The Relation of Technology and Religion
Religion all around the world has failed humanity. It had little help to offer when the pandemic struck which devastated the lives of countless humans. I believe the direction in these uncharted waters was provided by science and not religious texts. When I think about it, religion, in general, has failed to keep up with modern times. It has nothing relevant to say about modern-day technologies, and the problems that they will cause.
Religion is supposed to play the role of placating the woes of the people. How can it understand the depths of suffering if it is itself indifferent to the current times? I’m pretty sure that the Vedas the Quran or the Bible have no answer to the problems that will be engendered because of Artificial Intelligence and Biotechnology. Well, guess why? It’s because it still preaches antiquated messages and even if it does address the modern world problems, it only does so vaguely.
My biggest problem with religion is that it still holds firm the belief that the sacred texts written thousands of years ago are the absolute truth and that they should be practiced at face value. Those texts in my opinion are mere philosophies that should be read, comprehended as per one’s intellect and life experiences, and applied in our own lives to realize our truth. Notice, that I emphasize the idea of realizing your truth and not blindly accepting what is fed to us verbatim. Another aspect of religion that exasperates me is the outward practice of religion I observe in every walk of life. It’s imbecilic and ludicrous.
I believe that every religion should be modified and revamped ever so often to keep in touch with reality and practicality. We as humans are expected to learn and grow at every stage of life. However, why is it that religion is exempted from this ideology? Religion, I believe has been essential for mass cooperation. It has been the anchor that drives economic growth and technological advancements. However, the role of religion in this technologically advanced age is one to ponder upon. When humans, in general, are working on the path to achieving immortality and revolutionizing the way we see our world, does religion stand a chance of surviving in this environment, say, a couple of centuries from today? It just so happened that the book I was reading “Homo Deus” and a movie I watched recently “Ankhon Dekhi” complemented each other in such a way that it planted the above question of religion and technology in my head. Hence my two cents on the topic.
