ABSTRACT
In the context discussed in the previous chapter, in which media forms already have a powerful influence on the religious situation, and in which the public image of religion was being challenged by events and by the activities of the mass media, the advent of a new digital media with the capacity to give each individual as well as any religious organisation that so wishes a voice or multiple voices, as well as multiple means of projecting themselves in the public domain, is clearly a significant event. It is also one that, as we mentioned in Chapter 1, cannot wholly escape the shadow of the Aum Affair. As will be seen in the following discussion, some scholars (and religious groups) viewed the advent of the Web as one that offered religious movements and institutions a new avenue for development and a potential means for reviving their fortunes. However, more commonly, in the aftermath of Aum, the new arena was seen by many religious groups less as an opportunity to increase their means of proselytising, and more as a danger and threat. In the face of immense challenges and hostility in the existing printed and visual media, the World Wide Web appeared to merely increase the scope for criticism of religious groups, and for offering individuals in general a new platform and forum through which to express their views.
