ABSTRACT
Virtual religious adherents have had to reimagine the relationship between the physical and virtual world and negotiate ideas of presence, community, and membership. Athenism is a virtual faith named after Athene, the online handle of founder Bachir Boumaaza. Analyzing Athenism’s arguments provides evidence that, even in virtual environments, religion can function as an embodied experience. Started in 2007, the YouTube channel AtheneWins originally featured live streams of Athene playing games such as Hearthstone. Now, the channel focuses on Athenism, with 600 videos, over 700,000 subscribers, and almost 500 million channel views. Athenism gains followers through engagement in conversion arguments, whereby the faith uniquely has the answers to questions about the “purpose” of human existence and insights into “life, death, and the origin of the universe”. Athenism argues that the faith will create a “new era for humankind,” where logical, scientific thinking replaces the pleasures of the body.
