It was 3 a.m. on a typical Saturday in Geneseo. UHots was closing and there was nothing to domy alumni friend was visiting, so we trudged through the rain back to my place for an early morning catch-up. His life is a lot more exciting than mine, so I listened intently as he told me of his post-grad misadventures.
Did I ever tell you about the time I was almost recruited into a cult? he said casually. No, he had not. I listened intently as he told me of a private subreddit he had been added to and the pseudo-intellectual who ran the page, inviting people who had like-minded views to join.
This got me thinkingthis subreddit cant be the only page like this on the internet. Since then, I have uncovered similar communities and ideas (i.e. places where spiritual thought meets modern politics and personal musings) grasping for meaning in the digital age. I believe the new frontier for religious thought lies not in the worship spaces of yesteryear, but in online forums and other digital spaces where one can make their beliefs heard and gain a following.
Spiritual groups born and bred online occupy a space somewhere between absurdism and grave sincerity. There is a whole spectrum of those who believe, dont believe or are simply curious about a given sect of online spiritual thought.
In conducting research, I came across the website for The Church of Google, a parody religion founded in 2009 with the goal of creating commentary about the sophistication and increasing symbiotic relationship that technologies like Google play in our lives. I also came across online forums such as MySpiritualgroup, which is self-described as an online spiritual group which seeks to gather all genuine truth seekers from around the world and focuses on metaphysics and esoteric thought.
Additionally, there are countless Reddit forums, like the one my friend joined, focused on the interplay between religion and psychedelics, anarchy and the alt-rightto name a few topics that have been brought into the conversation via dedicated subreddits.
One of the most intriguing online spiritual movements is one called H+, or Transhumanism. According to H+pedia, an online Wikipedia-esque transhumanist encyclopedia, transhumanism can be defined as a belief or movement in favour of human enhancement, especially beyond current human limitations and with advanced technology such as artificial intelligence, life extension and nanotechnology.
While prescribers to the philosophy might describe themselves as post-religious, there is something fundamentally spiritual about their way of thinking, which combines the concept of human transcendence with modern technological advancement. I may add that transhumanists are the same people in favor of gene modifying and strong AI technology, as well as proponents of the concept of technological singularity.
The internet is chaos, and so it only makes sense that spiritual communities that have formed from the internet are chaotic as well. The wide range of content, from intellectual to idiotic, underscores the wide range of beliefs being vocalized. Not only have we been ushered into a new age with technology providing platforms to express opinions, but the very opinions themselves have also been altered and shifted due to the emergence of the internet and what that means for human development.
As spiritual discussion online continues to mold the worldviews of many internet users, it is important that we attempt to broaden our understanding of this emerging intellectual discourse in order to better understand its real-world implications.
You can call Hayley Jones a metamorphosis rock because they do well under pressure!
Read this article:
Religious and spiritual online forums consist of chaotic, impactful ideas - Lamron
- Lucid Dreaming & Dreamwork / Sinister Technology & the Paranormal - Coast To Coast AM - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- AI Up Mi Duck: An Interactive Fiction Game Exploring ... - LeftLion - November 13th, 2023 [November 13th, 2023]
- Double bill: Vis Motrix & Atlas da Boca at Tipperary Dance ... - The Journal of Music - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Can Elon Musk make the human spirit immortal with a robot? - CNE.news - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Artists revved up by Creative Engine grants - Geelong Times - Geelong Times - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- How to face the climate crisis with Spinoza and self-knowledge - Aeon - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- To be human is to be animal | Eric T. Olsen - IAI - August 20th, 2023 [August 20th, 2023]
- Transhumanism, AI, Singularity - How far is too far? - Fallbrook / Bonsall Villlage News - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- How 'cyborg feminism' confuses technology with women's progress - Washington Examiner - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- Reconnecting With Beans To Take The Power Back Over Our Food ... - ARC2020 - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- The Great Nonsense of The Great Reset - LewRockwell - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- The US Government and Its Military Have Declared War on ... - LewRockwell - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- Tech for Me, but Not for Thee: Psalm 8 Meets Transhumanism - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- What is transhumanism? Can humans and technology meld together? - January 25th, 2023 [January 25th, 2023]
- Transhumanist politics - Wikipedia - January 25th, 2023 [January 25th, 2023]
- Should We Fear the Future? The Philosophy of Transhumanism - TheCollector - January 25th, 2023 [January 25th, 2023]
- Situation Update, Nov 1, 2022 - The transhumanism demonic AI takeover ... - December 26th, 2022 [December 26th, 2022]
- Dr. Tau Braun and the Health Ranger talk transhumanism, AI infiltration ... - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- Ancient Wisdom in Medicine / AI & Transhumanism | Coast to Coast AM - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- Fact check: False claim Biden's executive order limits human rights - November 25th, 2022 [November 25th, 2022]
- Transfection to Transhumanism - Part 1 - rumble.com - November 25th, 2022 [November 25th, 2022]
- After Being Canceled, She Pivoted to Journalism - Daily Signal - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Steve Bannon throws support behind Alex Jones: "They're trying to break you as a man and they're trying to break your incredible... - August 10th, 2022 [August 10th, 2022]
- Elon Musk and a warning of dystopian future of AI: What is digital and biological computing? - DailyO - August 10th, 2022 [August 10th, 2022]
- The Myth of the Modern Self | Carl R. Trueman - First Things - July 21st, 2022 [July 21st, 2022]
- Transhumanism: Evil Force Behind the NWO :: By Jonathan Brentner - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- The Myth of Bodily Autonomy | Gene Veith - Patheos - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Barbara Marx Hubbard: Godmother of Transhumanism and Synthetic Spirituality - July 4th, 2022 [July 4th, 2022]
- Simulacra in the Growing Armory of Thanatos - CounterPunch - July 4th, 2022 [July 4th, 2022]
- Transhumanism: The Evil Force Behind the New World Order Jonathan ... - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Future Humans: Four Ways We May, or May Not, Evolve - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Crimes of the Future Explained: Transhumanism, Surgery as Sex, and Humanity's Frightening Evolution - Signal Horizon - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- A Turning Point in History Stand with Us - The Desert Review - May 31st, 2022 [May 31st, 2022]
- Sex-bots and foil hats: reconfiguring what it means to be human - Sydney Morning Herald - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- Global Artificial Intelligence in Big Data Analytics and IoT Markets, 2022-2027: Focus on Data Capture, Information and Decision Support Services -... - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- What is transhumanism and how does it affect you? | World ... - April 29th, 2022 [April 29th, 2022]
- The Impossibility of Christian Transhumanism | Evolution News - April 29th, 2022 [April 29th, 2022]
- TV adaptation of The Wild airs brochure on March 16th - Vaughan Today - April 29th, 2022 [April 29th, 2022]
- The Impossibility of Christian Transhumanism | Wesley J. Smith - First Things - March 26th, 2022 [March 26th, 2022]
- Transhumanism: The Plot to Control Your Life! Jonathan ... - February 9th, 2022 [February 9th, 2022]
- What is Technocracy and why does it matter? Hint ... - February 9th, 2022 [February 9th, 2022]
- Transitions Film Festival 2022 Using The Power Of Film For Positive Future Change - scenestr - February 9th, 2022 [February 9th, 2022]
- Cyberpunk Noir Sports Fiction, Anyone? - The Crozet Gazette - February 5th, 2022 [February 5th, 2022]
- Replicas: on Rai 2 first tv the sci-fi with Keanu Reeves - D1SoftballNews.com - February 3rd, 2022 [February 3rd, 2022]
- Transhumanism: The Most Dangerous Idea? - Reason.com - January 21st, 2022 [January 21st, 2022]
- Transhumanism and Posthumanism in Twenty-First Century ... - January 21st, 2022 [January 21st, 2022]
- Canadian Government Openly Embraces Transhumanism | Truth11.com - January 21st, 2022 [January 21st, 2022]
- Global Transhumanism Markets Report 2021 - Transformational Growth in Biological, Health, and Wellness Augmentation will Enable the Rise of Human 2.0... - December 15th, 2021 [December 15th, 2021]
- The best video games of 2021, and what to buy - Sydney Morning Herald - December 15th, 2021 [December 15th, 2021]
- Gene-editing, Moderna, and transhumanism | Christina Lin ... - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Yuval Noah Harari Believes This Simple Story Can Save the Planet - The New York Times - November 9th, 2021 [November 9th, 2021]
- Authoritarianism and the Cybernetic Episteme, or the Progressive Disappearance of Everything on Earth - Journal #122 November 2021 - E-Flux - November 9th, 2021 [November 9th, 2021]
- Faith in -196C: pioneers of resurrection a photo essay - The Guardian - November 1st, 2021 [November 1st, 2021]
- WISekeys Founder and CEO Carlos Moreira was Interviewed by Steve Bannon on Warroom.org About The transHuman Code Bestseller Book and the Need to... - November 1st, 2021 [November 1st, 2021]
- Six books to read this winter - Maclean's - November 1st, 2021 [November 1st, 2021]
- Transhumanism - reddit - October 21st, 2021 [October 21st, 2021]
- COVID19, The Great Reset, and Transhumanism Thuletide - October 21st, 2021 [October 21st, 2021]
- Dr. Carrie Madej Covid Shots, DNA and Transhumanism ... - October 21st, 2021 [October 21st, 2021]
- Nikolai Fyodorovich Fyodorov - Wikipedia - October 21st, 2021 [October 21st, 2021]
- No, the Moderna and Pfizer RNA vaccines for COVID-19 will ... - October 21st, 2021 [October 21st, 2021]
- Transhumanists Gather In Spain To Plan Global Transformation - The Federalist - October 15th, 2021 [October 15th, 2021]
- Neurotechnology: The brain wired for healthcare - ITWeb - September 16th, 2021 [September 16th, 2021]
- The afterlife is having a moment. 'Beyond' will help Christians and nonbelievers alike discuss what lies beyond the grave. - America Magazine - September 14th, 2021 [September 14th, 2021]
- more and more humans are born with an extra artery in the arm CVBJ - Central Valley Business Journal - August 30th, 2021 [August 30th, 2021]
- "My concern is that companies are anticipating the metaverse" - Release - Tech News Inc - August 16th, 2021 [August 16th, 2021]
- Crypto leaders are obsessed with life extension. Here's why Cointelegraph Magazine - Cointelegraph - August 14th, 2021 [August 14th, 2021]
- 'Glitchpunk' Available On Steam Early Access - Trailer - WorthPlaying.com - August 11th, 2021 [August 11th, 2021]
- Technologies that change human nature must be treated with caution - Illinoisnewstoday.com - June 30th, 2021 [June 30th, 2021]
- Technology changing human nature must be treated with caution - Independent Australia - June 30th, 2021 [June 30th, 2021]
- Microdosing, And The Gentrification Of Psychedelic Culture. A Conversation With Sociologist Dimitrios Liokaftos - Forbes - June 30th, 2021 [June 30th, 2021]
- JG and the Robots Unveil AI-Driven Audiovisual for "Im Thomas Dolby" - EDM.com - June 30th, 2021 [June 30th, 2021]
- Neil Mackay's Big Read: The dawn of transhumanism - conversations with Dr David Eagleman, the scientist creating a world of real superhumans in his... - June 28th, 2021 [June 28th, 2021]
- A brief history of transhumanism, which imagines a future of perfection, immortality - Firstpost - May 20th, 2021 [May 20th, 2021]
- Into the Darkness Latest Trailer is All About the Double Barrel Shotgun - VRFocus - May 20th, 2021 [May 20th, 2021]
- Disinformation in a time of Covid-19: Weekly Trends in South Africa - Daily Maverick - May 20th, 2021 [May 20th, 2021]
- Elon Musk's Neuralink Has the Tech to Create Super Exotic Dinosaurs - Science Times - April 11th, 2021 [April 11th, 2021]
- Dr. Carrie Madej: COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are transhumanism ... - March 20th, 2021 [March 20th, 2021]
- Agenda 21 How Would You Like to be Forced into a Human ... - March 20th, 2021 [March 20th, 2021]
- In single-player, Disintegration feels like the real Halo 2 to me - Eurogamer.net - March 16th, 2021 [March 16th, 2021]
- Law professor's book examines legal actions impacting future generations | University of Hawaii System News - UH System Current News - February 25th, 2021 [February 25th, 2021]