MODELLI DI ESPERIENZE RELIGIOSE NELLA DIGITAL RELIGION

In this research, we explore the issue of authenticity in religious experiences within digital environments. A critical aspect of this examination is the configuration of rituals, which plays a crucial role in identifying and describing the relationship between online and offline religious spheres. The transition of religious rituals to digital platforms raises several important questions. From a morphological perspective, it is essential to understand how the platforms shape the rite and to what extent technology adapts to the needs of the ritual. Studies in this field have developed heuristic models that outline the stages a ritual goes through before being transferred and celebrated online. However, research on the functional aspects of online rituals is less developed. The central question in this area is whether the sacred action, which is a fundamental element of the rite, retains its efficacy when performed in a virtual space. In other words, does participating in an online ritual produce the same religious experience as an offline celebration? \\\The existing answers to this question have not been definitive, and many objections have been raised over the years regarding the definition of religious experience. Despite these challenges, cognitive science has made significant contributions to our understanding of religious experience. Studies in this field have shown that religious experience has a physiological basis in the subject's body and produces profound effects in the brain and specific brain areas. In this study, we employ an interpretative model grounded in the cognitive science of religion to shed light on the characteristics of online religious experiences. The study is divided into three sections. The first section aims to provide a clear understanding of the concept of digital religion, demarcating its boundaries and exploring its historical development. The second section focuses on the methodology and models that have been used, with a focus on clarifying the concepts of religion, religious experience and ritual. The last section deals with field research, where two types of rituals, prayer and initiation, were identified to analyse their online aspects. The results of the analysis established that prayer (a repeatable rite), celebrated in a digital space, seems to be able to induce religious experience as well as if it were celebrated in an offline space. Initiation, on the other hand, which falls into the category of unrepeatable rites, celebrated online would not induce the religious experience that can be recorded offline.