Warning from Moscow: Tech gadgets could make humanity tool of anti-Christ

Humans’ dependence on smartphones and other modern gadgets could pave the way for the coming of the anti-Christ, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church said.

Patriarch Kirill. / TASS

Special to CosmicTribune.com

Patriarch Kirill, in an interview on state-run television on Jan. 7, warned that the widespread use of devices connected to the Internet has opened the possibility for “universal control over humanity.”

The “devil acts very wisely” in offering people such a “toy,” he said.

“Control from a single point is a harbinger of the coming of the anti-Christ,” Patriarch Kirill said.

“The anti-Christ is the person that will be at the head of the world wide web controlling all of humanity. That means that the structure itself poses a danger. There shouldn’t be a single center, at least not in the foreseeable future, if we don’t want to bring on the apocalypse.”

Patriarch Kirill said his Church was not against “technological progress,” rather “the development of a system that is aimed at controlling a person’s identity.”

“Every time you use your gadget, whether you like it or not, whether you turn on your location or not, somebody can find out exactly where you are, exactly what your interests are and exactly what you are scared of,” Patriarch Kirill said.

“If not today, then tomorrow methods and technology could appear that will not just provide access to all information but will also allow the use of this information. Do you imagine what power will be concentrated in the hands of those who gain knowledge about what is going on in the world?”

Patriarch Kirill said “You should remain free inside and not fall under any addiction, not to alcohol, not to narcotics, not to gadgets.”

Meanwhile, on Jan. 5, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine split from the Russian Church following centuries of Russian leadership. The Jan. 5 move formalized a decision that was announced in October.

The move sparked a furious response in Moscow and deepened a split in the worldwide Orthodox Church.

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