JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF RELIGIONS AND IDEOLOGIES

Publisher:: —
ISSN:: 1583-0039
Category:: RELIGION
Impact factor:: 0.4

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Religious appropriation: Artificial Intelligence-driven political campaign algorithm trap

2026-03-05

Henky Fernando, Yuniar Galuh Larasati, Zakaria Efendi, Meysella Al Firdha Hanim, Nur Rif’ah Hasaniy

The manipulation of political campaign algorithms based on religious elements controlled by Artificial Intelligence (AI) has led to the systematic appropriation of religion. However, this phenomenon remains underexplored in scholarly discussions. In response to these gaps, this study adopts a qualitative descriptive approach using a case study method. Data were collected through intensive analysis of online news content published between May 30 and June 21, 2025, using the keyword “Religion and political campaign algorithms in Indonesia 2024” via the Google search engine. The findings of this study reveal three key contexts regarding the manipulation of political campaign algorithms rooted in religious elements. First, religion-themed memes were frequently disseminated to undermine the image of political opponents. Second, bot accounts were commonly deployed to generate religious narratives on a massive scale. Third, public resistance emerged, indicating an epistemological tension surrounding the manipulation of religious content in political campaigns. The significance of this study lies in its exploration of the theological implications of manipulative AI use within the landscape of digital political communication.

Cyberspace in Buddhist Ethics

2026-03-05

Song Chong Lee

This paper explores how Buddhist teachings, grounded in the metaphysics of interdependence and emptiness, can deepen our understanding of cyberspace as a distinct moral domain. Drawing on Buddhist perspectives on reality, personal identity, and karma, it revisits the enduring idea that, in both principle and ethical effect, cyberspace is neither fundamentally separate from nor different than the embodied world. While cyberspace functions similarly to the physical realm, it demands special attention due to its transcendence of spatial and temporal boundaries, as well as its capacity to reshape traditional contexts of identity and interaction. Unlike the limited personal identity conditioned by biological and social factors in the lived existence, the cyberself assumes a multidimensional, omnipresent existence with significant power to construct its own ontological conditions and virtual environments. This gives rise to novel moral challenges related to the creation and interaction of diverse and unconventional identities and consciousnesses, compounded by the internet’s hyper-connectivity and amplified ethical impact. The study argues that Buddhist teachings on self/no-self and an expanded notion of karma offer a valuable framework for reflecting on the broadened possibilities for moral action within cyberspace.