Religion's role in age of information explored

In the information age, the role of religion is called into question. Issues have surfaced concerning how the traditional concept of religion fits in with the rapid changes happening in the way people communicate and access information.

This complex issue was the topic of a panel discussion yesterday afternoon at Rackham Amphitheater in front of an audience of about 50 people.

The panel, "God in the Information Age: god.com," was moderated by University English and religion Prof. Ralph Williams. The panelists included Duke University religion Prof. Bruce Lawrence, retired University of California at Santa Barbara religion Prof. Charles Long and University Buddhist studies and psychology Prof. Luis Gomez.

NATHAN RUFFER/Daily Prof. Bruce Lawrence, religion department chair at Duke University, holds up the cover of Time Magazine titled "God.com" as part of a panel discussion in Rackham Auditorium yesterday.

The panel discussion accompanied the trilogy of lectures given by Lawrence at the University earlier this week. The University is his first stop on a tour of eight universities sponsored by the American Academy of Religions.

To begin the discussion, Lawrence spoke on the "melting pot" of religions in the United States. He said the country is becoming increasingly homogenized in its beliefs - or blending different religions.

Long pointed out that this blending is not a product of new forms of communication, but rather is something that has existed for centuries, even in Hellenic times.

Another concern Long voiced was the way people consider it a benefit to increase the speed of communication for speed's sake.

"It's a thing in itself, but it's up to us to discover if it's a good thing or not," Long said.

University alumnus Jenny Yoon said she attended the panel because she likes interaction between the audience and the panelists.

Audience members brought up the lack of physical presence on the Internet, which they felt was necessary for a sense of spiritual community. Williams spoke of the "full body presence" that he feels is needed in human interaction, complete with body-language and interruptions.

But since religion can also be defined as a set of abstract ideas, Long said, the Internet works well with religion. "If religion is ideas, the Internet feeds into this concept of disembodied ideas," Long said.

Audience members also raised concerns about the credibility of the Internet when people are looking for information about religions they are not familiar with.

"You can't believe everything by e-mail, you can't believe everything you look up on the web," Lawrence said.

Earlier this week Lawrence spoke on a variety of religious issues including the question of a unified religion in America and the shift from civil society to information society. Last night he gave his last lecture, "Revisiting Religious Pluralism."

"I think he (Lawrence) hits the mark on many issues," said Yoon, but added that she thought the panel was too broad and should have been broken down into more concrete issues.

02-12-99