Self-driving cars might spark a religious revival among young Americans.
Nationwide statistics indicate that Americans are becoming less affiliated with established religions.
Over one-third currently say that they are not affiliated with any religion, which is a doubling in number since about a decade ago, and a whopping 44% of young Americans indicate they have no specific religious affiliation.
There are numerous theories about why there is this dropping level of religious affiliation, a precipitous drop that bodes alarming concerns for those that embrace religious efforts and support.
Here are some of the voiced reasons that the U.S. is seemingly drifting away from religions:
· Lack of social impetus toward adopting religious beliefs
· Social pressures to overtly avoid having religious affiliations
· Parents that have muted religious beliefs and therefore do not pass them along
· Family life that is relatively devoid of religious interest
· Rise of alt-religious efforts that become pseudo substitutes
· Qualms about religious differences in opinions on matters of gender, sex, and other factors
· Perceived conflict in personal politics views versus political positions by religions
· Unconformable with tension between religions and scientific disciplines
· Etc.
One notable argument being made about the youth segment is that young Americans have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what religions are and what they stand for.
It has been suggested that many of the aforementioned concerns about religions could be dissuaded if the youth of the country were properly informed about today’s religions and religious options open to them. Presumably, by having greater and easier access to religious teachings and information, young Americans would have a fuller picture and be more likely to, therefore, join and participate in established religions.
Here’s an interesting question: Could true self-driving cars be a spark that causes a revival in religious interests by young Americans?
It might not be readily apparent at first glance as to how self-driving cars could somehow be a means or mechanism to rejuvenate religious interest per se, and indeed the two topics might seem quite unrelated.
Let’s unpack the matter and see.
The Levels Of Self-Driving Cars
It is important to clarify what I mean when referring to true self-driving cars.
True self-driving cars are ones that the AI drives the car entirely on its own and there isn’t any human assistance during the driving task.
These driverless cars are considered a Level 4 and Level 5, while a car that requires a human driver to co-share the driving effort is usually considered at a Level 2 or Level 3. The cars that co-share the driving task are described as being semi-autonomous, and typically contain a variety of automated add-on’s that are referred to as ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems).
There is not yet a true self-driving car at Level 5, which we don’t yet even know if this will be possible to achieve, and nor how long it will take to get there.
Meanwhile, the Level 4 efforts are gradually trying to get some traction by undergoing very narrow and selective public roadway trials, though there is controversy over whether this testing should be allowed per se (we are all life-or-death guinea pigs in an experiment taking place on our highways and byways, some point out).
Since semi-autonomous cars require a human driver, such cars will not be a nudge or catalyst toward a religious revival any more than are today’s conventional cars.
It is notable to point out that in spite of those human drivers that keep posting videos of themselves falling asleep at the wheel of a Level 2 or Level 3 car, do not be misled into believing that you can take away your attention from the driving task while driving a semi-autonomous car.
You are the responsible party for the driving actions of the car, regardless of how much automation might be tossed into a Level 2 or Level 3.
Self-Driving Cars And Religious Info Access
For Level 4 and Level 5 true self-driving cars, it might be prudent to consider how there might be a spark to ignite renewed interest in religions.
First, let’s put aside a somewhat outstretched reason that some have floated, namely that the advent of cars that drive themselves might be an amazement to the public and thus bring forth notions of being able to go beyond the realm of human reasoning.
Contemporary thinking isn’t going to be shocked or seeking other-worldly explanations to comprehend the advent of driverless cars.
In short, there isn’t going to be any kind of revelation that alters people’s perception of the world simply due to the emergence of self-driving cars. Sure, maybe if you introduced a driverless car during the days of the horse and buggy, and suddenly had a driverless car that miraculously appeared in the middle of a stone age like era, you’d get quite a few seeking alternative explanations.
For today’s smartphone totting public, we all know today that driverless cars are still just bits and bytes.
There isn’t any true human thinking form of intelligence embodied in these AI systems, indeed such systems lack any kind of common-sense reasoning, and there is most definitely not a recreation of sentient capabilities into the car’s on-board hardware and software.
The key to arguing that self-driving cars might spur religious interest and affiliation is found in a much more seemingly obvious but oft unstated reason.
It has to do with time and access.
Via driverless cars, most pundits predict that we will all be likely to travel in cars more so than we do today. Furthermore, we will all be passengers and not be drivers, since the AI system will be doing the driving for us.
Right now, there are an estimated 70 billion hours being used by Americans annually as they drive their cars, doing so to get to work or driving to do errands. Those billions of hours are today consumed with a focus on driving a car. With self-driving cars, those billions of hours can be put toward some other use.
One such use would be for Americans to potentially become more versed in religions and have greater access and time available to engage in religious learning.
If the point about young Americans today having an incomplete understanding about religions is the cornerstone of recent decreases in religious affiliations, perhaps the emergence of self-driving cars would give those young Americans the needed time and access to religious info that would bring them back into the fold.
Here’s how that could happen.
While inside a driverless car, you’ll have nothing to do since you aren’t tasked with driving the car.
Self-driving cars are going to be hooked up to wireless communications providing high-speed broadband Internet access during your car travels.
So, imagine that there will be hundreds of millions of Americans, all sitting in these driverless cars, and having nothing to do while going from place to place and that they will be in such cars a lot more than even the vast amount of time being spent in cars today.
This is a ripe and alluring chance to get out a message of one kind or another. There is a captive audience, likely eager to do something other than doing nothing while riding in a self-driving car.
Why not stream out religious teachings to them?
And, why not setup interactive sessions allowing those in a driverless car in Iowa to discuss religious topics with people in a self-driving car in California or Oregon?
The ease of being able to broadcast religious info to the masses will be multiplied tremendously.
And, beyond just pushing out content, there will be interactivity readily available too.
Within a self-driving car, there is bound to be a camera pointing inward, normally being used to make sure that someone riding in a driverless car doesn’t mar the interior with graffiti or tear-up the leather seats. That same camera can be used for interacting with others that might be anywhere, whether in another driverless car someplace or sitting at home or residing in a religious church.
Virtual religious groups could be formed on-the-fly.
There could be organized religious events that occur and are broadcast on a regular basis, perhaps timed with the morning commute or the evening ride home.
Overall, the advent of self-driving cars opens a whole new door into having access to Americans and leveraging their otherwise unused time while inside a driverless car.
Physical Access To Religious Efforts Too
In addition to leveraging a digital approach, there is also the opportunity to make use of the expanded mobility capabilities that will accrue due to driverless cars.
There are people today that might be mobility disadvantaged and cannot readily get over to a religious meeting. They lack a means of mobility that can get them to where they’d like to go.
It is believed that self-driving cars are going to broaden mobility, making the act of getting from point A to point B much easier, perhaps nearly becoming friction-free in terms of today’s mobility barriers and hurdles.
Someone that hasn’t been to church in years could find that they can now easily get there by making use of a ride-sharing driverless car.
Indeed, a religious entity might arrange with a driverless car ridesharing service to go around and pick-up people that are interested in attending a religious event or rally, and readily give those interested parties a free lift to the locale (the cost covered by the religious entity).
Thinking even further out-of-the-box, perhaps some religious entities might decide to buy or lease a fleet of self-driving cars, allowing the religion to use driverless cars as needed and when so desired.
In addition to transporting people to a religious event, it would be feasible to have religious teachers that go to see someone that might be interested in knowing more about religion.
Getting religious teachers to someone’s home or other location could be eased using self-driving cars. Those religious teachers don’t need to know how to drive and aren’t burdened with the driving task, plus there’s no logistical difficulties associated with having to find a driver.
There could also be religious teachers that are ride-a-long available.
Maybe on Friday mornings, while heading to work, a pre-arranged effort takes place as you and some neighbors jump into a driverless car, and then pick-up a religious teacher on the way. During the driving journey, a lively discussion takes place on some religious topics of mutual interest.
Conclusion
Though the driverless car certainly appears to be a likely spark for religion interest, we need to keep in mind that self-driving cars can be put toward many other activities and thus it is not necessarily going to be used exclusively or entirely for religious-related matters.
Some predict that we are going to have a massive rise in online game playing, occurring as a result of driverless cars. Namely, people will use the time inside a driverless car to play their favorite online game.
If you are already wringing your hands that young Americans spend too much time playing online games, you’d better steady yourself for what might happen in the future.
In lieu of playing games, one can watch a movie or a favored TV show, streamed live or recorded, using up the time while on a driverless car journey.
What about sleep?
Those kids of yours that did their late-night homework and were exhausted by their extracurricular activities might decide to take a nap in the driverless car, doing so while heading to school or after school and heading to yet another activity.
Just because the time and access are going to be made available, it doesn’t ergo mean that for sure there will be religious matters that fill the void.
Inevitably, there is going to be some amount of driverless car usage that involves religions, since self-driving cars open the possibility of expanding the reach of religious teachings. How much and in what manner is something yet to be ascertained.
Some will relish these possibilities; others might find them of concern.
Whichever viewpoint you might have on the matter, the overarching point is that society can potentially be transformed in many ways as a result of the advent of self-driving cars, and we ought to be thinking seriously about how it will play out.
Better now than later.
