From steam engines to growing cities, the First Industrial Revolution marks a decisive shift in human history.
In this ninth episode of The Mosaic Chat, we explore how industrialisation transforms not only economies and ways of life, but also the place of religion within society. As populations move from rural communities to urban centres, traditional structures begin to weaken, and faith is no longer the primary framework organising daily life.
Across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, this moment triggers profound questioning. What is the role of religion in a world driven by machines, productivity, and progress? How can sacred texts speak to factory workers, social inequality, and rapidly changing social conditions?
Different responses emerge. Some religious movements turn toward social action, education, and the protection of the most vulnerable.
Others reaffirm tradition or call for reform, seeking to reconnect faith with a modern world shaped by science, industry, and individual autonomy.
The industrial age does not mark the disappearance of religion,
but its transformation. Belief shifts from inherited structure to conscious engagement, opening new spaces for reflection on justice, responsibility,
and the meaning of progress.
Understanding this turning point helps us see how the Abrahamic traditions continue to evolve in response to economic and social change, and how the questions raised by industrial modernity still shape societies across the Middle East and North Africa today.
🎙 A conversation with Galith Abbou Benichou and Tomer Attias.
📖 Inspired by Abramundi: Manifesto for the Creation of an Abrahamic Alliance in the Middle East and North Africa
