Part II - Church and Cyberspace

2. Church and Cyberspace

2.1 Introduction

Anything new has its own importance in the life of our Church. Normally we discuss its pros and cons for a long time, pending decisions will sometimes retort and destroys its growth drastically. For the last one decade we are seeing a remarkable growth in computer aided information storage, retrieval and transportation, and for the last five years it has been changed from just information to knowledge management. The technological development in this area is so fast that yesterday’s language and grammar becomes obsolete for tomorrow. Even English, the till accepted official language for computation, can be outmoded by Sanskrit, our Dravidic language, NASA is doing a fare amount of work in this field.

At this juncture, the ever widening spectrum of Internet has its influence in the life of the common man. Since manufacturing and transportation cost for the components still reduces the total cost for any new equipment and henceforth the technology. Bandwidth, which was a very crucial for the communication, now comes with very low cost, even in our villages. The affluence which had been the privilege of selected few in the metros now became common even in the interior places just with normal telephone line and wire free. The Youth, whom are well exposed to internet and its services, should be given proper guidance for the making of next generation.

At this point, the duty of the Church, the enormous possibilities, which She should use are discussed here in this expose. Especially our Church here in Kerala, headquartered in Cochin, which is supposed to be the IT Hub of Asia[i] as well as the next Silicon Wally, can do a lot more than any Church in the world. Proper guidance and support from the community is needed for that.

2.2 Church’s Position on Internet

The Church's interest in the Internet is a particular expression of her longstanding interest in the media of social communication. Seeing the media as an outcome of the historical scientific process by which humankind “advances further and further in the discovery of the resources and values contained in the whole of creation”,[ii] the Church often has declared her conviction that they are, in the words of the Second Vatican Council, “marvellous technical inventions”[iii] that already do much to meet human needs and may yet do even more.[iv]
Thus the Church has taken a fundamentally positive approach to the media. Even when condemning serious abuses, documents of Pontifical Council for Social Communications have made it clear. The Church has a two-fold aim in regard to the media. One aspect is to encourage their right development and right use for the sake of human development, justice, and peace—for the upbuilding of society at the local, national, and community levels in light of the common good and in a spirit of solidarity.[v]
Pope John Paul II has called the media “the first Areopagus of the modern age”, and declared that “it is not enough to use the media simply to spread the Christian message and the Church's authentic teaching. It is also necessary to integrate that message into the ‘new culture' created by modern communications”[vi]. Doing that is all the more important today, since not only do the media now strongly influence what people think about life but also to a great extent “human experience itself is an experience of media”[vii].
Like today's world itself, the world of media, including the Internet, has been brought by Christ, inchoately yet truly, within the boundaries of the kingdom of God and placed in service to the word of salvation. Yet “far from diminishing our concern to develop this earth, the expectancy of a new earth should spur us on, for it is here that the body of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in some way the age which is to come”[viii]
Even though the world of social communications “may at times seem at odds with the Christian message, it also offers unique opportunities for proclaiming the saving truth of Christ to the whole human family. Consider...the positive capacities of the Internet to carry religious information and teaching beyond all barriers and frontiers. Such a wide audience would have been beyond the wildest imaginings of those who preached the Gospel before us.[ix]
God continues to communicate with humanity through the Church, the bearer and custodian of his revelation, to whose living teaching office alone he has entrusted the task of authentically interpreting his word[x] Moreover, the Church herself is a communio, a communion of persons and Eucharistic communities arising from and mirroring the communion of the Trinity;[xi] communication therefore is of the essence of the Church. This, more than any other reason, is why “the Church's practice of communication should be exemplary, reflecting the highest standards of truthfulness, accountability, sensitivity to human rights, and other relevant principles and norms”[xii]
The documents of Pontifical Council for Social Communications suggests some virtues that need to be cultivated by everyone who wants to make good use of the Internet, they are:
Prudence is necessary in order clearly to see the implications — the potential for good and evil—in this new medium and to respond creatively to its challenges and opportunities.
Justice is needed, especially justice in working to close the digital divide — the gap between the information-rich and the information-poor in today's world. This requires a commitment to the international common good, no less than the “globalization of solidarity”
Fortitude, courage, is necessary. This means standing up for truth in the face of religious and moral relativism, for altruism and generosity in the face of individualistic consumerism, for decency in the face of sensuality and sin.
And temperance is needed — a self-disciplined approach to this remarkable technological instrument, the Internet, so as to use it wisely and only for good.[xiii]
Christ is “the perfect communicator”[xiv] the norm and model of the Church's approach to communication, as well as the content that the Church is obliged to communicate.

2.2.1 Sacraments in Cyberspace
The virtual reality of cyberspace has some worrisome implications for religion as well as for other areas of life. Virtual reality is no substitute for the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the sacramental reality of the other sacraments, and shared worship in a flesh-and-blood human community. There are no sacraments on the Internet; and even the religious experiences possible there by the grace of God are insufficient apart from real-world interaction with other persons of faith. Here is another aspect of the Internet that calls for study and reflection. At the same time, pastoral planning should consider how to lead people from cyberspace to true community and how, through teaching and catechesis, the Internet might subsequently be used to sustain and enrich them in their Christian commitment.[xv]
2.2.2 Cyber Evangelization

Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to proclaim the Gospel, calling all people to conversion and faith (cf. Mk 1:14-15). After his resurrection, he entrusted the continuation of his mission of evangelization to the Apostles (cf. Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:4-7; Acts 1:3): “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (Jn 20:21, cf. 17:18). By means of the Church, Christ wants to be present in every historical epoch, every place on earth and every sector of society, in order to reach every person, so that there may be one flock and one shepherd (cf. Jn 10:16): “Go out into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:15-16).[xvi]

The Apostles, therefore, “prompted by the Spirit, invited all to change their lives, to be converted and to be baptized”, because the “pilgrim Church is necessary for salvation”. It is the same Lord Jesus Christ who, present in his Church, goes before the work of evangelizers, accompanies it, follows it, and makes their labours bear fruit: what took place at the origins of Christian history continues throughout its entire course[xvii]. Witnessing, proclamation and Sacramental life are the very important elements of evangelization. Since Sacramental life in Cyberspace is not possible, the concept of Cyber Evangelization can’t be carried out fully. Witnessing and proclamation can be done through it.
2.2.3 Cyberspace and E-Catechesis
Faith formation through the Internet for all age group is an achievable task. The pre-formatted text, voice and video can be combined together and can be posted for users. Since many are working away from there home country and away from their own rites, getting catechesis in their own language can be made possible through cyberspace. Late Pope John Paul II once said “Whether we are young or old, let us rise to the challenge of new discoveries and technologies by bringing to them a moral vision rooted in our religious faith, in our respect for the human person, and our commitment to transform the world in accordance with God's plan”[xviii].
Several years ago, the New York Times Sunday Magazine carried a brief news item under the title ‘Religion; Wired into the Monks.’ It described some of the technology initiatives launched by the cloistered community of the Monastery of Christ in the desert in New Mexico. The news paper reported that one of the monks, a former computer programmer, was in process of developing ‘a worldwide virtual community for Catholics’. It was a project to ‘put Christ in the Desert’s monastic liturgy online’ so that ‘people anywhere, anytime will be able to see, hear and pray with the monks, who will be in chapel using IBM provided flat panel displays instead of choir books’[xix].
2.2.4 The Patron Saint of Cyberspace
In February, 2001 the media broke the news that Pope John Paul II was expected to soon name a Patron Saint of the Internet. They reported that the selection for that post has not yet been made, but the leading contender is St. Isidore of Seville, who is attributed with writing the world's first encyclopaedia more than 1,400 years ago. The nomination was made by Spanish religious groups who already had designated their countryman as a "protector" of the World Wide Web in 1999.
Although computer experts are not known for expressing their spiritual preferences, the Observation Service for Internet[xx], an initiative inspired by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, has carried out research in different realms of the world of computers and cyberspace to discover the saint who best reflects the concerns and ideals of the experts.
The patron chosen by the pioneers of the new frontier of technology is Saint Isidore, who was born in Seville, Spain in 556. "The saint who wrote the well-known 'Etymologies' (a type of dictionary), gave his work a structure akin to that of the database. He began a system of thought known today as "flashes;" it is very modern, notwithstanding the fact it was discovered in the sixth century. Saint Isidore accomplished his work with great coherence: it is complete and its features are complementary in themselves."
But this is not the only reason Saint Isidore is identified with computer experts. The Saint from Seville "was ahead of his time and constituted a cultural bridge between the Ancient and Medieval Ages. This also makes us feel close to him, as we are at the beginning of a new stage in history," explained one of the experts interviewed by the Observation Service of Internet.
Saint Isidore was a key figure at the Council of Toledo, in 633. He was known for his concern for the proper formation of the clergy, for his generosity to the poor and for his humility: when he knew he was dying he asked publicly for forgiveness for the faults of his past life. He died a holy death on April 4, 636.

2.3 The Presence of Religion on the Internet
The religious uses of the Internet evoke parallels with television, but there are important differences as well. At least three crucial differences come to mind:
(1) The Internet is an interactive and not simply broadcast medium;
(2) Anyone can launch themselves onto the World Wide Web with relative ease and little expense,
(3) The Internet is truly global in its reach.
With a comparatively small investment in time and money I can make my religious views known, at least potentially, to hundreds of thousands of others throughout the world. Television is the preserve essentially of small cultural elite. The World Wide Web is open in principle and in practice to almost anyone.
Religion is abundantly present on the World Wide Web and a host of Internet chat and news groups. Every major world religion is represented, every major and minor Christian denomination, almost all new religious movements, thousands of specific churches, and countless web pages operated by individual believers, self-declared gurus, prophets, shamans, apostates, and other moral entrepreneurs. In addition the net has spawned its own religious creations, from mega sites of cyber-spirituality to virtual "churches," and strictly online religions. To this mix we can add numerous commercial sites wishing to turn a profit on our spiritual appetites, providing us with religious news, selling us religious paraphernalia, and acting as network nodes for links to hundreds of other sites. There are also many sites launched to educate the public or to pursue a diverse array of religious causes.
On the Internet people can read about religion, talk with others about religion, download religious texts and documents, buy religious books and artifacts, take virtual tours of galleries of religious art or the interiors of religious buildings, search scriptures using electronic indexes, locate churches and religious centers, participate in rituals or mediation sessions, vote on organizational propositions, see images of their religious leaders, watch video clips, and listen to religious music, sermons, prayers, testimonials, and discourses. Soon they may even be able to feel the texture of objects appearing on their screen or smell the aroma of the virtual incense burning on the computer generated altar to their gods. The technology exists to simulate both.

2.3.1 Need of the Hour
The Church also needs to understand and use the Internet as a tool of internal communications. This requires keeping clearly in view its special character as a direct, immediate, interactive, and participatory medium. Already, the two-way interactivity of the Internet is blurring the old distinction between those who communicate and those who receive what is communicated, and creating a situation in which, potentially at least, everyone can do both. This is not the one-way, top-down communication of the past. As more and more people become familiar with this characteristic of the Internet in other areas of their lives, they can be expected also to look for it in regard to religion and the Church.[xxi]
2.4 Conclusion
The growth in the religious uses of the Internet is so extensive that the number of sites available exceeds the capacity of existing search engines and other specific online and off-line guides. No one can keep pace with all the changes. There is a need, however, to begin to map the terrain better. We need to know more about what is on the net, who has put it there, and why. This should involve the content analysis of sites, as well as surveying and interviewing the creators, moderators, and users of specific web sites, community sites, newsgroups, list serves, and chat rooms. We need to develop a more precise profile of the users of online religious materials and opportunities. We need to identify who actually is using the net in this way, i.e., their age, ethnicity, occupations, geographic locations, religious backgrounds, etc. What are their habits, their motivations, and the consequences of their actions? Does "virtual religiosity" exist already? If so, how, why, and to what effect?
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[i] Survey Report by MATRIX, Marian College Kuttikkanam.
[ii] John Paul II, encyclical letter Laborem Exercens, n. 25; cf. Vatican Council II, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, n. 34.
[iii] Vatican Council II, Decree on the Means of Social Communication, Inter Mirifica, n. 1.
[iv] Pontifical Council for Social Communications, The Church And Internet, n. 1
[v] Pontifical Council for Social Communications, The Church And Internet, n. 3
[vi] Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, n. 37.
[vii] Aetatis Novae, n. 2.
[viii] Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Ethics in Internet, n. 18
[ix] Pontifical Council for Social Communications, The Church And Internet, n. 4
[x] Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, n. 10.
[xi] Aetatis Novae, n. 10.
[xii] Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Ethics in Communications, n. 26.
[xiii] Pontifical Council for Social Communications, The Church And Internet, n. 12
[xiv] Communio et Progressio, n. 11.
[xv] Pontifical Council for Social Communications, The Church And Internet, n. 9
[xvi] Doctrine of Faith, Doctrinal note on some aspects of Evangelization, n1
[xvii] Doctrine of Faith, Doctrinal note on some aspects of Evangelization, n3
[xviii] Pope John Paull II, Message on World Communication day 1990.
[xix] Concilium, Ritual and New Media, Nathan D. Mitchell, p 90
[xx] http:/www.ua-ambit.org/soi/soi.htm
[xxi] Pontifical Council for Social Communications, The Church And Internet, n. 6