I listened to a very interesting interview recently. CBC Spark (Canadian radio show) interviewed an assistant professor of philosophy and religion about how the digital age is affecting the way people participate in religious practices. Click here if you want to listen to it (it's about 24 min long). Some of it is worth thinking about, and some if it is just trifle and irrelevant...
but...
What I want to talk about is a certain website they referenced called Information Age Prayer. At this website you can sign up and subscribe to any kind of prayer you want, for a price of course. First you can pick what religion: Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Unaffiliated, or Other. Then you can pick topics or certain prayers within that category. Need a prayer for money? It's there. Need a prayer for health? It's there. Need a prayer for affirmation (whatever that is)? It's there. Need a prayer for luck? It's there. Even better yet, you can buy a Prayer Package Bundle! And 10% of all your payment goes to charity.
Why would you want to do this? Well, do you forget to say your morning prayers? Your computer can do it for you! Your child doesn't pray anymore? Sign up in his/her name and it's all taken care of. Easy.
So how does the prayer work? It's set up with text-to-speech so your computer READS the prayer OUT LOUD for you. Wow. That is personal.
Now, they do slightly mention that this service should only supplement prayers and that you should still pray traditionally...
But honestly people.
Can we not interact with God?
Faith isn't something you subscribe to with a login name and a password. It's not something that your credit card can make a monthly payment towards and it's all taken care of.
This is a money grab. And a call to our convenience-driven society. I'm slightly offended by it's presence, and I also just want to laugh.
I believe in prayer. I believe it's a way to communicate with God. To meet with God. To hear from God. To have a relationship with the one who created me. Prayer can make a difference. Prayer can change things. Prayer can change me.
Cookie-cutter computer-blabbered prayer, to me, is not prayer.
3 comments:
It's funny that you can across this interview - I heard it when it first aired and was blown away. I kind of think this whole thing is really interesting. I wonder if some of those people who try to engage in religious practice etc though mediums such as second life are people who are interested in religion, but don't know how to approach it in real life? Or are they seeking to reach out to people? (CBC actually had several stories this past spring about second life - interesting, but I just don't get it) Maybe it's good thing that people can express their interest, and then possibly (hopefully) pursue it further in real life? However, I can definitely see a problem with the blurring boundaries between reality and the digital worlds. How do you 'regulate' things like this to ensure that the integrity of a religion is respected?
On the other hand, I think, are the prayer and communion websites. I actually find it kind of humorous. Do people think that they can 'trick' God? God knows what is on our minds and in our hearts, and I'm positive will know the difference between a real prayer (even if but an utterance) and a computer generated prayer you paid $1.99 for.
yeah i think second life is a medium for people to try to reach out cuz they don't know how to do in reality. at least that's what it seems like to me. you can be anybody you want in second life, and do anything you want. the mistake though, is that they think it doesn't effect their real life... which it totally can cuz people take it so seriously. i think i heard a story about people having "extramarital" sex on second life and it effected their real life relationships... what a mess.
but that's the thing about the internet, it can't be regulated which is also it's greatest strength and it's nastiest weakness.
oh and ps... it was you who passed on that podcast to me and i found the interview through that... you know that right?
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