CYBORG CULTURE
Religion In The Cyber Future
Perhaps religion is not necessary. A viable peril of virtual reality is the distancing from our inner selves as we extend further into the outer world of our environment. 
Each person sees himself promoted to the control of a machine, isolated in a position of perfect sovereignty, at an infinite distance from his original universe (Baudrillard, 1993). As we move outward and away from our inner states, we may lose the need for religion, unless of course, the focus returns to the environment. A cycle that takes us back to paganism; the god is the environment the cyborg has become part of. We become part of an overall supreme being, the cyberspace characteristics with which we interact. God and the central perspective are dead.
Examples of a fragmenting societal concept of religion can be seen in the recent increases of smaller cults. Granted, most large established religions started off as small cults, a la Christianity during the Roman Era. However, with increased frequency and volume, and possibly due to the nearing millenium, non-conformist religions are becoming more prevalent. The Heaven's Gate cult is an example of a cyborgian religous outreach. Their belief in an increased extension beyond their physical domain through technological capabilities. Failure to make 'contact' led them to commit suicide. Such may be the fate for cyborgs that retain religious perspectives.
How has your faith changed as you have become a cyborg?
