It does not happen all that often that religion and blockchain technology come together in a meaningful manner. Former Augur CEO Matt Liston has made an impact in this regard. His newly-formed religion, known as 0xΩ, will certainly spark a lot of debate. Even so, there is seemingly some merit to this idea.

The Curious Case of Matt Liston

Most cryptocurrency enthusiasts will know the name Matt Liston for his involvement in Augur. The somewhat popular prediction market platform has gained a fair bit of traction over the past few years. Even so, the project faced internal struggles, and Liston was forced to leave the company after a major lawsuit.

Although this experience was anything but pleasant for all parties involved, Liston seems to have since focused his attention on an entirely different venture: launching a blockchain-based religion known as 0xΩ.

This newly-formed religion is a cog in the machine which Liston is trying to build. More specifically, he wants to transform the way in which religions receive and make use of donations. Unsurprisingly, this will involve the use of the Ethereum blockchain, although most specifics have yet to be unveiled at this time.

One has to admit that Liston is pretty serious about the 0xΩ religion. He even handed out several dozen hard copies of a “flame paper” describing the religion and its underlying “business model”. At the same time, his venture raises a lot of concerns, as a lot of people think this will turn into a cult rather than become an actual religion.

Establishing a religious governance model is very intriguing, but it’s not without potential problems. In the case of 0xΩ, the first order of business will be to put this religion’s scripture on the blockchain. The same process could be applied to any other religion as well, in theory. Harnessing the power of smart contracts will introduce some additional unique use cases, although it doesn’t guarantee success whatsoever.

Combining blockchain and religion will undoubtedly introduce challenges and opportunities. Even so, most attempts to convey the power of blockchain technology in this manner will be considered cult-like first and foremost. In the eyes of most consumers, blockchain and cryptocurrency enthusiasts are cult members already, and 0xΩ will only reinforce that misconception.