Christopher Helland is an Associate Professor of Sociology of Religion in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Dalhousie University in Canada. He completed a PhD in Sociology of Religion from the University of Toronto in 2004. His research focuses upon religion in contemporary culture from a sociological perspective. Much of his earlier research focused upon UFO religious groups and apocalyptic movements. His primary work explores the impact of the Internet and World Wide Web on a variety of religious traditions and practices. Helland’s current research examines the role of this new media in relation to issues of religious authority and power, religious information seeking behavior, ritual practices, and even changing belief systems. One of his major funded research projects is investigating the effects of 3DVR on ritual practices.
James A. Beckford, University of Warwick (Emeritus), Coventry, UK Helen Berger, West Chester Univ... more James A. Beckford, University of Warwick (Emeritus), Coventry, UK Helen Berger, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA Barbara Bertolani, Reggio Emilia, Italy Steve Bruce, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK Philip Barnes, King’s College London, University of London, UK Francesca Borgonovi, London School of Economics, University of London, UK Irena Borowik, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland David Bromley, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA Paul Chambers, University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd, Wales, UK Simon Coleman, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Peter Collins, University of Durham, Durham, UK Sylvie Collins, Kingston University, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, UK Doug Cowan, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Vivianne Crowley, Heythrop College, University of London, UK Pink Dandelion, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK Grace Davie, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK Andrew Dawson, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK Lorne Dawson, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Michael de Lashmutt, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK Elizabeth de Michelis, Cambridge, UK Michèle Dillon, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA André Droogers, Free University of Amsterdam (Emeritus), Amsterdam, The Netherlands John Eade, Roehampton University, London, UK Peter Edge, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK Doug Ezzy, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia Anne Eyre, Coventry, UK Malcolm Feeley, University of Berkeley, California, USA Emilia Ferraro, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland, UK Kieran Flanagan, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Leslie Francis, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK Brian Gates, University of Cumbria (Emeritus), Lancaster, UK Ron Geaves, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK Susan Greenwood, University of Brighton, UK
This essay introduces some of the key issues associated with virtual religious practices. With th... more This essay introduces some of the key issues associated with virtual religious practices. With the development of the MODEM program and public access to the Internet and then the WWW, online religious activity has flourished. On a most basic level, virtual religion has affected religious community, authority, and identity. However, online religious activity has also changed ritual practices, religious information seeking behaviors, and even people's religious experiences. Virtual religion is having significant impact and changing the way people "do" religion in our wired world. After introducing the topic and key issues, this essay presents an important case study of Virtual Tibet, highlighting the significant changes that can occur in religious beliefs and practices as they are "digitized" and experienced online.
I demonstrate that despite the enormous amount of religion on the Internet, a general classifica... more I demonstrate that despite the enormous amount of religion on the Internet, a general classification can be developed based upon the religious participation occurring at the various websites. I recognise these classifications as 'religion-online' and 'onlinereligion'. Religion-online presents information about religion. It is a controlled environment. The site has been structured to limit participation. In contrast, onlinereligion provides an interactive religious environment for the web practitioner. Because of this difference, individuals and organisations have different perceptions concerning how the Internet should be used for religious purposes. In many cases there is an active form of religious participation occurring. Rituals are conducted, prayers are posted and even communion is carried out on this medium. In other situations the Internet presents material concerning religion to a passively receptive audience. Despite these levels of control, the web surfer is exposed to an enormous number of belief systems and also varying levels of online religious participation.
This paper is a brief summary of a preliminary exploration of certain aspects of independent vide... more This paper is a brief summary of a preliminary exploration of certain aspects of independent video game development in Japan. Initial interviews were conducted with researchers and indie game developers over a two-week period in Tokyo. Independent game developers from Kamakura were also interviewed as part of the research. Initial fieldwork was geared primarily toward doujin level game development and distribution. My key research question focused upon the religious and spiritual dimensions of doujin games. However, after conducting interviews it became clear that developers did not consider the Western frame or classification of religion and spirituality in their development but rather incorporated aspects of tradition, culture and values within their work
This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from t... more This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertaion copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this mproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedttrrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproducli'on. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a compkte manusuipt and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, hafts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand aomer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original mnusuipt have ...
Well over a decade ago, on a Sunday morning for entertainment, I was watching the great charismat... more Well over a decade ago, on a Sunday morning for entertainment, I was watching the great charismatic preacher Oral Roberts. Just by luck I happened upon his sermon in which proclaimed to have recognized the beast from Revelations. In his lament against the beast and Satan he produced a sign of it proof, conformation that the beast was among us and we were fast approaching the end days and the battle of the apocalypse that would herald in the new millennium. His proof was both comical and shocking. From his wallet he produced a credit card bill from Sears or J.C. Penny, and pointed with excitement at the string of numbers at the bottom of the receipt used by the a computer to read the data. There among a string of numbers, irrelevant to the normal person, were three six’s in a row, “666” the number of the beast. He had figured it out; computers were a tool of the devil and a manifestation of the beast amongst us. He told those listening to him that they could easily verify what he had...
... Canada can be seen at the website www. durka. com (the Toronto Sri Durka Hindu Temple), where... more ... Canada can be seen at the website www. durka. com (the Toronto Sri Durka Hindu Temple), where, if you enter through the main door, you are treated to a virtual puja ceremony. In other cases, the authorities of the religious ...
James A. Beckford, University of Warwick (Emeritus), Coventry, UK Helen Berger, West Chester Univ... more James A. Beckford, University of Warwick (Emeritus), Coventry, UK Helen Berger, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA Barbara Bertolani, Reggio Emilia, Italy Steve Bruce, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK Philip Barnes, King’s College London, University of London, UK Francesca Borgonovi, London School of Economics, University of London, UK Irena Borowik, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland David Bromley, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA Paul Chambers, University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd, Wales, UK Simon Coleman, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Peter Collins, University of Durham, Durham, UK Sylvie Collins, Kingston University, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, UK Doug Cowan, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Vivianne Crowley, Heythrop College, University of London, UK Pink Dandelion, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK Grace Davie, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK Andrew Dawson, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK Lorne Dawson, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Michael de Lashmutt, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK Elizabeth de Michelis, Cambridge, UK Michèle Dillon, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA André Droogers, Free University of Amsterdam (Emeritus), Amsterdam, The Netherlands John Eade, Roehampton University, London, UK Peter Edge, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK Doug Ezzy, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia Anne Eyre, Coventry, UK Malcolm Feeley, University of Berkeley, California, USA Emilia Ferraro, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland, UK Kieran Flanagan, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Leslie Francis, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK Brian Gates, University of Cumbria (Emeritus), Lancaster, UK Ron Geaves, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK Susan Greenwood, University of Brighton, UK
This essay introduces some of the key issues associated with virtual religious practices. With th... more This essay introduces some of the key issues associated with virtual religious practices. With the development of the MODEM program and public access to the Internet and then the WWW, online religious activity has flourished. On a most basic level, virtual religion has affected religious community, authority, and identity. However, online religious activity has also changed ritual practices, religious information seeking behaviors, and even people's religious experiences. Virtual religion is having significant impact and changing the way people "do" religion in our wired world. After introducing the topic and key issues, this essay presents an important case study of Virtual Tibet, highlighting the significant changes that can occur in religious beliefs and practices as they are "digitized" and experienced online.
I demonstrate that despite the enormous amount of religion on the Internet, a general classifica... more I demonstrate that despite the enormous amount of religion on the Internet, a general classification can be developed based upon the religious participation occurring at the various websites. I recognise these classifications as 'religion-online' and 'onlinereligion'. Religion-online presents information about religion. It is a controlled environment. The site has been structured to limit participation. In contrast, onlinereligion provides an interactive religious environment for the web practitioner. Because of this difference, individuals and organisations have different perceptions concerning how the Internet should be used for religious purposes. In many cases there is an active form of religious participation occurring. Rituals are conducted, prayers are posted and even communion is carried out on this medium. In other situations the Internet presents material concerning religion to a passively receptive audience. Despite these levels of control, the web surfer is exposed to an enormous number of belief systems and also varying levels of online religious participation.
This paper is a brief summary of a preliminary exploration of certain aspects of independent vide... more This paper is a brief summary of a preliminary exploration of certain aspects of independent video game development in Japan. Initial interviews were conducted with researchers and indie game developers over a two-week period in Tokyo. Independent game developers from Kamakura were also interviewed as part of the research. Initial fieldwork was geared primarily toward doujin level game development and distribution. My key research question focused upon the religious and spiritual dimensions of doujin games. However, after conducting interviews it became clear that developers did not consider the Western frame or classification of religion and spirituality in their development but rather incorporated aspects of tradition, culture and values within their work
This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from t... more This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertaion copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this mproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedttrrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproducli'on. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a compkte manusuipt and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, hafts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand aomer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original mnusuipt have ...
Well over a decade ago, on a Sunday morning for entertainment, I was watching the great charismat... more Well over a decade ago, on a Sunday morning for entertainment, I was watching the great charismatic preacher Oral Roberts. Just by luck I happened upon his sermon in which proclaimed to have recognized the beast from Revelations. In his lament against the beast and Satan he produced a sign of it proof, conformation that the beast was among us and we were fast approaching the end days and the battle of the apocalypse that would herald in the new millennium. His proof was both comical and shocking. From his wallet he produced a credit card bill from Sears or J.C. Penny, and pointed with excitement at the string of numbers at the bottom of the receipt used by the a computer to read the data. There among a string of numbers, irrelevant to the normal person, were three six’s in a row, “666” the number of the beast. He had figured it out; computers were a tool of the devil and a manifestation of the beast amongst us. He told those listening to him that they could easily verify what he had...
... Canada can be seen at the website www. durka. com (the Toronto Sri Durka Hindu Temple), where... more ... Canada can be seen at the website www. durka. com (the Toronto Sri Durka Hindu Temple), where, if you enter through the main door, you are treated to a virtual puja ceremony. In other cases, the authorities of the religious ...
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