Saturday, August 2, 2008

Organized religions lag behind Scientology on Internet

Religion has always advertised - regardless of the denomination. That's not a value statement, but one of fact.

Some say it's brainwashing disguised as philosophy and others consider it existential salvation. The reason doesn't really matter - in order to acquire new members and continue their heavenly mission most religions must press the flesh and bring in new converts.

We're all familiar with the traditional methods - the pamphlets, the yelling, the slightly disturbing comics handed out by grammar-school-age children who aren't actually in school - but none of those matter anymore.

They are relics of an archaic time.

Organized religions are lagging behind in their proselytizing technique. The Internet is the religious wave of the future - and Scientology is riding it like champion surfer.

The press has been remarkably unkind to the Church of Scientology and often fails to point out the positive things it does.

I can sympathize with the media though. It's got to be difficult cherry picking the good stuff when the weird stuff just pours all around you. It's like trying to find a silver dollar in a swimming pool full of Jello.

All joking aside, this lack of positive mainstream attention has forced Scientology to take its message to the public in a rather modern way - it uses the Internet.

Those looking to join the Church of Scientology can log onto its Web site, look over recruitment materials and read about the history of the church. There is also a free online personality exam, which comes with a caveat as potential Scientologists must sign up for a meeting time to find out the exam's result.

That last part makes the whole thing kind of sketchy, but there are some interesting lessons to be learned from this.

Traditional organized religions do have a presence on the Internet, but most sites are superficial at best. Those with resources have Web pages that look slick and feature Web 2.0 interfaces that pop with color and flashy graphics, but ultimately they fail to deliver in substantive ways.

These sites miss the point of the religious experience. To most people, religion is about a personal connection with their chosen deity and the self-evaluation and betterment that come about from that connection.

Whether it's a scam or not, Scientology's personality exam and Web community are strong ways of getting its potential members to evaluate their lives and draw them into the church.

That's the one thing that seems to terrify people most about Scientology - it understands what its followers want and uses it to draw them in.

Traditional organized religion could learn a thing or two from Scientology.

I know I'm on shaky ground here. After all, I just suggested that traditional religions should take advice from a group that is widely classified as a cult and a scam.

My reasoning is sound, though.

All major religions in the United States are interested in the acquisition of young people. They are aware of the mortality of their current congregation and many churches are seeking out new, younger members.

Some churches, such as the modern full-gospel churches that blend pop music with religion, have done an excellent job of modifying their style to attract younger adherents.

However these groups are not organized into a unifying structure and often exist as regional centers with loose affiliation to other regional groups.

More organized religious groups, most notably the Catholic Church, have struggled in recent years to draw in new blood and their ranks have diminished.

The Internet could be solution to this problem.

With each successive generation, knowledge of and access to the Internet has increased, and its penetration into society will only grow deeper with time. It's foolish for traditional religions, both organized and regional, to ignore the Internet.

Scientology has a natural advantage. After all, the odds are pretty good that someone interested in a religion based on a science fiction novel would also be fairly Internet savvy.

That's just a head start, though, and doesn't mean Scientology will replace traditional organized religions. However, they are competing for the same prize.

Whether people like it or not, modern religion is more like a business than it ever has been.

Churches are competing for congregants and the leaders are treated like the CEOs of major companies.

If traditional organized religions are going to compete for the attention of young people, they will have to adopt modern methods to do so, but not just superficially.

Flashy sites without substance will not cut it. The online presence of traditional organized religion must convey the sense of community and belonging they represent.

Otherwise they may find themselves behind the curve even more.