{"id":8353,"date":"2021-07-29T09:07:57","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T13:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/?p=8353"},"modified":"2021-07-29T20:14:55","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T00:14:55","slug":"is-bitcoin-a-religion-if-not-it-soon-will-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/07\/29\/is-bitcoin-a-religion-if-not-it-soon-will-be","title":{"rendered":"Is Bitcoin a religion? If not, it soon could be"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Hass McCook is a respected Sydney-based civil engineer who has worked on some of the most spectacular buildings in the world, from Munich&#8217;s Allianz Arena to Singapore&#8217;s Marina Bay Sands.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He also considers Bitcoin to be his religion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Better known on Twitter as Friar Hass, the 35-year-old had a religious epiphany about Bitcoin in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a tale reminiscent of the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bible\u2019s<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Trials of Job, McCook bought Bitcoin three years earlier at $1,000 a coin and watched it lose 90% of its value. He then lost a substantial proportion of the remaining sum when the Bitfinex exchange was hacked.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That sent me down into the psychological and spiritual gutter,&#8221; he says. &#8220;And I came out of that with a religious experience.\u201d He\u2019s not being ironic.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThey always say in times of tragedy and trauma, people turn to God. That is sort of what happened with me. It&#8217;s tough to describe the experience, but basically, the best way I can describe it is I went to Bitcoin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a member of the Bitcoin Mining Council and friendly with MicroStrategy\u2019s Michael Saylor, McCook views Bitcoin as a form of energy, and as Einstein was fond of pointing out that when it comes down to it, everything in the universe is energy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I literally WENT to Bitcoin, and now Bitcoin is my religion<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dergigi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@dergigi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Friar Hass (@FriarHass) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FriarHass\/status\/1414371251112476672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 11, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt was the culmination of all of my learning, experience and trauma \u2014 it was the realization that you and I, in long-term equilibrium, are just Satoshi,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery atom in the universe through heat and energy transfer, one day will become literally Bitcoin.\u201d He adds:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote align-center\"><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a very, very powerful thing, like we get buried into the ground, we go into the ground, become worm food, circle of life and eventually it ends up in the grid. You literally end up in Bitcoin.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When this feature was first commissioned, it was intended to be a fun exploration of the idea that the culture around Bitcoin is metaphorically a bit like<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a religion. But, it turns out that some people are starting to view it as a literal religion \u2014 or at least an ideology or even a cult that has the potential to turn into one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It sounds crazy \u2014 maybe it is crazy \u2014 but there&#8217;s more substance to the idea than you might expect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8355\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8355\" style=\"width: 252px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-8355\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Hass-McCook-linked-in.jpg\" alt=\"Hass McCook\" width=\"252\" height=\"252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Hass-McCook-linked-in.jpg 427w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Hass-McCook-linked-in-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Hass-McCook-linked-in-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Hass-McCook-linked-in-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Hass-McCook-linked-in-350x350.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8355\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hass McCook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Bitcoin Holy Capitol<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The religious echoes seemed pretty obvious to many observers of the recent Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The New York Times article was titled \u201cThousands descend on Miami to glorify Bitcoin\u201d and quoted the convention center\u2019s owner Moishe Mana saying: \u201cThe more you fight religion, the more holy it becomes and the stronger the movement becomes,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Media outlet<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paradox <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/paradoxpolitics.com\/2021\/06\/did-bitcoin-maximalism-become-fanaticism-at-the-miami-conference\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">described<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> how a \u201cten-thousand-plus legion of devoted believers\u201d came together with \u201cfollowers of Bitcoin maximalism\u201d to listen to the high priests of the movement:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBefore thousands of wide-eyed attendees like Joel Olsteen preaching at a megachurch, prophets like Michael Saylor called Bitcoin the \u2018apex\u2019 of human achievement, while architects of the Holy Capitol blatantly acknowledged the asset as a full-fledged religious movement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And just like followers of a religion, Bitcoiners believe, with some justification, that they\u2019re on a righteous mission to change the world. Twitter\u2019s Jack Dorsey told the crowd: \u201cI don\u2019t think there is anything more important in my lifetime to work on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Established 2012<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concept dates back to at least late 2012 when Bitcointalk forum user Crazy-rabbit posted:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote align-center\"><p>\u201cI&#8217;m sure people have noticed how eerily similar to religion Bitcoin is becoming. The mythical founder, the email disciples, the followers&#8230; So why doesn&#8217;t someone just do it already and register the Church of Satoshi? There is certainly enough philosophy here.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As it happened, a satirical Bitcoin Church had commenced operations a month earlier, urging followers to \u201cPraise Bitcoin\u201d and \u201cHonor the Blockchain.\u201d A more sincere effort called The Church of Bitcoin was established in August 2017 by Henry Romp, urging members to \u201dDistribute our scripture, the whitepaper written by Prophet Satoshi Nakamoto.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<script>(function() {\n\twindow.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || {\n\t\tlisteners: [],\n\t\tforms: {\n\t\t\ton: function(evt, cb) {\n\t\t\t\twindow.mc4wp.listeners.push(\n\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\tevent   : evt,\n\t\t\t\t\t\tcallback: cb\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t);\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t}\n\t}\n})();\n<\/script><!-- Mailchimp for WordPress v4.8.6 - https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/mailchimp-for-wp\/ --><form inert id=\"mc4wp-form-1\" class=\"mc4wp-form mc4wp-form-5517 mc4wp-ajax\" method=\"post\" data-id=\"5517\" data-name=\"JNEWS style form\" ><div class=\"mc4wp-form-fields\"><div class=\"jeg_mc4wp_heading\">\r\n  <h3>The best of blockchain, every Tuesday<\/h3>\r\n  <p>Subscribe for thoughtful explorations and leisurely reads from Magazine.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>\r\n    <input type=\"email\" name=\"EMAIL\" placeholder=\"Email address...\" required \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" />\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n    <input type=\"submit\" value=\"SUBSCRIBE\" \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" />\r\n<\/p><br>\r\nBy subscribing you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/terms-and-privacy\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Service and Privacy Policy<\/a><\/div><label style=\"display: none !important;\">Leave this field empty if you're human: <input type=\"text\" name=\"_mc4wp_honeypot\" value=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" autocomplete=\"off\" \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" /><\/label><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_mc4wp_timestamp\" value=\"1634257394\" \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" /><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_mc4wp_form_id\" value=\"5517\" \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" /><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_mc4wp_form_element_id\" value=\"mc4wp-form-1\" \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" /><div class=\"mc4wp-response\"><\/div><\/form><!-- \/ Mailchimp for WordPress Plugin -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The chief narrative officer at Qi Capital, Jonny Qi, tells Magazine that as a spiritually inclined person, he began to notice parallels soon after he got into crypto in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou have this charismatic leader who disappeared, Satoshi, and then you have a white paper which acts as a holy paper, and if you kind of go against it, you&#8217;re basically not part of their religion anymore and they&#8217;re going to attack you. So all the basic fundamentals to build a religion are there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-8358 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Darren-G.jpg\" alt=\"Darren Gleason Twitter\" width=\"540\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Darren-G.jpg 595w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Darren-G-300x147.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4>The commandments<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bloomberg\u2019s Joe Weisenthal neatly laid the parallels out in an<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">article earlier this year, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/newsletters\/2021-01-04\/five-things-you-need-to-know-to-start-your-day\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">calling<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Bitcoin \u201cthe first true religion of the 21<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">st<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> century.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He noted Bitcoin\u2019s first block was called the Genesis block and that Satoshi appears to have been self-sacrificing and benevolent, having departed this world before he sold a single coin. He likened the white paper to the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bible<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Hal Finney to a saint, Bitcoin Pizza Day and the Halving to religious holidays and the Bitcoin Cash fork to a religious schism. Weisenthal also wryly noted that \u201corthodox\u201d Bitcoiners adhere to a diet of meat only.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cProphets, apostles, holidays, dietary customs, sacred texts, schisms, sayings and more. Bitcoin isn&#8217;t like a religion. This is just what a religion is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8357\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8357\" style=\"width: 473px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-8357\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bitcoin-religon-1024x715.png\" alt=\"Bitcoin and religion\" width=\"473\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bitcoin-religon-1024x715.png 1024w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bitcoin-religon-300x210.png 300w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bitcoin-religon-770x538.png 770w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bitcoin-religon-750x524.png 750w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bitcoin-religon-1140x797.png 1140w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bitcoin-religon.png 1228w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 473px) 100vw, 473px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8357\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: The Passion of the Believers, Hass McCook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the article was tongue in cheek, the metaphor runs surprisingly deep. Bitcoiners go out into the world and proselytize the tenets of the faith: Anti-inflationary hard money, decentralization and uncensorable transactions, which will help good win against evil (bankers). They demonstrate their faith by hodling, participating in rituals such as \u201cbuying the dip\u201d and telling nonbelievers (nocoiners) of the miracles in which the poor transformed pennies into Lambos in Bitcoin&#8217;s version of transubstantiation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many Bitcoiners believe in an apocalyptic-style scenario when the existing fiat-based financial system finally collapses.<\/span> In a blog, McCook <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/the-bitcoin-times\/the-passion-of-the-believers-bf26f3b46315\">described<\/a> &#8220;Judgment Day&#8221; as a forthcoming period: &#8220;Viewed by many Bitcoiners as a devastating economic event, the death of fiat.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote align-center\"><p>\u201cUltimately, this will lead to total civilizational collapse or the phenomenon of \u2018hyperbitcoinization,\u2019 effectively when all global trade is conducted in Bitcoin, and its market capitalization is in the dozens of trillions, if not hundreds.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cointelegraph Magazine contributor Elias Ahonen, a former seminarian, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/blockland-book-review-part-gonzo-part-bitcoin-thriller-100-recommended\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wrote<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> an entire chapter about the similarities in his book<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blockland<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI actually spent a semester at a Bible college before university,\u201d he says. \u201cIt constantly blows me away how similar crypto and especially the Bitcoin movement is to a charismatic religion. I would dare to say that unless you&#8217;ve experienced it, you can&#8217;t understand how absurdly similar they are, to the point that they are indistinguishable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Bitcoin fixes everything<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bitcoin maximalists are the fundamentalists \u2014 the hardline lay preachers who keep the flock from worshiping those who they believe to be false idols, or blaspheming by purchasing shitcoins. McCook says he\u2019s comfortable with the comparison.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYes, because we do have fundamentals,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are fundamental, ethical and moral principles to Bitcoin.\u201d While many Bitcoiners just think of it as a fun way to make money and maybe stick it to the banks, some maximalists view it more like a righteous crusade. They believe: <\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Bitcoin fixes this.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>By which they mean, Bitcoin fixes everything.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf you&#8217;re an actual environmentalist and if you don&#8217;t have Bitcoin, you&#8217;re not a serious environmentalist. You know, if you want to end poverty and you don&#8217;t hold Bitcoin, you&#8217;re not serious about ending poverty,\u201d says McCook, adding:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote align-center\"><p><em>\u201cBecause the root cause of all of our problems is basically money printing and capital misallocation as a result of that. So, the only way the whales are going to be saved, or the trees are going to be saved, or the kids are going to be saved, is if we just stop the degeneracy.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qi has an altogether darker<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">view of maximalism, which he <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/qi-capital\/bitcoin-maximalism-moral-superiority-bd2f45faae17\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">believes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a stifling form of moral superiority:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMorality is the essence of every maximalism, a belief that somehow their system is morally superior to every other system. Bitcoin maximalists are more interested in moral superiority than sound money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8361\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8361\" style=\"width: 563px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8361\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/roger-v.jpg\" alt=\"Roger Ver\" width=\"563\" height=\"322\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/roger-v.jpg 563w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/roger-v-300x172.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 563px) 100vw, 563px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8361\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Roger Ver seeks immortality through cryonics.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bitcoin Jesus himself, Roger Ver \u2014 now the leader of the breakaway BCH sect \u2014 tells Magazine that Bitcoiners are really the only community in crypto that behaves this way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou see that mainly from the BTC camp,\u201d he says. \u201cThey hate every other coin that&#8217;s not BTC. Whereas I see the Ethereum guys, they like lots of different coins, the Bitcoin Cash people like lots of different coins. Most coins are okay with other coins, but there just seems to be a pretty large contingent of people that think that BTC is the one and only true religion or one true and only cryptocurrency, and I think that&#8217;s foolish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Define religion then<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Oxford Dictionary defines religion in part as \u201cA pursuit or interest followed with great devotion.\u201d While Mirriam-Webster defines it as \u201ca personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs and practices\u201d and \u201ccommitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>McCook points to those two definitions and says religions don\u2019t need to be based around a god, citing Buddhism and Taoism.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Torkel Brekke, a professor in religious studies at Oslo Metropolitan University and the author of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Faithonomics: Religion and the Free Market,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> agrees that \u201cit&#8217;s absolutely reasonable to say that you can have a religion without a strong concept of a divine being.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brekke says that what all religions do share is a strong social aspect. \u201cThey feel they have a very strong sort of sense of being a community that is something special, different from other communities,\u201d and followers perform rituals such as prayer or singing to create strong emotions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div  class=\"jeg_postblock_carousel jeg_postblock_carousel_3 jeg_postblock jeg_col_8 jnews_module__0_6168c9f28dc84    \">\n                    <div class=\"jeg_carousel_post\" data-nav='' data-autoplay='true' data-delay='4500' data-items='3' data-margin='20'>\n                        <div class=\"jeg_post_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"jeg_post format-standard\">\n                    \n                    <div class=\"jeg_thumb\">                        \n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/07\/fungible-fan-tokens-forming-proxy-market-day-trade-sports-teams-at-high-valuations\" ><div class=\"thumbnail-container animate-lazy  size-1000 \"><img width=\"75\" height=\"75\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/themes\/jnews\/assets\/img\/jeg-empty.png\" class=\"attachment-jnews-75x75 size-jnews-75x75 lazyload wp-post-image\" alt=\"Fan tokens\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-sports-fan-tokens-75x75.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-sports-fan-tokens-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-sports-fan-tokens-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-sports-fan-tokens-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"overlay_content\">\n                        <div class=\"jeg_postblock_content\">\n                            <h3 class=\"jeg_post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/07\/fungible-fan-tokens-forming-proxy-market-day-trade-sports-teams-at-high-valuations\">Fan tokens: Day trading your favorite sports team<\/a><\/h3>\n                            <div class=\"jeg_post_meta\"><div class=\"jeg_meta_date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/07\/fungible-fan-tokens-forming-proxy-market-day-trade-sports-teams-at-high-valuations\" ><i class=\"fa fa-clock-o\"><\/i> October 7, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"jeg_post_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"jeg_post format-standard\">\n                    \n                    <div class=\"jeg_thumb\">                        \n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/05\/when-banks-collapse-iceland-2008-firsthand\" ><div class=\"thumbnail-container animate-lazy  size-1000 \"><img width=\"75\" height=\"75\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/themes\/jnews\/assets\/img\/jeg-empty.png\" class=\"attachment-jnews-75x75 size-jnews-75x75 lazyload wp-post-image\" alt=\"Icelandic Bank Collapse\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-Iceland-firsthand-75x75.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-Iceland-firsthand-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-Iceland-firsthand-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-Iceland-firsthand-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"overlay_content\">\n                        <div class=\"jeg_postblock_content\">\n                            <h3 class=\"jeg_post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/05\/when-banks-collapse-iceland-2008-firsthand\">What it\u2019s like when the banks collapse: Iceland 2008 firsthand<\/a><\/h3>\n                            <div class=\"jeg_post_meta\"><div class=\"jeg_meta_date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/05\/when-banks-collapse-iceland-2008-firsthand\" ><i class=\"fa fa-clock-o\"><\/i> October 5, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"jeg_post_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"jeg_post format-standard\">\n                    \n                    <div class=\"jeg_thumb\">                        \n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/01\/crypto-city-guide-to-tokyo\" ><div class=\"thumbnail-container animate-lazy  size-1000 \"><img width=\"75\" height=\"75\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/themes\/jnews\/assets\/img\/jeg-empty.png\" class=\"attachment-jnews-75x75 size-jnews-75x75 lazyload wp-post-image\" alt=\"Crypto City: Guide to Tokyo\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAG-crypto-city-Tokyo-75x75.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAG-crypto-city-Tokyo-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAG-crypto-city-Tokyo-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAG-crypto-city-Tokyo-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"overlay_content\">\n                        <div class=\"jeg_postblock_content\">\n                            <h3 class=\"jeg_post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/01\/crypto-city-guide-to-tokyo\">Crypto City: Guide to Tokyo<\/a><\/h3>\n                            <div class=\"jeg_post_meta\"><div class=\"jeg_meta_date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/01\/crypto-city-guide-to-tokyo\" ><i class=\"fa fa-clock-o\"><\/i> October 1, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"jeg_post_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"jeg_post format-standard\">\n                    \n                    <div class=\"jeg_thumb\">                        \n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/27\/before-nfts-surging-interest-pre-cryptopunk-collectibles\" ><div class=\"thumbnail-container animate-lazy  size-1000 \"><img width=\"75\" height=\"75\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/themes\/jnews\/assets\/img\/jeg-empty.png\" class=\"attachment-jnews-75x75 size-jnews-75x75 lazyload wp-post-image\" alt=\"Before NFTs: Surging interest in pre-CryptoPunk collectibles\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAGAZINE-Before-NFTs-Surging-interest-in-pre-CryptoPunk-collectibles-75x75.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAGAZINE-Before-NFTs-Surging-interest-in-pre-CryptoPunk-collectibles-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAGAZINE-Before-NFTs-Surging-interest-in-pre-CryptoPunk-collectibles-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAGAZINE-Before-NFTs-Surging-interest-in-pre-CryptoPunk-collectibles-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"overlay_content\">\n                        <div class=\"jeg_postblock_content\">\n                            <h3 class=\"jeg_post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/27\/before-nfts-surging-interest-pre-cryptopunk-collectibles\">Before NFTs: Surging interest in pre-CryptoPunk collectibles<\/a><\/h3>\n                            <div class=\"jeg_post_meta\"><div class=\"jeg_meta_date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/27\/before-nfts-surging-interest-pre-cryptopunk-collectibles\" ><i class=\"fa fa-clock-o\"><\/i> September 27, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"jeg_post_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"jeg_post format-standard\">\n                    \n                    <div class=\"jeg_thumb\">                        \n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/16\/bitcoin-ledger-as-a-secret-weapon-in-war-against-ransomware\" ><div class=\"thumbnail-container animate-lazy  size-1000 \"><img width=\"75\" height=\"75\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/themes\/jnews\/assets\/img\/jeg-empty.png\" class=\"attachment-jnews-75x75 size-jnews-75x75 lazyload wp-post-image\" alt=\"Bitcoin ledger as a secret weapon in war against ransomware\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/magazine-Crypto-isnt-a-good-tool-for-ransomware-75x75.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/magazine-Crypto-isnt-a-good-tool-for-ransomware-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/magazine-Crypto-isnt-a-good-tool-for-ransomware-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/magazine-Crypto-isnt-a-good-tool-for-ransomware-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"overlay_content\">\n                        <div class=\"jeg_postblock_content\">\n                            <h3 class=\"jeg_post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/16\/bitcoin-ledger-as-a-secret-weapon-in-war-against-ransomware\">Bitcoin ledger as a secret weapon in war against ransomware<\/a><\/h3>\n                            <div class=\"jeg_post_meta\"><div class=\"jeg_meta_date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/16\/bitcoin-ledger-as-a-secret-weapon-in-war-against-ransomware\" ><i class=\"fa fa-clock-o\"><\/i> September 16, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He notes that many established religions now conduct these gatherings and rituals online. Could Crypto Twitter be the place where the Bitcoin faithful congregate to feel the elation as the price rises and the crushing disappointment when it falls?<\/span> (Technically speaking, hodlers shouldn&#8217;t care about short-term price movements if they&#8217;re not going to sell, but a price increase seems to validate their faith while a price plunge tests it.)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8354\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8354\" style=\"width: 279px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-8354\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Torkel-twitter.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"279\" height=\"279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Torkel-twitter.jpg 400w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Torkel-twitter-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Torkel-twitter-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Torkel-twitter-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Torkel-twitter-350x350.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 279px) 100vw, 279px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8354\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Professor Torkel Brekke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I describe the similarities between Bitcoin and religion to him, along with McCook and Qi\u2019s perspectives, expecting him to shoot the idea down. But he says some aspects, especially the \u201cend of times\u201d story \u201cwhere everything is going to collapse in terms of the financial system and they are going to remain as a select group that saw the light\u201d makes it seem as if the comparison might actually be plausible.\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more you talk about it now, makes me think that there&#8217;s definitely something to this,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>No, the whole idea is silly<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One person who thinks the comparison is overblown is crypto enthusiast, filmmaker and speaker Kirby Ferguson (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This Is Not a Conspiracy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=h0RZS9mJoJo\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everything is a Remix<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). He says that anyone who worships Bitcoin or follows it religiously is going way too far.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it&#8217;s super misguided,\u201d he says. \u201cIt&#8217;s simply not a religion. There&#8217;s nothing metaphysical about it. There&#8217;s nothing supernatural about it. Satoshi Nakamoto is just some guy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote align-center\"><p>\u201cIt just seems like a real limited religion, if you want to look at it that way. Like I just don&#8217;t see \u2014 aside from value outside of economics and finance and technology \u2014 I&#8217;m just not sure what it can really offer you. I would be surprised if many people think that way. And honestly, I&#8217;d be surprised if it grows. It seems like a joke to me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4>Decline of religion<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One hypothesis, brought up by a number of interviewees, is that the ideology around Bitcoin could be acting as a sort of substitute belief system as traditional religions lose influence. This is an idea gaining traction in relation to a range of different ideologies and movements separate from Bitcoin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The decline of organized religion has been a seismic transformation across Western cultures \u2014\u00a0 but especially so in the traditionally God-fearing United States of America. Twenty years ago, around 70% of Americans belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque. That <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/341963\/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fell<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to just<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">47% in 2020, according to Gallup.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the same period, the number of people with no religious affiliation nearly doubled, with the proportion higher among younger age groups, including 31% of Millennials and 33% of Generation Z. These are also the age groups most interested in Bitcoin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-8372 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Bourbonic-plague.jpg\" alt=\"Bourbonic plague\" width=\"506\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Bourbonic-plague.jpg 594w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Bourbonic-plague-300x198.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 506px) 100vw, 506px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">James M. Patterson, research fellow at the Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy, argued in the National Review that young people are embracing alternative forms of belief. He cited Ross Douthat\u2019s book <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bad Religion<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as evidence that \u201cAttempts to scrub religion from American public life have failed; alternative belief systems have rushed in to fill the void.\u201d He suggested that critical social justice movements are one manifestation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McCook sums the concept up. \u201cYou have to believe in something, it doesn&#8217;t have to be God\u201d and points to the popularity of Jordan Peterson&#8217;s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12 Rules for Life,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the other end of the political spectrum, to illustrate the same point. He adds:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote align-center\"><p>\u201cYou need some compass in your life or you&#8217;re just going to be lost and destructive.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even QAnon, with its mysterious prophet Q and its Judgment Day-style prophecies of the conspiracy theory \u201cThe Storm,\u201d could be a way of fulfilling people\u2019s need to believe. \u201cPeople are sublimating, they&#8217;re redirecting, they&#8217;re channeling these kinds of impulses in other directions and I think QAnon definitely fits the bill there,\u201d Ferguson says.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Religion is hardwired<\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8356\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8356\" style=\"width: 264px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-8356\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Kirby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"264\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Kirby.jpg 400w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Kirby-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Kirby-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Kirby-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Kirby-350x350.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 264px) 100vw, 264px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8356\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kirby Ferguson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many scientists think the human brain is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/science.howstuffworks.com\/life\/inside-the-mind\/human-brain\/brain-religion.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hardwired<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for religion \u2014 or at least there\u2019s a propensity for people to believe in something bigger than themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think it&#8217;s just really common, even among people who are like hardcore atheists, often they&#8217;ll have some other belief system that is really strong,\u201d says Ferguson, adding: \u201cIt certainly could be Bitcoin but in lots of cases its environmentalism, its progressivism, its libertarianism, its conservatism, whatever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What unites these substitute belief systems is that they\u2019re trying to make the world a better place, whether by eliminating racism, sexism, saving the environment, or reforming an unfair and unjust financial system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The unfortunate flip side of belief systems with such devoted followers was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bariweiss.substack.com\/p\/should-public-schools-ban-critical\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">noted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by lawyer and civil liberties champion David French recently:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote align-center\"><p>\u201cThat really animates people and gives them a sense that what they&#8217;re doing, they&#8217;re on the right side of something really important and really good. But as with so many fundamental \u2018isms\u2019, it is so entirely intolerant of dissent and so entirely intolerant of disagreement it often ends up oppressing in the name of liberation.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4>Ideologies or religions?<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apart from QAnon, these movements are more commonly referred to as ideologies rather than religions. But, Ferguson says it\u2019s sometimes hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAny sort of belief system, whether you&#8217;re a libertarian or a progressive or whatever, it&#8217;s a bit like a religion. It&#8217;s a kind of philosophy, it influences your decisions, it molds your moral take on issues. There&#8217;s a kind of blurry boundary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<script>(function() {\n\twindow.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || {\n\t\tlisteners: [],\n\t\tforms: {\n\t\t\ton: function(evt, cb) {\n\t\t\t\twindow.mc4wp.listeners.push(\n\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\tevent   : evt,\n\t\t\t\t\t\tcallback: cb\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t);\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t}\n\t}\n})();\n<\/script><!-- Mailchimp for WordPress v4.8.6 - https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/mailchimp-for-wp\/ --><form inert id=\"mc4wp-form-2\" class=\"mc4wp-form mc4wp-form-5517 mc4wp-ajax\" method=\"post\" data-id=\"5517\" data-name=\"JNEWS style form\" ><div class=\"mc4wp-form-fields\"><div class=\"jeg_mc4wp_heading\">\r\n  <h3>The best of blockchain, every Tuesday<\/h3>\r\n  <p>Subscribe for thoughtful explorations and leisurely reads from Magazine.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>\r\n    <input type=\"email\" name=\"EMAIL\" placeholder=\"Email address...\" required \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" />\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n    <input type=\"submit\" value=\"SUBSCRIBE\" \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" />\r\n<\/p><br>\r\nBy subscribing you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/terms-and-privacy\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Service and Privacy Policy<\/a><\/div><label style=\"display: none !important;\">Leave this field empty if you're human: <input type=\"text\" name=\"_mc4wp_honeypot\" value=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" autocomplete=\"off\" \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" /><\/label><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_mc4wp_timestamp\" value=\"1634257394\" \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" /><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_mc4wp_form_id\" value=\"5517\" \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" /><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_mc4wp_form_element_id\" value=\"mc4wp-form-2\" \ placeholder="disabled" disabled="disabled" title="form boxes are disabled in cached version of the site" value="Disabled" style="opacity:0.3;" /><div class=\"mc4wp-response\"><\/div><\/form><!-- \/ Mailchimp for WordPress Plugin -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBitcoin I do see as a libertarian style belief system. But clearly, it\u2019s not an actual religion. It&#8217;s more of an ideology,\u201d adds Ferguson. Meanwhile, Brekke thinks that it may be less clear-cut.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt has ideological aspects to it, but it has a lot of other aspects that I would say are religious-like \u2014 they are cult-like. If I was pressed for an answer, I would say, yeah, this looks like a cult with religious dimensions. To say whether or not it is a real religion. I would need to wait another 50 years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-8373 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Bitcoin-hermit.jpg\" alt=\"Bitcoin Hermit\" width=\"501\" height=\"327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Bitcoin-hermit.jpg 593w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Bitcoin-hermit-300x196.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 501px) 100vw, 501px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qi believes the way events are transpiring means Bitcoin, or something like it could really become a formal religion in the future. \u201cWe have to see it from the aspect of the next 100 years: All spiritual ways will kind of die off and people will be more and more merged with the digital world \u2014 they&#8217;re losing basically the reality part of their life,\u201d he says, adding that \u201cWhen you see it from that perspective, you need to have a religion which fits that reality. You need to have a digital religion.\u201d Qi then concludes:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote align-center\"><p>\u201cAll these elements are in place to build the first basically worldwide digital religion. I think it&#8217;s already there. That&#8217;s what I believe: It&#8217;s a digital religion. It&#8217;s gonna be huge. I don&#8217;t think anybody can stop it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div  class=\"jeg_postblock_carousel jeg_postblock_carousel_3 jeg_postblock jeg_col_8 jnews_module__1_6168c9f292c7f    \">\n                    <div class=\"jeg_carousel_post\" data-nav='' data-autoplay='true' data-delay='4500' data-items='3' data-margin='20'>\n                        <div class=\"jeg_post_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"jeg_post format-standard\">\n                    \n                    <div class=\"jeg_thumb\">                        \n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/07\/fungible-fan-tokens-forming-proxy-market-day-trade-sports-teams-at-high-valuations\" ><div class=\"thumbnail-container animate-lazy  size-1000 \"><img width=\"75\" height=\"75\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/themes\/jnews\/assets\/img\/jeg-empty.png\" class=\"attachment-jnews-75x75 size-jnews-75x75 lazyload wp-post-image\" alt=\"Fan tokens\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-sports-fan-tokens-75x75.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-sports-fan-tokens-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-sports-fan-tokens-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-sports-fan-tokens-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"overlay_content\">\n                        <div class=\"jeg_postblock_content\">\n                            <h3 class=\"jeg_post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/07\/fungible-fan-tokens-forming-proxy-market-day-trade-sports-teams-at-high-valuations\">Fan tokens: Day trading your favorite sports team<\/a><\/h3>\n                            <div class=\"jeg_post_meta\"><div class=\"jeg_meta_date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/07\/fungible-fan-tokens-forming-proxy-market-day-trade-sports-teams-at-high-valuations\" ><i class=\"fa fa-clock-o\"><\/i> October 7, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"jeg_post_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"jeg_post format-standard\">\n                    \n                    <div class=\"jeg_thumb\">                        \n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/05\/when-banks-collapse-iceland-2008-firsthand\" ><div class=\"thumbnail-container animate-lazy  size-1000 \"><img width=\"75\" height=\"75\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/themes\/jnews\/assets\/img\/jeg-empty.png\" class=\"attachment-jnews-75x75 size-jnews-75x75 lazyload wp-post-image\" alt=\"Icelandic Bank Collapse\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-Iceland-firsthand-75x75.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-Iceland-firsthand-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-Iceland-firsthand-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/magazine-Iceland-firsthand-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"overlay_content\">\n                        <div class=\"jeg_postblock_content\">\n                            <h3 class=\"jeg_post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/05\/when-banks-collapse-iceland-2008-firsthand\">What it\u2019s like when the banks collapse: Iceland 2008 firsthand<\/a><\/h3>\n                            <div class=\"jeg_post_meta\"><div class=\"jeg_meta_date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/05\/when-banks-collapse-iceland-2008-firsthand\" ><i class=\"fa fa-clock-o\"><\/i> October 5, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"jeg_post_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"jeg_post format-standard\">\n                    \n                    <div class=\"jeg_thumb\">                        \n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/01\/crypto-city-guide-to-tokyo\" ><div class=\"thumbnail-container animate-lazy  size-1000 \"><img width=\"75\" height=\"75\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/themes\/jnews\/assets\/img\/jeg-empty.png\" class=\"attachment-jnews-75x75 size-jnews-75x75 lazyload wp-post-image\" alt=\"Crypto City: Guide to Tokyo\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAG-crypto-city-Tokyo-75x75.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAG-crypto-city-Tokyo-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAG-crypto-city-Tokyo-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAG-crypto-city-Tokyo-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"overlay_content\">\n                        <div class=\"jeg_postblock_content\">\n                            <h3 class=\"jeg_post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/01\/crypto-city-guide-to-tokyo\">Crypto City: Guide to Tokyo<\/a><\/h3>\n                            <div class=\"jeg_post_meta\"><div class=\"jeg_meta_date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/01\/crypto-city-guide-to-tokyo\" ><i class=\"fa fa-clock-o\"><\/i> October 1, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"jeg_post_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"jeg_post format-standard\">\n                    \n                    <div class=\"jeg_thumb\">                        \n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/27\/before-nfts-surging-interest-pre-cryptopunk-collectibles\" ><div class=\"thumbnail-container animate-lazy  size-1000 \"><img width=\"75\" height=\"75\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/themes\/jnews\/assets\/img\/jeg-empty.png\" class=\"attachment-jnews-75x75 size-jnews-75x75 lazyload wp-post-image\" alt=\"Before NFTs: Surging interest in pre-CryptoPunk collectibles\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAGAZINE-Before-NFTs-Surging-interest-in-pre-CryptoPunk-collectibles-75x75.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAGAZINE-Before-NFTs-Surging-interest-in-pre-CryptoPunk-collectibles-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAGAZINE-Before-NFTs-Surging-interest-in-pre-CryptoPunk-collectibles-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/MAGAZINE-Before-NFTs-Surging-interest-in-pre-CryptoPunk-collectibles-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"overlay_content\">\n                        <div class=\"jeg_postblock_content\">\n                            <h3 class=\"jeg_post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/27\/before-nfts-surging-interest-pre-cryptopunk-collectibles\">Before NFTs: Surging interest in pre-CryptoPunk collectibles<\/a><\/h3>\n                            <div class=\"jeg_post_meta\"><div class=\"jeg_meta_date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/27\/before-nfts-surging-interest-pre-cryptopunk-collectibles\" ><i class=\"fa fa-clock-o\"><\/i> September 27, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"jeg_post_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"jeg_post format-standard\">\n                    \n                    <div class=\"jeg_thumb\">                        \n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/16\/bitcoin-ledger-as-a-secret-weapon-in-war-against-ransomware\" ><div class=\"thumbnail-container animate-lazy  size-1000 \"><img width=\"75\" height=\"75\" src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/themes\/jnews\/assets\/img\/jeg-empty.png\" class=\"attachment-jnews-75x75 size-jnews-75x75 lazyload wp-post-image\" alt=\"Bitcoin ledger as a secret weapon in war against ransomware\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/magazine-Crypto-isnt-a-good-tool-for-ransomware-75x75.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/magazine-Crypto-isnt-a-good-tool-for-ransomware-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/magazine-Crypto-isnt-a-good-tool-for-ransomware-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/magazine-Crypto-isnt-a-good-tool-for-ransomware-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-expand=\"700\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"overlay_content\">\n                        <div class=\"jeg_postblock_content\">\n                            <h3 class=\"jeg_post_title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/16\/bitcoin-ledger-as-a-secret-weapon-in-war-against-ransomware\">Bitcoin ledger as a secret weapon in war against ransomware<\/a><\/h3>\n                            <div class=\"jeg_post_meta\"><div class=\"jeg_meta_date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/09\/16\/bitcoin-ledger-as-a-secret-weapon-in-war-against-ransomware\" ><i class=\"fa fa-clock-o\"><\/i> September 16, 2021<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Every atom in the universe through heat and energy transfer, one day will become literally Bitcoin.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":8363,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[157],"tags":[2722,2914,3027,3026,2830],"yst_prominent_words":[247,225,2000,168,377,1809],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8353"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8353"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8394,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8353\/revisions\/8394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8353"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=8353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}