Worshipping God

The idea of God as enlightenment, as a truth within us, or as an ever present possibility was discussed at the end of the last section as one aspect of the nature of God.  This particular idea of God leads nicely into the consideration that worshipping God is not necessarily restricted to places associated with worship such as a church, synagogue, temple or mosque.

The Christian picture of a shepherd with a sheep over his shoulder as representing an aspect of holiness has all sorts of resonances for Christians that a man or woman with a laptop clearly does not!  Nevertheless, there is every reason to argue that the computer, with the access it gives us to experiences within and beyond ourselves can be the foot of the tree of enlightenment too!  The ritual of logging on opens up new realms so that for instance we can visit communities of our choice and engage with them too.  This may seem like a poor substitute for visiting sacred places but many find a religious solace on-line that they do not find anywhere else.  The isolated, housebound, disabled or elderly, who may have fewer other options, are clearly not the only ones to find their spiritual home at the keyboard.

The religious experience can have something to do with identifying with others who have similar spiritual and emotional needs.  The Internet can enable this to happen; whether or not God has a part in this communion.  Nor does it run counter to the way in which the religions themselves often regard worship to argue that The Internet can be as much a sacred place as a shrine or stupa.  We might wish to recognise that sacred places exist apart from our ordinary lives whilst also regarding all life as sacred and all experiences, including those on The Internet, as potentially in God's domain.

The argument here is that places and experiences are sacred by virtue of the use that we put them to.  This view of worship would see belief more than place as what makes for holiness.  The feeling that God resides where an individual or group behaves in a sacred way, or humbly approaches the mystery of their faith, has wide credence among religions generally and individual sects in particular.  On this understanding of worship, therefore, we might say that God inhabits our minds to the extent that we allow this; and that this applies no less on The Internet than anywhere else.

Buddhism has always emphasised that it is our minds that matter most: 'if the waters of the Ganges could truly wash away sin then all fishes would go straight to heaven' the Buddha says with characteristic wit and wisdom.  In fairness, Hindus have always understood this truth too; recognising that the pilgrim's soul must be carried on God's path too for pilgrimage or the washing away of sins to have any meaning.  And Hindus, perhaps more than other religious groups are just as comfortable worshipping at home as in the temple; often arguing that temples are for simpler souls whose spirituality is less abstract!  Indeed, some Hindus regard no specific places as Sacred and prefer to think about internal sacredness. The Bāuls of Bengal regard the human body as the only shrine, as it contains God.

For many Christians too, it is the holy spirit more than the place of worship that matters most.  These Christians would tend to find all life equally sacred because they see God in Christ as everywhere, making all places, places of worship.  This chimes with the Islamic view that everything God made must be good and have no existence apart from him; the implication being that nowhere is more holy than anywhere else.

Clearly, the idea that all life is worship and that worship goes on everywhere is a truth widely acknowledged in religious thought and practice.  This idea is explored from another angle in the section 'God is Man' and it clearly has implications in relation to God and The Internet at least in so far as The Internet is becoming a more and more important part of our lives and therefore offers increasing opportunities for sacredness.  The argument here is that any place is potentially sacred to the extent that we feel sanctified by being there, and there is no reason to exclude The Internet from this observation.

Another aspect to look at in relation to The Internet and worship is the ritual of logging on and the process of entering the Internet world through a rectangular screen.  The screen can be seen as our access to worship, our symbol and religious focus.  Of course, I am not suggesting that we all use our browsers to become like great Brahmās – for deep meditation on loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity – although there is nothing to stop us from doing so!  Nevertheless, in Buddhist terms, one can make the case that The Internet is indeed, for all it faults, a possibility to be realised; its purity (and its impurity) exists whether we attain it or not.  Nor is it unreasonable in Christian terms to view the computer screen as a potential context for worship in the same way as an altar might be viewed.

Another characteristic of the computer is that it is relatively idolatry free, unlike many churches and cathedrals.  To the Internet searcher after God, the screen and browser is less important than the experience.  It does not matter whether we connect with an Apple, PC or mobile phone, a two inch, 14 inch or 19 inch screen.  It is the prayerful experience and interaction, not the physical icon that determines the quality of the moment.   The Internet God is there for worship in the Internet heaven should we so wish to recognise God's presence there.  And few Internet users, even Apple owners, end up worshipping the wrong thing; the plastic, glass or cable!  In this sense at least, The Internet conforms to the Jewish commandment not to make any graven image of anything in heaven or earth.  The Internet at worst may bring to our eyes and ears all sorts of deprivations, but at least there is little in the way of a disobedient modelling of a golden calf at least in the mechanics of the way that we get on line.  The Internet God may be available to us while we browse or communicate through The Internet but by and large it is not worshipped through idolatry when the power is off.  We log on and we may pray but we do not worship anything sacrilegiously other than the Internet God.   Indeed, within a strand of many religions, the simplicity, lack of ornateness and ordinariness of the computer transaction might be regarded as enhancing rather than detracting from its holiness.  After all, the sanctity of the everyday is a recurring theme in religious discourse.

We have examined in this section some of the ways that The Internet might allow for worship, in spite of a common conception that The Internet is nearer to Mammon than to God.  In the next section, I look at some of the characteristics of The Internet, in particular its communal and sharing nature, and how this too has God-like qualities.