While Satoshi Nakamoto serves as a prophet, the Bitcoin whitepaper is a holy book. Some claim that Bitcoin changed their lives as a religion, but others think it is science.
The Bitcoin community knows the activity of promoting and educating about using Bitcoin as crypto evangelism. That word allows verifying that the work of making the cryptocurrency known is communal, dedicated, and even religious.
Whether Bitcoin is a religion or not goes beyond those semantic coincidences or the accusations of detractors. There are details about how Bitcoin has become a financial network and how the community relates to it. Even experts doubt whether people see that technology as the religion of the 21st century.
Some believe Satoshi Nakamoto is a prophet who revealed a truth (Bitcoin) to the world and educated others about it (whitepaper). That is another analogy to religion, as he then passed his legacy (the e-mail that formed the Bitcoin Core).
Hundreds of people in the Bitcoin community are also willing to communicate the word of Nakamoto and use his truth (buy/sell Bitcoin).
In addition, some promoters of the technology proclaim themselves as friars and give lectures on the benefits of Bitcoin. Hass McCook defines himself as a religious representative of Bitcoin and has said the cryptocurrency has impacted his life.
However, religious experts like University of Texas professor Joseph P. Laycock consider that the cult of Bitcoin goes beyond that. He pointed out that more than one reason profile Bitcoin as a religion among a select group of its users.
The Steps for Bitcoin to Become a Religion
Although Bitcoin followers have kept anarchist ideals since 2017, Laycock believes it is still too early to say it is a new religion. The professor said it would be hard to know whether the cryptocurrency was religion as there is no universal definition of that phenomenon.
Theologians and scholars of religion consider that the term describes the behaviors and institutions that identify a group of people. In other words, any element of union that defines their social behavior and imposes their belief system is religion.
Considering that this is not a rigid definition, some people feel bitcoiners are becoming increasingly religious. Bitcoin emerges as an element of unity and identification for all those using technology in the community.
Laycock says there is an idea of salvation behind Bitcoin as some people believe it could benefit those accumulating it. Meanwhile, its detractors will remain out of the market or will have to go over to the new world order.
The professor noted this was similar to the idea of life after death, as people see Bitcoin as a ticket to salvation. Some bitcoiners even claim that the cryptocurrency has been the solution to all the problems from inception.
Religions usually present themselves as a solution to human problems and give examples of a new behavior to solve them. The adoption of Bitcoin emerges amid the abuse of power, the printing of money, and the unfair distribution of capital.
Professionals on the subject like Laycock consider that Bitcoin has characteristics that make its community have a religious relationship with it. However, the cryptocurrency does not seek to explain the origin of the world, human passions, or salvation.
By Alexander Salazar
