Religious Web sites are one of the fastest growing types of Internet sites, according to the author of a new book about faith on the Internet.
"Religion is more popular than sex online," said Brenda E. Brasher, author of "Give Me That Online Religion."
Type in "sex" on the Alta Vista search engine and get 15.5 million results. Type in "religion" and get more than 17 million results.
Brasher, assistant professor of religion and philosophy at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, compares the Web to the invention of the printing press. "We used to say geography was destiny in religion, but the printing press changed that. The medium became the message. Today, the medium is the computer.
"Anyone with a computer has more information than all the popes and princes, imams and rabbis ever did. The Internet levels the playing field and lets everyone share information, not just the elite," said Brasher.
Rob Lancaster, an analyst with the Yankee Group, an Internet research and consulting service in Boston, said the boom in faith-based sites could be attributed to a catch-up phenomenon because religious institutions were slower to adopt Internet technology.
"Wired Churches, Wired Temples," a report prepared by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, estimates 2 million people a day log on to pray, evangelize, research religion, read sacred texts and connect with religious institutions across town and around the world. "It's amazing how many mainstream Midwestern Protestant churches are moving onto the Internet and getting a foothold in cyberspace," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew research project.
Church Web sites usually begin as an online brochure, offering information on service times and the church address, said Rainie. After a site is running, churches usually realize how the site can be developed to allow e-mail communications with members.
Point of Grace Church in Clive takes its Web presence seriously, said the Rev. Jeff Mullen, executive pastor. The non-denominational congregation has grown from 130 people in 1995 to more than 1,700 people every Sunday.
"We saw the Internet as a tool that could introduce our church to the larger community. We wanted to jump in with both feet and be ahead of the game," said Mullen, whose Web site is on several search engines due to help from Lance Thompson, a church member and professional Web developer with Web Impressions in Clive.
"We get 300 visitors a day to our Web site. That's considered good for a commercial site," said Thompson.
Point of Grace targets 20- to 40-year-olds seeking a casual church. Audio and video technology allows visitors to see Sunday services.
Interactive components on the Web site include registration for baptisms, small groups and direct deposit tithing. Point of Grace also e-mails a daily devotion to more than 1,400 subscribers.
Deacon Dan McGuire of Christ the King Catholic Church in Des Moines frequently uses homiliesalive.com to jump-start homily preparation. "It gives me ideas that I can adapt and use," said McGuire, who also logs on several times a week to a national list serve where he connects with other Catholic deacons to exchange information.
"It keeps us connected and lets us share information," said McGuire, who also logs onto Sacred Space, a reflective daily prayer site that has logged more than 1.7 million visits since its launch in 1999.
The Internet also lets ministries reach specialty groups, such as the deaf.
"Deaf people like computers and the Internet. Cyberspace doesn't have any prejudices," said the Rev. Darrel Kois of Altoona, who helped launch the Web site for Calvary Lutheran Church for the Deaf in Des Moines. "The deaf can go online and handle the information at their own speed," Kois said. "According to Gallup Polls, nearly 80 percent of adult Americans claim to be Christian. But 95 percent of deaf adults claim to have no relationship with Jesus Christ. The Internet is an important part of our outreach."
Online opportunities
With more than 17 million faith-based Internet sites, it's easy to learn about different faith traditions, share prayers with people around the world and participate in online religious liturgies and rituals in the privacy of your own home.
BIBLE SEARCH: The Bible Gateway at www.biblegateway.net can help you locate the quote in 10 different English translations.
SERVICES: The Basilica of the National Shrine of Saint Ann in Scranton, Pa., offers a multimedia daily Mass at www.themass.org
PRAYER: Send a prayer request to the Western Wall in Jerusalem at www.aish.com. A student from Aish HaTorah will place your prayer in the wall for you as you watch the wall via Web cam.
MEDITATE: Use a guided 10-minute Buddhist meditation session at www.beliefnet.com
LISTEN: Listen to the prayers of the Koran sung on-line at a virtual mosque at www.allah.com
LEARN: Learn about Muslim dietary laws at www.jamiat.org.za/hguideline.html
CATHOLICS: Several sites offer interactive rosary prayers for Catholics, including www.virtualrosary.org/dload.html The Liturgy of the Hours, the daily office prayed by the Catholic church, can be found at www.universalis.com