The article analyzes the use of robots in contemporary religious practices through the lens of the theory of sociotechnical imaginaries, formulated by American scholar of science and technology Sheila Jasanoff. The work is structured into four sections: an introduction, empirical and theoretical parts, and a conclusion. In the introduction, the ground for the chosen theoretical framework for analyzing the phenomenon under study is provided, and the initial research question concerning the use of robots in contemporary religious practices is formulated. The empirical part, which preliminarily outlines the advantages and limitations of the material collected from media publications, describes cases of robotics integration in Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. These religious traditions are compared with one another in the theoretical section of the work. The analysis of sociotechnical imaginaries from a comparative perspective on the use of robotics in the three religions reveals differences among several functional images of robots. On the one hand, automated religious “servants” appear in Christianity and Islam as mediators between actors of religious communication, including non‑members of religious communities and those seeking religious meanings. On the other hand, a perspective of theomorphism of robots emerges, interpreted from a Buddhist viewpoint as a sacred artificial body. Additionally, the connection between sociotechnical imaginaries and the anthropomorphizing technology is examined in the context of reflecting human’s expectations regarding how robots with a social interface should look and interact with humans. The conclusion presents findings that the integration of robots into religious practices constitutes a case of “embedding” local sociotechnical imaginaries into material cultural artifacts, which is associated with the search for new resources to articulate religious beliefs and practices in a postsecular society.
robots; religious practices; sociotechnical imaginaries; Buddhism; Christianity; Islam; anthropomorphism; postsecular society