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Analog Faith in a Digital Age

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
Analog Faith in a Digital Age

We are at a moment in history where we are seeing an interesting schism taking place. On the one hand secularization is growing and being reinforced by the usage of smartphones and the internet; but it is also causing a rise and stronger attachment to ones faith. What is it about the internet that is driving this age old wedge, deeper?

"The internet is changing how we process information and trust the sources from which it comes. To cope with the relentless flow of incoming information, in which fake and real are increasingly indistinguishable, we are developing defaults of distrust and trust in which atheism and fundamentalism can flourish but other forms of religious belief are difficult to sustain. Those most affected by these developments are Gen Z, the smartphone generation.

But the challenges the internet poses to belief extend beyond Gen Z, and even beyond religion. Our capacity and motivation to assess the relative credibility of conflicting claims, or the trustworthiness of competing sources of information more generally, depends ultimately on our preserving analog forms of belief that leave room for nuance and uncertainty. A digital world with no room for analog faith is a world in which reasoned debate between people holding different beliefs is ultimately impossible."
 

vulcanlogician

Well-Known Member
It's always been this way. Now, the scheme through which information is peddled is better understood. Instead of reliable information, we get "convenient" information. In bite-sized chunks. Pre-chewed if we insist. Who cares if it's incorrect? It does the job without annoying us.

That sort of information is going to be WAY more popular than verified information, being as tedious to sort through as verified information is to digest.
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
I thought this thread might have been about analog computers - something which we studied along with digital ones, it being so long ago. Guess which ones won out? But did they - could be the future is analog. :oops:
 

Ella S.

Dispassionate Goth
In my opinion, the information we relied on was always poor. The internet has merely helped us recognize how limited our knowledge truly is.

More skepticism is productive for the healthy mind. Most people greatly overestimate their own knowledge and do not fully understand the limits of their awareness. We have been too ignorant of our own ignorance for thousands of years now.

Although, I think we should be weary of the pseudoskeptics who mistake personal doubt for evidence of a negative claim. I do indeed recognize the irony of me saying that, given that I am a gnostic atheist, but I do not support such fallacious methods of reasoning.
 

wellwisher

Well-Known Member
Analog Faith in a Digital Age

We are at a moment in history where we are seeing an interesting schism taking place. On the one hand secularization is growing and being reinforced by the usage of smartphones and the internet; but it is also causing a rise and stronger attachment to ones faith. What is it about the internet that is driving this age old wedge, deeper?

"The internet is changing how we process information and trust the sources from which it comes. To cope with the relentless flow of incoming information, in which fake and real are increasingly indistinguishable, we are developing defaults of distrust and trust in which atheism and fundamentalism can flourish but other forms of religious belief are difficult to sustain. Those most affected by these developments are Gen Z, the smartphone generation.

But the challenges the internet poses to belief extend beyond Gen Z, and even beyond religion. Our capacity and motivation to assess the relative credibility of conflicting claims, or the trustworthiness of competing sources of information more generally, depends ultimately on our preserving analog forms of belief that leave room for nuance and uncertainty. A digital world with no room for analog faith is a world in which reasoned debate between people holding different beliefs is ultimately impossible."

Digital does not necessarily mean better than analog. The Digital approach is based on using approximations, like JPEG and MP3. These approximation look or sound similar to the larger and more detailed raw data. However, these are compressed, to limit storage space, for faster transmission of data. In this digital world of approximations, there is less need for critical thinking, since the original complexity is compressed into bottom lines that look and sound like the real thing; meme, but lack full analysis.

Surfing the web has also altered how we look at information. The hyperlink approach of the web, causes us to jump laterally and/or vertically between what we read, causing gaps in the normal logical sequences of events found in life and books. Life is not based on commercial breaks and limited attention span. It reminds me of how we move in dreams, instead of in hard reality.

Cell phones, which are part of the modern digital age, have made people less independent in terms of thinking on their own. It is so easy to ask Google, that there is no need think and reason on your own. How do I tie my shoe laces again? This approach may be causing a memory dump; cloud storage instead of a good working memory.

When I was younger, there was a funny anecdotal observation connected to husbands and wives driving somewhere, and getting lost. The husband would be stubborn and wish to find his way, while the wife would prefer stop and ask for directions. They may drive around arguing until either the husbands finds the road or the wife get him to stop and ask the man in the street.

The cells phone has made more people wives and fewer people husbands. Fewer people, today, try to navigate the issues. Most prefer to look at biased opinion pieces to find their way. It is as though if someone else tells you something, that is now worth more than your own thinking and common sense. This has led more people to become fooled by misinformation; bad directions for the lost tourists.
 

Exaltist Ethan

Bridging the Gap Between Believers and Skeptics
You know I had a thought like this recently. But I didn't blame our Internet age for doing this (although you make good points) but rather things like COVID, natural disasters, school shootings ... the atheists will claim this is why God doesn't exist - theists will argue that this encourages and strengthens faith rather than dismiss it.

As far as how I view it ... again, I am the ridges of this two-sided coin. The way I see it God created reality as we see it now, and parts of that reality love you, while other parts are oblivious or don't. So I don't see it so negative as the atheists will point out, yet I don't see it as positive as the theists. My parents and friends love and care about me, so why do I need the entire scope of God to as well? I am cared about towards the people I care about and that's what matters to me.
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
You know I had a thought like this recently. But I didn't blame our Internet age for doing this (although you make good points) but rather things like COVID, natural disasters, school shootings ... the atheists will claim this is why God doesn't exist - theists will argue that this encourages and strengthens faith rather than dismiss it.
I'm not sure this is true, given that most atheists probably have several reasons as to why they are such, and perhaps what happens in the human realm not being that relevant at all - given they might see plenty of reasons as to why things happen without the necessity to interpose any God in human lives. Anyway, that is not how I came to have no essential belief in God or gods, since I think there are sufficient explanations as to those things cited without having recourse to accusations concerning any God or lack of such.
 

mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
You know I had a thought like this recently. But I didn't blame our Internet age for doing this (although you make good points) but rather things like COVID, natural disasters, school shootings ... the atheists will claim this is why God doesn't exist - theists will argue that this encourages and strengthens faith rather than dismiss it.

As far as how I view it ... again, I am the ridges of this two-sided coin. The way I see it God created reality as we see it now, and parts of that reality love you, while other parts are oblivious or don't. So I don't see it so negative as the atheists will point out, yet I don't see it as positive as the theists. My parents and friends love and care about me, so why do I need the entire scope of God to as well? I am cared about towards the people I care about and that's what matters to me.

Well, I looked closer and found out that not all Gods are theistic, so I am an atheist and a believer in a non-theistic philosophical God.
So we are back at the base problem. Which of the many Gods is the right one?
 

Exaltist Ethan

Bridging the Gap Between Believers and Skeptics
Well, I looked closer and found out that not all Gods are theistic, so I am an atheist and a believer in a non-theistic philosophical God.

So we are back at the base problem. Which of the many Gods is the right one?

The one you know.

This is going to sound confusing, but I'd rather talk to a gnostic about his or her knowledge of God than someone who believes because of their leap of faith. It sounds like you not only believe but somehow know this non-theistic philosophical God - I do too. I call it change. Everything changes; nature is a catalyst for change on Earth, which led to the creation of humans, who then became the dominion of Earth.

I consider faith and doubt to be very similar. If you have faith in someone rather than knowledge, you acknowledge there are parts you don't know, leading to doubt!

As far as "which of the many Gods is the right one?" Is entirely up to you. Jesus could be God. But if Jesus is God, then I suggest reading things like the Nag Hammadi scriptures, or even the Urantia book to strengthen your knowledge and to know God, rather than leaving things to faith.

Anyone who says things like, "all religions require faith" are essentially saying, "nobody can know the true religion." This agnosticism is poison and leads people to be in dasein. I'd rather talk to a gnostic atheist, a gnostic Christian, or anyone who knows and understands his or her God, Gods or lack thereof than someone who always relies on some kind of blind faith to carry him forward.

Faith is a cop out. Study God and become gnostic. I don't care if it's gnosticism I agree with or not.
 
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