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When we explore topics in cultural psychology, we are examining the "ideas that coordinate the actions and construct the meanings of a group of people" (Snibbe, 2003). When thinking about cultural issues, it might be more common to think of race related issues first. However religion seems to be an overlooked dimension in cross-cultural psychology. This dimension is important to explore because, "Religion is inextricably woven into the cloth of cultural life" (Tarakeshwar, Stanton & Pargament, 2003).
For many of us our religious identity was determined at birth. We grew up in an environment where we followed the religious beliefs of our family and the culture we lived in. Some of us may have had the opportunity to explore different faiths, while others did so at the wrath of their family. For example, I was raised in a very liberal household and my parents gave me the opportunity to seek out the religious identity that felt right for me. While I know many people who were brought up in strict Catholic and Jewish homes, where exploring any other faith was out of the question. But today, research is beginning to show a shift in how we form our religious identity. According to Barry Kosmin, director of the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, "Family and ethnic loyalties -- the old glue that maintained inter-generational religious identification -- has weakened." In addition, he goes on to state, "Americans are more likely to be "searching" for religious truth, often outside their own traditions" (Useem, 2007). This is interesting because many of these "seekers" have taken to the internet to explore other religions, interact with like minded individuals, form religious communities, and attend religious services online. According to a report produced by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, "Nearly two-thirds of online Americans use the Internet for faith-related reasons." That figure is close to 82 million Americans ().
This break from traditional concepts of how religious identity and cultures are formed may frighten some people. For example, churches may feel that they will lose members of traditional organized religions offline, to the growing numbers of congregations and religions online. However, research suggests the opposite (Campbell, 2004). What researchers have found is that, "Faith-related activity online is a supplement to, rather than a substitute for offline religious life" (Clark et al., 2004). Furthermore, Heidi Campbell, from the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, argues that religion online is simply different, and it provides the individual with "a new place to experiment with spirituality in a safe and self-directed manner" (Campbell, 2004). This may be a major factor in why 16% of Americans have changed their religious identity in their lifetime (Useem, 2007).
It's clear that online technology is changing the way individuals study, interact and worship within their religious cultures and communities, and I wonder what our religious culture will be like 5 or 10 years from now.
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