The parish hall of the Church of St. Basil of Ostrog in Bežanijska Kosa was filled to capacity on Sunday, 5 July 2026, following the Divine Liturgy, as another lecture in the Summer School of Parenting project, organized by the Missionary Department of the Archdiocese of Belgrade–Karlovci, brought together a large number of parents, educators, and other interested participants. The lecture, entitled “Like, Group, Cult: Digital Cultic Influences Among Young People,” addressed one of the most pressing issues of contemporary society: the ways in which the digital environment shapes the spiritual, psychological, and social patterns of young people.
The lecture was delivered by Zoran Luković, Religious Studies scholar and Coordinator of the Apologetics Section of the Missionary Department of the Archdiocese of Belgrade–Karlovci. In his presentation, he examined the increasingly sophisticated mechanisms through which the internet facilitates the formation of closed virtual communities capable of exerting a profound influence on the identity, value systems, and behaviour of young people. Particular attention was devoted to various online groups that present themselves as platforms for spiritual development, self-help, or alternative spirituality, yet which may gradually develop recognizable patterns of manipulation, control, and psychological dependency characteristic of cultic groups.
The event gained additional value through the lively and highly substantive discussion that followed the lecture. The numerous questions, exchange of experiences, and open dialogue with those in attendance demonstrated not only that parents are acutely aware of the new challenges confronting their children, but also that there is a growing need for informed, professionally grounded, and ecclesially rooted responses to the phenomena that increasingly shape contemporary life.
The exceptional attendance and the capacity audience provided the clearest confirmation that such topics touch upon the very core of the contemporary challenges facing family life and spiritual formation. For this reason, the Summer School of Parenting continues to serve as a forum for encounter, dialogue, and encouragement, where parents, through lectures and discussions with experts, acquire the knowledge and guidance necessary for the responsible upbringing of children in an era marked by rapid technological, cultural, and spiritual change.
The Summer School of Parenting project will continue its programme in the coming months, with the aim of providing parents, through a series of lectures and educational gatherings, with a reliable framework for understanding and responding to the complex challenges that contemporary society presents to the family.
PHOTOS: Photo archive of the Church of Saint Basil of Ostrog on Bežanijska kosa
