Spirituality & Tech Merge: Five Initiatives

Published 16 December 2024

Author

2 min read

In 2022, 24% of Americans said their religion had changed over their lifetime, leading some to new practices (PRRI, 2023). As mindsets regarding religion shift, religious and spiritual practices are digitalising, aiming to become more convenient or inclusive. We list five initiatives merging faith and tech.

Virtual & Inclusive Churches: On digital gaming platform Roblox, players across the Philippines, Vietnam and Poland have started virtual Catholic congregations (not recognised by the Catholic Church). These virtual churches extend a warm welcome to queer believers. Roblox Filipino Catholics welcomes queer individuals who feel excluded from Catholic services. Members report feeling free to attend services without having to alter their identity.
AI-Powered Spirituality: In August 2024, Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland installed a temporary artificial-intelligence-(AI)-powered Jesus interface in a confession booth, dubbed Deus in Machina. It’s trained on theological texts and – while it wasn’t intended to function as a confessional – two-thirds of visitors have described talking to the AI Jesus as a “spiritual experience” (The Guardian, 2024).

Roblox

Deus In Machina

Celeb-Supported Digital Prayer: US-based Christian app Hallow offers daily audio-guided prayer sessions. For the Advent period (roughly the 25 days before Christmas), Hallow is providing 25 guided prayer sessions, created in collaboration with American singer Gwen Stefani and popular Christian musicians.
Apps for Faithful Lifestyles: Indonesian app Momasa helps Indonesian Muslims stick to a halal diet. Launched in 2023, the app features halal recipes, cooking tutorials, restaurant guides and a barcode scanner for halal products.
Digitalised Tarot: As non-religious spirituality grows, online tarot platforms are surfacing. US-based Moonlight offers immersive tarot readings. Users can either choose to pay for a tarot reading with a professional or do readings themselves or with friends. To guide users, an explanation of each card pops up when drawn during a reading.

Hallow

Momasa

Moonlight

Momasa

Moonlight