When It Comes to the Internet, Nothing Fails Like Faith

This is so true. Religion’s decline has been relatively slow over the last few decades, slow enough that I assumed I would not see the back-end of Christianity in my lifetime. The introduction of the internet as a source of fast, universal knowledge will surely speed this process right up, and I can now reasonably posit that I will indeed see the end of Christianity as a dominating force.

 I agree with you that religions will decline more rapidly than they have in the past although, I believe we are at least a couple of generations away from meaningful change in the U.S. Muslim countries are even worse due to their strangle-hold on the populace. There will always be decent but when you could face death within this religion it’s likely they won’t get too aggressive in the near future.

An atheist-turned-Christian friend of mine pointed me to your article asking me what I thought. I knee-jerked. Then I thought I’d post the knee-jerk here (after adjusting the pronouns for the reader) because hey–it’s rude to talk behind someone’s back. After that, you can knee-jerk back.

Here’s what I said:

I think, as is often true on all sides of any religious debate, you
start off sounding intelligent and end up reduced to arrogant
down-talking. I don’t think you (or Josh McDowell) are wrong that the
internet has changed the way we get information about faith and the
information we get about faith, and I think if Josh McDowell really said
that in just those words, that was pretty unfortunate. We don’t want a
level playing field? Because the Holy Spirit needs all the help He can
get? I dunno. [I know–you don’t believe in the Holy Spirit, but I do, and Josh McDowell should, and according to that worldview it should seem silly to think the internet could single-handedly bring Him/Her down.]

But I think the “be very afraid” stuff and the assumption that a)
all people of faith are faithful blindly and b) “all” the evidence is on
the side of the atheists is just about as foolish to say and as
stupid-sounding as “the Bible is clear that marriage is defined as one
man and one woman.” I just don’t think there’s that amount of
obviousness out there. I also think “killing faith” is overstating it.
Exposing people’s true bent, maybe. Stimulating faith in some cases.
Undermining it in others. But that, I think, has more to do with the
person than the internet. If your last full paragraph is correct, we should be thanking the internet, and not afraid at all. I don’t think there’s anything to fear from honest questions.

Cue “Christian-girl, you think you’re thinking, but you’re really not” comments here . . .

 I agree. Maybe not in the way you meant it, but . . . I like it.

note that directly underneath your article there are 3 links to “more on faith and the web”. Two of the 3 links directly confirm the point of your article without even requiring the reader to click them and actually read. These 2 links are titled: ‘doubting mormons turn to online support’ and ‘ultra-ordodox jews: the internet threatens our way of life’. LOL

I think you’re right that the Internet can be used to stimulate faith. After all, there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of Christian forums and apologetics sites. If people are having doubts about religion and want to keep their faith, they can always go there to try to bolster it.

However, there’s a lot more information out there about the “other side” than there ever was before. 25 years ago, if a religious person was having doubts, he or she might not have been able to find much to counter religious arguments. Perhaps a few dusty philosophy tomes at the local library? With the Internet, it’s not only easier to locate solid information on atheism, but also to find a community of like-minded people, something not always available in real  life.

I commented too, but had to rebut the stupid.

Well, I don’t know. The Internet also reaches people who are not active doubters. It allows people to encounter information that they might not come across in their day-to-day lives. I think this is especially true for people who live in communities dominated by one religion. When everyone you know follows the same religion, it can be startling to realize that there are people out there who don’t believe in any gods at all. The mere knowledge that atheism is a viable option is an advantage for our side. No longer can priests and pastors make assertions and just expect that the people who hear them will assume they are true. It’s easy to go online and find information countering those claims.

So I think atheism does benefit from the Internet in a way that Christianity does not. Many denominations see their churches as a way to bolster faith and keep it strong. There seems to be a strong emphasis on building faith and fighting doubt, or if people must entertain doubt, at least making sure it’s the “right” kind of doubt. I don’t think there are many churches out there (though there may be some) that encourage their adherents (particularly children and teenagers) to doubt the existence of the supernatural, the veracity of the Bible, the historicity or morality of the Jesus character, etc.

As far as “support networks” are concerned, I think they’re a good thing, but I could imagine that some religious people would see them as a bad thing, especially if they are anxious to keep others from straying from the fold. I don’t think atheists have anything to fear from Christian support networks, simply because we’re the minority. Our presence would be more likely to threaten the privilege and the security of the majority.

I made three comments. Does that mean I have a crush on you? 

It does!!

The internet is a huge threat to religion. And they know it. Not sure how ‘up’ on haredi (ultra-orthodox Jewish) news people here are, but last Sunday there  was a huge ‘asifa’ (gathering) of about 40,000 ultra-orthodox Jews to discuss the dangers of the internet. The event was deemed so important that over 1.5 million was spent on renting out Citi Field, where the NY Mets play. Many rabbis spoke, and stressed to the crowd how important it was to keep internet out of the homes of orthodox Jewish families. Note that the event was for men only, and, somewhat ironically, streamed live over the internet. You can find the story all over the web, but here’s a link to a random news site:  http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120519/40000-ultra-orthodox-jews-plan-rally-against-the-internet

Great isn’t it?

Somewhat ironically?

My de-conversion and exit from my role as clergy began with accepting pure, unadulterated doubt to go unchecked in my thought process.  No guilt, no “I’m sorry my faith isn’t strong”.  When doubt played out, and the facts were allowed in, I left both. No more ministry, no more myth creating false hope, unnecessary guilt, and fear.  Your experience may be quite different.

 I’m aware it’s a bold claim, and no, of course I don’t have anything you would consider proof. In the above, I was simply stating that regardless of the Holy Spirit’s existence, if a person claims to believe in Him/Her/It, they are being inconsistent if they’re suddenly terrified that an entire way of life that is supposedly dependent on Him/Her/It is going to go, shall we say, the way of all flesh . . .

 THAT is my point with the Holy Spirit stuff above.

I think the “be very afraid” stuff was a bit of rhetorical flourish. If religion can be defended and can stand on its own, there’s really no reason for religious people to fear the Internet. However, I do think many of them find the availability of information threatening, especially in subcultures that tend to be more closed off. It’s not all Christians, but there do seem to be quite a few who focus on fear: fear that people will lose their faith, become “unequally yoked,” stop believing in certain doctrine, etc. It’s basically fear of dissension and fear of doubt. The Internet can poke holes in their religion in a way that wasn’t possible before.

We can agree on that. Here’s to an open marketplace of ideas!