Leisure, Religion & Technology- A Cultural Crossroad Key Words: Leisure, Quality of Life, Authority; Digitalization; Democratization; Online Applications This proposal presents an examination of the relationship between leisure, well-being and religious practice by considering the changing role of technology in the practice of faith. Over 10,000 online opportunities exist expanding the understanding of religion to include both traditional sect-based sites, and a more open consideration of meditation, yoga, hypnosis, guided visualization, and health and wellness. Digital platforms create an environment that is both complex and multifaceted, serving as facilitators and challengers to established norms. Online applications offer opportunities to access meditation guides, religious education modules for numerous belief systems, virtual prayer communities, and scriptural texts in digital formats. The proliferation of online religious applications creates ethical and theological concerns including the dilution of the authenticity and depth of spiritual experiences, data privacy, and commercialization, prompting a cautious approach among some religious communities wary of the commodification of faith. Bibliography Buie, Elizabeth, Blythe, Mark. 2014. Spirituality: there's an app for that! (but not a lot of research). https://doi.org/10.1145/2468356.2468754. Retrieved 22/12/2023 Campbell, Heidi, and Mia Lövheim. 2017. "Considering Critical Methods and Theoretical Lenses in Digital Religion Studies." New Media & Society 19:5-14. "There's a Religious App for That! A Framework for Studying Religious Mobile Technology". Mobile Media & Communication 2(2):154-172. Cheong, Pauline Hope, Peter Fischer-Nielsen, Stefan Gelfgren, and Charles Ess, eds.; 2012. "Digital Religion, Social Media and Culture: Perspectives, Practices, and Futures". New York: Peter Lang Publishing. Shivers, Jay & deLisle, Lee. (1997). The story of leisure. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishing