You can ask Siri or Alexa anything – so why not go to Google for answers to those ultimate questions in life? Religion News Service is reporting that given the democratization of information in the Internet Age, people feel less compelled to go to the clergy for advice. Here’s Notre Dame theology professor Tim O’Malley, who is quoted in the article:

In American life, there has ultimately been a broad rejection of ‘experts’ apart from the person searching for the answer on his or her own … Think about the use of Google. You can literally Google anything. Should I have children? What career should I have? When should I make a will? How do I deal with a difficult child?

In this sense, there has been a democratization of information based on the seeking self … You can find the information more easily through a search engine than finding a member of a clergy.

Read the rest of the piece here.