More and more robots are appearing in Hindu places of worship, called to participate in particular moments of this religion. In rituals such as aarti (the ceremony of worship of Hindu deities), the growing spread of automation raises concerns among religious experts and the faithful themselves.
Secondo Holly Waters, anthropologist at the University of Oxford, religious practice is in crisis. Mention a trend like this. OR the mechanical elephant which replaces a sacred elephant in a temple in Kerala. Or again the “robot bonze” in Japanese Buddhist temples. All of them, Waters says, are a serious wake-up call and a cause of disaffection. Especially for young people, who move away (studies show this as this) at ever-increasing speed.
Flesh is weak, metal is strong
The "systemic" and non-contingent nature of this crisis can be seen in the resulting debate: the use of robots is anything but a temporary circumstance. Some scholars even highlight that robots, unlike human beings, are spiritually incorruptible and could represent a valid alternative to priests, who in many cases are disappearing.
Abstract considerations that do not change the crux of the profound questions still standing: the intersection between man, technology and religion has many "blind spots".
Hindu religion, what value does a robot priest have?
The fact that entire ceremonies can be "officiated" by machines and not by human beings throws the recognized ability of religion to put man in contact with the divine into the darkest crisis.
Man's eternal challenge is to always find a balance between faith and technology, between the sacred and the profane, between man and machine. The ideal future, in some way, is spiritual and technological: surrendering only to technology means losing the soul.
And it's not just for Hindus.
