fill of community and works of mercy.
There really is no reason to go to a Protestant building or even join an online community, except to access their resources, but you can do that to several communities so there really is no commitment. There’s so much free material out there that if all Protestant Churches closed, the average Protestant could have a lifetime of material to go through (reasonablefaith.org is one such example). Essentially, even online Protestant Churches are already obsolete. It’s just the masses haven’t clued in yet, but the next generation will.
Catholicism, OTOH is different due to the sacraments. Even if the Church said that you don’t have to attend every Sunday, people would still attend and still go to Church to have a place of prayer in the presence of God and recieve the sacraments. Unlike a protestant preacher, the priest does not have to worry about preparing an hour long sermon of his own deep insights or making sure the band entertains the audience or the social group gets everyone involved. Those are nice, but not essential If the mass solely consisted of the liturgy of the Eucharist, people would still come. If the priest was lazy and “plagerized” ther sermons of 2000 years of Catholic priests and saints, he might actually get some praise. In this sense, Catholic is a minimalistic religion that ironically embraces all of life in all the world across all time. The digital world is not a threat to Catholicism, it is just one one thread in the rich tapestry of Catholicism that adds to it’s richness.