"Looking for Life on a Flat Earth" by Alan Burdick https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/looking-for-life-on-a-flat-earth
The Internet democratized information, giving anyone with a connection a voice.
I watched a documentary on Luther recently (http://www.pbs.org/program/martin-luther-idea-changed-world/), and I'm struck by the similarities to today's viral conspiracy theorists. His proclamations became popular not by being nailed to the church door, but through the printing press, the disruptive media technology of its day. He was crude and vulgar, relying on sensationalism to spread his messages. And he encouraged people to rely on their own interpretation of scripture, ignoring the self-professed experts at the Vatican.
Maybe in another hundred years, Flat-Earthism could become its own religion, its own sort of "divine revelation."
@nolan Your comment reaches to the heart of human priestly activity and religion generation and reminds me of this:
"I come from Bangalore, a city in which Pelé is god. I do not mean this metaphorically. In a neighbourhood called Gowthampura, around the corner from where I live, residents have erected a lovely shrine to four local icons – the Buddha, Dr. Ambedkar, Mother Teresa, and the striker from Santos."
https://africasacountry.com/2014/06/neymar-and-race-in-brazil/ has a photo that I have to share.
