Faith & Culture: Yikes, respect for clergy akin to that for politicians

“Poll results also suggest a “changing nature of deference in our society” for the “professional title.” For example, CEOs or other professions such as church and charity leaders have tumbled to the level of car salespeople and politicians.” – Sheila Nonato, Postmedia News

If you read last week’s Faith and Culture column, you’ll recall I entered 2012 distressed by news that a popular Confession app for smartphones threatens to render my vocation redundant. Uh, ahem, none of you called to bolster my spirits.

Yesterday, word came that we clergy types are now regarded with a skepticism usually reserved for used car salespeople and politicians. Has it really come to this, my friends? I’m presently perched on our church roof, clinging to the cross, yet threatening to jump. Not that any alert City View reader cares. “Clergyman plummets along with polls,” the headline will read.

But, aha, I derive comfort in hearing that something ominous lurks amidst modern culture’s mad rush to embrace the latest and greatest in electronic wizardry. That’s not the wind you hear howling across the southern Alberta prairies; that’s me laughing sinisterly from up here.

A recent study at UBC’s Sauder School of Business finds that when people text, they’re more likely to lie than when using other forms of communication. Put another way, face-to-face communication is more likely to be honest. To (re)boot, Skype-ing was found to be more honest than texting. Why so?

“What we theorized here,” said Sauder professor Ronald Cenfetelli, “is what we call the spotlight effect. There’s still a novelty to (video conferencing) and when you use it, it’s like having a camera stuck in your face.”

The study reports that stock-sellers who communicated via text messaging were more likely to deceive prospective buyers than those communicating via video conference or in person. Among those who did look their buyers in the eye and lie, either in person or on video conference, they were more likely to be forgiven by the people they deceived.

When the dupe was revealed, buyers were given money and told to decide how much to share with the sellers. Buyers deceived via text weren’t nearly as inclined to share as those who’d had an in-person or video conferencing connection.

“We were surprised people in technology-mediated conditions were more upset than people in face-to-face conditions,” noted Cenfetelli. “What we theorized was in a face-to-face communication there’s a greater degree of rapport building. The thing I personally learn from this study the most is that if you have anything controversial or emotionally laden to communicate to others, really consider doing it face to face.”

At least now I get why my texts for help are going unanswered. Apparently I have to wait ‘til Sunday morning for somebody to puh-leeze help me down from up here!