FLASH
Shkruar nga Massimo Gaggi
A Christ like Captain America is better...
The buildings of the metropolis collapse. Monsters and seven-headed dragons pretend to be no more. People flee in terror. Squadrons of angels appear in the sky. Then, in a blinding flash, a white knight descends from the clouds with a drawn sword. A scene from a fantasy movie or a video game like Dungeons and Dragons? No: it's a video inspired by the Book of Revelation (or Apocalypse) of John (perhaps the Evangelist), created two thousand years later with artificial intelligence. Produced by the Bible (AI) platform of Pray.com, a commercial company with 25 million users that calls itself "the world leader in faith and prayer apps."
Now that the days of despair over Charlie Kirk's murder and conflict are over, with MAGAs accusing the left of inciting hatred, in turn accused of politically exploiting the death of the Point of No Return leader, the question arises as to whether the assassination (a martyrdom for the right) will have an impact on American religiosity.
Whether Kirk's wife, Erika,'s appeal for peace and forgiveness will succeed, or whether conflict will prevail, with Christian nationalists galvanized into the offensive, remains to be seen. Some, even among conservatives, warn that mixing God and politics is dangerous, especially in times of extreme polarization, but others recall that America was built by the Founding Fathers on Christian values and freedom.
However, for them, religious institutions were pillars of a shared ethical order, essential for the survival of democracy. Today, therefore, instead of wondering how many votes Kirk's assassination will change, we should understand if and how Americans' religiosity has changed, given that in recent years, 40 million have stopped going to church, while many, especially young people, abandoning the doctrines and rituals of the community, seek God in the app store, perhaps confessing to chatbots offered by the world of faith technology: a new business with very successful apps like BibleChat (30 million downloads) or Catholic Hollow.
Communication methods are changing: influencers become evangelists, while to make saints and apostles attractive, they must transform into superheroes. Inevitable? Maybe. Except that, if you have to produce Christian videos as attractive as movie trailers, turning the page on Jesus doesn't work: a Christ like Captain America is better./ Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "Corriere Della Sera"
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