KEEPING THE FAITH Religions put trust in power of technology
Mainstream creeds use technology to spread their word
● The Vatican is praying that this year’s must-have Christmas gadget will not be an Apple Watch or Kindle, but rather its eRosary device.
The £99 (R1,883) bracelet, which is activated by making the sign of the cross with it, is aimed at tracking a devotee’s progress through a range of prayers and is accessed using an app called Click to Pray. It even doubles as a fitness monitor.
In increasingly secular Western societies, technology and religion may seem at odds. Since 1993, for example, the number of Britons who think “we believe too often in science and not enough in feelings and faith” has fallen from 43% to 27%, according to the British Social Attitudes annual survey.
However, some organised religions are using technology to interact with communities in an attempt to forge connections between devotees and fuel engagement. Religious education, relationships, habits and knowledge are being transformed as social media allows lay people to network with clerics and other religious figures.
In September, Pope Francis addressed a conference at the Vatican on the “Common Good in the Digital Age”, saying that “a better world is possible thanks to technological progress, if this is accompanied by an ethic inspired by a vision of the common good”.
Hugh Davies, a researcher of technological history at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, says organised religion has long embraced technology. Through evangelising and proselytising, religion has used media technologies, employing the best sculptors, architects, painters and musicians to produce captivating spectacles, he says.
“If we think of technology as using science and engineering to solve problems, and of religion as belief in all-powerful supernatural forces, there is historical evidence of religion and technology being inseparable.”
The pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the pontifical missionary that launched Click to Pray, considers “technology-based pedagogy” an opportunity to broaden Catholicism’s reach among young people.
Meanwhile, Fundación Ramón Pané, a Catholic evangelical group, last year launched Follow JC Go!, a Christian take on the Pokémon Go mobile game. Players “catch” saints and biblical characters, with the aim of forming an “evangelisation team”.
Other faiths are being encouraged to develop their digital side. “Islam and, in general, other religions, should not be opposing technology. They should embrace it and take it as an opportunity to adapt their respective religious values,” says Ahmad Fairiz, founder and CEO of Recite Lab, whose app helps Muslims with reciting the Koran.
Religions with dwindling numbers have turned to networking and dating apps in an effort to salvage ancient traditions. In 2016, Indian model and actor Viraf Patel launched Aapro, a social connectivity app for followers of Zoroastrianism, a Parsi monotheistic faith.
Religious dating websites are widespread across many faiths. Muzmatch, a matchmaking app for Muslims, has more than 1.5-million users in 210 countries.
Rotem Ben David, an Israeli lawyer, says she met her husband on JSwipe while studying at Temple University, Philadelphia. Founded in 2014 and aimed at Jewish singles, the app has more than 1-million users.
Ben David originally downloaded the app to build a community but, “being from different circles”, she wouldn’t have known her future husband even existed.
Digital technology can also be used to limit religious freedom. In the Chinese province of Xinjiang — home to the country’s Uighur Muslim ethnic minority — authorities have installed an array of surveillance technologies. Human rights groups say technology is aimed at suppressing Uighurs, an estimated 1.5-million of whom are being held in detention camps in the region.
Despite these challenges, religions will continue to expand their use of technology, says Fairiz. “Progress in technology is inevitable,” he says. “It is a solution to the disconnection with religion in today’s society.”
● MUZMATCH
An Arab- and Muslim-focused dating app, Muzmatch emphasises the importance of pairing partners who share similar cultural or religious backgrounds. It says it has helped more than 1-million singles find love across Asia, Europe and the US.
FOLLOW JC GO!
The smartphone game aims to make Christian learning fun and interactive by allowing players to form an “Evangelisation Team” made up of friends and biblical characters. It utilises GPS, trivia and a messaging service.
KOSHER GPS
Operating in parts of Europe and North America, the Kosher GPS app helps users find a kosher restaurant or local mikvah purification bath when travelling.
BUDDHIFY
Tibetan Buddhists have employed prayer wheels for more than 1,500 years. The Buddhify app offers a modern take on prayer by guiding customisable meditation on a smartphone.