La spiritualité numérique, la sacralité de l’IA et la vie religieuse dans le métavers: hypostases du nouveau matérialisme religieux

Abstract

This review examines Stefan Bratosin’s book Religious Materialism: The Illusions of Viral Human Fulfillment, which offers an original interpretation of the contemporary transformations of religion in the digital age. The book argues that secularization should not be understood as the decline of religion but rather as a process through which the invisible becomes materialized under the influence of digital technologies and media practices. The review highlights the heuristic value of the concept of religious materialism for understanding emerging forms of digital spirituality, the transformation of religious practices, and the interplay between religion, communication, and technological innovation. It also emphasizes the author’s analysis of the metaverse, avatars, holograms, religious chatbots, and artificial intelligence, all of which challenge conventional boundaries between spiritual experience, technological mediation, and the commodification of the sacred. The review concludes that the book makes a significant interdisciplinary contribution to contemporary debates on the reconfiguration of religion and its theoretical, social, and ethical implications.