**The Mystical and Dogmatic World of Cryptocurrency**
*Inherently Religious or Capitalist*
The cryptocurrency sector has all the hallmarks of religiosity: the mysterious identity of bitcoin’s founder Satoshi Nakamoto has turned him into more of a spiritual force than anything human; Roger Ver, Bitcoin Cash’s proudest promotor, openly refers to himself as “Bitcoin Jesus”; stickers of one the major figures in Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, depict the Russian-Canadian whizkid under a radiant halo; privacy coin Zcash was launched after a modern ritual dubbed the “Ceremony” and included five anonymous “Witnesses”.
**Messianic Proclamations in Crypto Twitter**
Crypto Twitter is awash with dogmatic proclamations, inter-token heresy, and evangelists pushing bold prophecies. Like modern-day missionaries, crypto-investors spread the gospel of this or that token in hopes to convert more people to using their cryptocurrencies.
**Cryptocurrency: A Capitalist Religion?**
According to Amber Baldet, former head of JP Morgan’s blockchain project Quorom and current CEO of crypto startup Clovyr, there is something about cryptocurrency that whets mystical fervour more than your run-of-the-mill capitalist venture. She believes it takes a certain amount of irrationality to believe that the world could be dramatically different, and a certain amount of dogmatism to hold fast to that belief while everyone else says you’ll likely fail. “So, it’s not surprising that blockchain and crypto communities tend to look cultish.”
**Cryptocurrency and Other Technologies**
Cryptocurrency is not even the only technology to have given rise to a cult. In November 2017, former Uber engineer Anthony Levandowski launched the Way of the Future (WOTF), a church in which AI “will effectively be a god”. Like 0xΩ, WOTF aims at democratising participation in the AI-based project. It will naturally attract specialists in the field, but Levandowski is also interested in incorporating laymen into the fold via his nonprofit. “The church is how we spread the word, the gospel,” he said. “If you believe [in it], start a conversation with someone else and help them understand the same things.”
The Church of Perpetual Life, “the only supplemental science-based church in the world,” is another manifestation of convergent innovations and religion. The project’s mission states that they “hold faith in the technologies and discoveries of humanity to end aging and defeat involuntary death within our lifetime”.
**Reimagining Religion or Captilaism?**
According to Liston, bitcoin is the first “purely capitalist religion” in our secular culture. He believes that cryptocurrency is a clear point to make in our replaced religion with capitalism or rampant consumerism. Amber Baldet also acknowledged that cryptocurrency goes beyond typical capitalist ventures, as it takes a certain amount of irrationality and dogmatism to believe in it. As the cryptocurrency sector continues to evolve, its unique blend of fervour and dogmatism may ultimately redefine the intersection of technology, capitalism, and spirituality.
I have over 10 years of experience in the cryptocurrency industry and I have been on the list of the top authors on LinkedIn for the past 5 years. I have a wealth of knowledge to share with my readers, and my goal is to help them navigate the ever-changing world of cryptocurrencies.