Context determines content. So too with sacred space.
Whether or not God exists, the mental artifacts we relate to transcendence do - call these symbols "gods." Though we can't say how the digital revolution will affect God, we can say how it might impact our gods.
Look at previous shifts in communications technology. The gods worshiped in ancient oral communities vanished when their names were no longer invoked. It is no coincidence that the persons at the center of major contemporary religions - Moses, Jesus, Lao-tzu, Buddha - arose along with the emergence of writing. The invention of the printing press further extended the reach of these new, textual gods. Print enlarged the vocabulary of the community, and people could see themselves with greater subtlety. The gods, consequently, grew more subtle as well.
Now digital media are generating digital gods.
Digital gods are distributed deities, verbs and modifiers rather than nouns. As scenario planning has done for government and business, digital gods will transform "the future" from a single state into a spectrum of possibilities. The future will become a function of our choice, emphasizing human responsibility for cocreating the multiverse. At the same time, quantum mechanics will define our consensus reality in place of Newtonian laws. Spacetime infolding upon itself means gods will again play games with human beings, throwing dice with the universe.
Digital gods will anticipate our mistakes and let us make them so we can learn. They will learn, too, and together we will climb a spiral of mutual transformation. The boundaries of individuals and communities will grow more permeable. The myth of individualism will morph as we see that we cannot exist apart from our community life.
Luminous constructs will define sacred spaces. Cathedrals of light like kaleidoscopes will turn with the wheel of the seasons. Beings of light will manifest themselves in shapes as transitory and fragile as ourselves. Compassion for that which is passing will elicit forbearance and gratitude. The digital world is a gift. Given. And we are grateful.
Richard Thieme (www.thiemeworks.com/), a professional speaker and business consultant, writes Islands in the Clickstream, a weekly newsletter investigating the impact of technology.
IDEES FORTES
Digital Revelation
