Authority

One particular online context where issues of religious authority is raised would be in discussion forums. In these forums a person can ask a question and will usually get anywhere from 1 to thousands of replies from people all over the world with different opinions, all wanting to put their two cents in. This is one of reasons why I feel that in the context of a discussion forum, religious authority is being eroded by online religious activities. For example, on the Buddhist website, Dhamma Wheel, one user asks "Can I achieve Nirvana when I don't believe in reincarnation?". This user has received over 138 replies and after skimming over a few of them, I can see that the people who replied to this question all have different view points. This reflects the assertion made in the chapter on authority by Cheong that states that online authorities gain "not just the attention, but the confidence, respect and trust of their audience...to make audience act as if this were so". The people who answer this user are all giving evidence to convince the user of seeing things from their viewpoint and it's easy to see how this could be problematic. Instead of the user getting one straightforward answer, they now have over 100 replies to read through with differing opinions, which would probably make them feel more confused than they were in the first place. Another assertion made by Cheong that connects with this example would be that the internet "expands access to religious information that can undermine the plausibility structure of a religious system". Meaning that instead of going and talking to one of the elder priests who traditionally hold authority in the Buddhist religion, this user is using the convenient route of getting online where they may be  getting information from people who may have no formal knowledge or information about Buddhism and are likely just be giving an answer based on their opinion. To conclude, while I can see the benefit of having a support group to discuss issues with online, I feel that in the context of a discussion board, traditional religious authority is being undermined.

website: http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=11803