The Register, Jews for Jesus sue Google, 23 Dec 05

Youth Curry - Insight on Indian Youth , Buy, all ye faithful, 19 Dec 05 thorough 'religion and shopping' article looking at global trends (Mecca Cola, Buerger King, etc.)

baltimoresun.com, Faith-based Web sites help spread the word - Judaism site among millions of online religion resources that serve devout believers and curious newcomers, 19 Dec 05 refers to MyJewishLearning.com

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Youths reveal racy Bible calendar, 3 Dec 05 "A German Protestant youth group has put together a 2006 calendar illustrated with erotic scenes from the Bible.

"The 12 re-enacted passages feature a bare-breasted Delilah cutting Samson's hair and a nude Eve offering an apple."

Guardian Unlimited | Arts features | After the 'Family' broke us apart, 26 Nov 05 interesting story about <"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Spencer"> Jeremy Spencer (ex Fleetwood Mac) and his family (and The Family cult). Spencer's children have formed a group called Jynxt.

New York Times, A Party Girl Leads China's Online Revolution, 24 Nov 05: "Chinese Web logs have existed since early in this decade, but the form has exploded in recent months, challenging China's ever vigilant online censors and giving flesh to the kind of free-spoken civil society whose emergence the government has long been determined to prevent or at least tightly control."

Telegraph | News | 'There's no such thing as the perfect sermon. Thank God', 20 Nov 05 "So entrenched has the fixation with perfection become that a growing number of preachers log on to internet sites such as www.sermoncentral.com to download pre-formated sermons, in the manner of desperate A-level students on an essay deadline."

The Cult of Mac Blog: "Zen IPod Docks From Japan Made of Stone" [scroll down for this gem]

Al-Ahram Weekly | Heritage | Scene set for Coptic studies

heraldtribune.com, School Web filter blocks faiths, 8 Nov 05 "Nathan Robinson, 16, was pulling together the horoscopes for the student newspaper when he ran into an eye-opening problem: The school's Web filter blocked him from getting any information on astrology because it fell under the state's filter for cults and nonmainstream religions."

The Cult of Mac Blog, 25 Oct 05: "Designer Scott Wilson, the brains behind the $13 iBelieve iPod-crucifix-lanyard, said it celebrates both Jesus and the iPod." An interesting discussion on the iBelieve i-Pod accessory, which may be authentic ... [scroll down for full story]

CNN.com - 'God blogging' workshop spreads faith - Oct 17, 2005: "What would Jesus blog? That and other pressing questions drew 135 Christians to Southern California this weekend for a national conference billed as the first-ever for 'God bloggers,' a growing community of online writers who exchange information and analyze current events from a Christian perspective."

It's only rock'n'roll: oregonlive.com, Priest sends tunes, tenets over Web site, 16 Oct 05: "The Rev. Bailey Clemens flips a switch, and a blast of guitars and drums pulses through the massive tree-shaded stone walls of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church.

"It's pop rock with a Catholic message, zooming into cyberspace on its way to teenage listeners in Saudi Arabia, France, Japan, Brazil and wherever else Clemens' Web site is tuned in.

"'I guess it is edgy for a Catholic priest,' he says of his Pendleton-based Internet vibes, and he might be right: 'Ave Maria' this is not. More like Audio Adrenaline, Seven Day Slumber and Superchick."

Guardian Unlimited | Young, free and kosher, 11 Oct 05

Opinion piece and commentary on net dating:

"If there's one thing Jews love, it's other Jews. JDate, a giant temple in cyberspace, is the "World's largest Jewish singles community"; an online dating service where Jewish singles can meet, mate and continue the tribe."

CNN.com - Bible group spreads word by SMS - Oct 6, 2005: "'In da Bginnin God cre8d da heavens & da earth,' according to a new version of the Bible translated into the text message language of cell phone users."

sfgate.com, Chinese Internet vs. free speech / Hard choices for U.S. tech giants, September 18, 2005: "U.S. tech giants are helping the Chinese express themselves online -- as long as they don't write about democracy, Tibet, sex, Tiananmen Square, Falun Gong, government corruption or any other taboo subject. "

BBC NEWS | Technology | Storm help flows from 3D worlds, 7 September 2005

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Yahoo 'helped jail China writer', 7 Sept 05 "Reporters Without Borders said Yahoo's Hong Kong arm helped China link Shi Tao's e-mail account and computer to a message containing the information."

Guardian Unlimited | Online | And The Word is: Godcasting, 10 Aug 05 "Some Godcasts, however, prove problematic, said Business Week's Olga Kharif, noting the LamRim show (mostly speeches by Buddhist religious leaders). "Interested listeners can also download meditations but," she said, "they are just a lot of dead air.""

Asia Times Online, Indian police get mobile over porn, 28 July 2005: "The long arm of the law silently watches over the shoulders of people to catch them "red-handed" watching porn, which is not illegal, but any form of promotion by forwarding/hosting (the technical word is multimedia messaging or MMS) can invite a jail sentence and a heavy fine."

Wired News: Blogs Taking Off in Cambodia, 20 July 05

Scientologists drop copyright case | The Register, 8 July 2005: "A day before the Dutch Supreme Court was to deliver its final verdict, the Church of Scientology has dropped its controversial case against writer Karin Spaink, who hyperlinked to what the church believe is copyrighted material. However, Spaink wants the case to continue, as it will establish a freedom of speech precedence for the internet and ISPs in particular."

Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication, and Media, Internet and Cyber Environments Heidi Campbell's article is available online as a sample entry for the Encyclopedia.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Microsoft censors Chinese blogs, 14 June 05: "Chinese bloggers posting their thoughts via Microsoft's net service face restrictions on what they can write."

Wired News: New Tech Protects Ancient Torahs, 6 June 05

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Row as hospital Bibles linked to bug, 4 June 05: "Anne McGregor, head of communications, said the infection control team was considering whether the Bibles might contribute to the spread of MRSA and other infections, while the equality panel was looking into whether there was equitable provision of religious material suitable for Leicester's multifaith community."

BBC NEWS | Wales | South East Wales | Wireless broadband goes to church, 31 May 05: "A vicar in Cardiff is offering wireless broadband access from the pews of his church, alongside traditional weddings, christenings and Sunday services."

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Christians purge video game demons, 24 May 05: "The Devil, they say, has all the best tunes. Until now he has also had the video games market sewn up."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Sims creator takes on evolution, : "The creator of the hugely popular Sims game is working on an ambitious title in which you can truly be God."

Australian IT - Gospel groups target gamers (Reed Stevenson in Los Angeles, MAY 18, 2005): "So far, games such as 'Spiritual Warfare' and 'Exodus: Journey to the Promised Land' have drawn a loyal following by combining biblical themes with mild action. Users can travel through biblical lands, solve puzzles based on Bible scripture and, in some games, slash demonic foes. "

egypttoday.com, The Guardian: How the president of the Jewish Community of Cairo is keeping the memory of her forefathers alive as she struggles to preserve the nation’s Jewish heritage sites: "Some, particularly a group of Jews of Egyptian descent who now live in America, have no faith in Carmen Weinstein, let alone in her mission, claiming the Jewish community of Cairo is for all intents and purposes extinct. As she badgers the nation's antiquity authorities, organizes social activities for the women of her community and tends to her popular website (www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/5855/bassai.htm), it's a claim she dismisses as insignificant. As she sees it, the community will endure, in one form or another."

The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Basics: Now, Audio Blogs for Those Who Aspire to Be D.J.'s, 13 May 05 [subscription channel]: "Another, more high-minded site, Catholic Insider (www.catholicinsider.com), links to podcasts of Pope Benedict XVI from Vatican Radio. "

BBC NEWS | Technology | Crime time for Chinese net users: "Around 20% of the world's hijacked computers sending out spam, attacking websites and hosting unsavoury material are in China, says a report. "

Apologetics research resources on cults, sects, religions, etc. I have visited this one several times; it is regularly updated, and has some interesting recent material.

reuters/latimes.com, Man Says He Won't Link XVI to XXX on Net, 21 Apr 05 "An American who registered the Internet domain name BenedictXVI.com before the new pope was chosen said Wednesday that he had not decided what to do with it, but he ruled out pornography and doubted that he would accept an offer from a gambling site."

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Profile: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

Chicago Tribune | Cardinals in cyberspace, 15 Apr 05 "The cardinals won't be toting laptops when they assemble Monday in the Sistine Chapel to pick a new pope, but the information highway constructed since the last papal conclave in 1978 could steer them in new ways." Discusses the possible impact of the internet on the papal conclave.

CNN.com - Students re-enact Red Sea crossing -- with wine - Apr 13, 2005: "Student engineers sent their gadgets whirring, spinning and buzzing across a pool of water Wednesday in a competition to re-enact the biblical Jewish crossing of the Red Sea and pour a ceremonial glass of wine -- all without anyone touching anything."

The New York Times > Books > Scholar of Judaism, Professional Provocateur Jacob Neusner profile - strictly non-tech

BuzzMachine... by Jeff Jarvis features the Pope Blog - a very detailed set of resources

Peshmerga Women

Newsweek: 'Go With God', 10 Apr 05: "Today official patriotic-church leaders maintain discreet contacts with Rome, while the faithful keep abreast of news from the Vatican on shortwave radio or the Internet."

U.S. cardinal opens up on choosing a new pope: "Noting that Tettamanzi is No. 1 on a popular Internet pope pool, George said he doubts he is even included in the brackets."

East Valley Tribune | Daily Arizona news for Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale, 7 Apr 05: "A world history textbook used by seventh-graders at Scottsdale's Mohave Middle School was pulled from classrooms mid-semester amid growing criticism of the book's portrayal of Islam.

"The removal came on the heels of a slew of angry emails to Scottsdale Unified School District officials and entries on conservative Internet Web logs."

AFP/WWRN, China blocks Internet comments on the pope, 4 Apr 05 "China's web portals have blocked prayers, blessings and other comment on the death of Pope John Paul II from being posted on the Internet, officials said.

"While popular portals such as Sina.com and Sohu.com's on-line discussion forums were flooded with messages about the pope Saturday, no messages could be seen Monday."

Reuters/Wired, SMS, E-mail Announce Pope's Death, Apr 3, 2005 "Just a quarter of an hour after the Pope was pronounced dead Saturday at 9:37 p.m., the Vatican sent journalists an SMS message alerting them to a pending statement. Television networks across the globe were already on standby a minute later when the e-mail communiqué was beamed to a sea of handheld computers, purchased by journalists at the suggestion of the Vatican."

New Statesman - Inside Islam's ''terror schools'', 28th March 2005 William Dalrymple reports from NWFP (citing Kepel in the process)

Top marks for sect schools that shun the modern world - Times Online, 22 Mar 05 "The Exclusive Brethren, which also believes that members should not go to university because it is too “worldly”, runs 43 private schools educating 1,400 children ...

" ... Television, radio, mobile telephones, newspapers and going to places of entertainment are all banned. Computers and the internet are regarded as tools of the Devil."

Aljazeera.Net - Ethiopia Jews battle Israeli prejudice non-tech, but interesting perspective on Falasha experience.

CWN 231, Seekers turn to cyberspace as gospel goes high-tech: "According to Pew Internet Research, nearly two-thirds of online Americans use the Internet for religious activities and 30 percent have searched for spiritual information on the Web.
"

The New York Times > International > Asia Pacific > Chinese Censors and Web Users Match Wits: "For specialists in China's Internet controls, though, the gathering of legislators and top political leaders offers a chance to measure the state of the art of Web censorship ...

" ... "All of the big mistakes made in China since 1949 have had to do with a lack of information," said Guo Liang, an Internet expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. "Lower levels of government have come to understand this, and I believe that since the SARS epidemic, upper levels may be beginning to understand this, too.""

Wired 13.03: Howard Stern and the Satellite Wars, March 05 Censorship issues at stake here.

The New York Times > Books > A Mormon Daughter's Book Stirs a Storm, Feb 24 05 This refers to a book entitled "Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith" by Martha Beck: " ... Mormons around the country [USA] have participated in an e-mail campaign against the book, sending more than 3,500 messages to Oprah Winfrey, who has featured 'Leaving the Saints' on her Internet site and in the March issue of O, the Oprah Magazine. The magazine includes a monthly self-help column by Dr. Beck, who has a doctorate from Harvard. "

Asia Times Online :: The anatomy of a Thai porn scandal, 19 Feb 05: "Thailand's Buddhist-majority culture is generally conservative about sexuality, in the typical Asian sense ...

" ... Yet the government works constantly to keep these "dark influences" in check and to restrain, at least, the sex and pornography industries. The government even employs a special section of its police force consisting of computer experts who constantly seek out Thai pornography on the Internet and block access to it within the country. In some cases, this unit even tracks down and prosecutes adult-content webmasters when they are located in Thailand."

arabherald.comm 'Not all Jews are Zionists', 25 Feb 05 non-tech story

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | TV and Radio | Simpsons' gay character is Patty, 21 Feb 05: "In There's Something About Marrying, which has aired in the US, Homer Simpson becomes an internet minister for dozens of same sex marriages"

Douglas E. Cowan, Cyberhenge: Neopaganism on the Internet (Routledge 2004) Just received this book. Interesting to compare approaches to cyber-materials, and to observe the theoretical structure to the subject matter. The book highlights important (and unusual to the 'uninitiated') materials. Full feedback on completion. Doug Cowan is co-editor of Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet, which I have a chapter in.

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Know thine enemy "The Vatican's exorcism rule book warns priests the devil "goes around like a roaring lion looking for souls to devour", but such is the perceived rise in his worship that a Catholic university is offering clerics classes to better identify their foe."

BEN HARPER [.net] - the official site Grammy Award winning traditional soul gospel album album "There Will Be a Light," with the Blind Boys of Alabama, is featured on this page, which contains WM/RP clips

BBC NEWS | 'Cyber church' launched in Denmark "The Danish church has launched a special online service to try to introduce the computer generation to Christianity." Interesting report showing the cyber church in action [note: this is a film clip, using the BBC News Player]

MSNBC - Yahoo sees small victory in Nazi dispute: "Free speech activists and Yahoo Inc. declared a small victory Thursday in a dispute over whether the e-commerce giant can host auctions for Nazi memorabilia on its U.S. sites."

It's only rock'n'roll... CNN.com - Rock Hall unhappy with Jewish Web site - Feb 9, 2005

AFP/TehranTimes, Chinese Internet users expected to reach 134m by late 2005: "The number of Internet users in China will hit 134 million by the end of 2005, consolidating its position as the second largest market in the world after the United States, a research firm said."

Blogarama - Religion catalogue of 'religion'-oriented blogs

Introducing the Telefon-Engel (Telephone Angel): How to stay in touch - even when you're dead | The Register: "An inventor from Osnabruck, Germany, has released a mobile phone for the deceased. The idea is that once your loved one is six feet under, you will still be able to talk to them, even if the conversation might be a little one-sided."

BBC NEWS | Northern Ireland | GodPods, holy golf balls and JCUK: Ever wondered what a GodPod was: "It is a solar-powered speaking Bible which fits neatly into the pocket, is multi-lingual and designed to help people who have reading difficulties." Expect a Qur'an equivalent soon (there are already similar products available, but nothing quite as compact or accessible perhaps).

Personally, I was intrigued by the following product:

"A Bible which bursts into flames at the touch of a button will also be on show during the Christian Resources Exhibition at the King's Hall."

In relation to this story on 'GodPod's, I googled the term and up popped the following page, produced by nickciske.com. Obviously, it has absolutely nothing to do with the product at the Belfast exhibition or the iPod but - who knows - after the U2 Special Edition of the iPod, it could happen ... nickciske.com, iPod Billy Graham Special Edition

BBC NEWS | Health | Tumour diary: The time has come I have been following this column by Ivan Noble - a BBC science and technology writer (whose work has also linked into my research). So I was sorry to learn of his death - this is his final column, together with an archive of previous entries.

Holocaust Memorial Day - Home Page UK government's page, which leads into substantial other resources

Crosswalk.com - Egyptian Christians in NJ May Have Been Murdered for Faith internet link to this story (previously blogged - also see Virtually Islamic)

BBC - Religion & Ethics - Sunday short piece on religion and the internet, includes interview with this blogger ... direct link here to audio file

Ekklesia follow this link for more on the following story:

ChristianToday > Christian Media criticise Methods of Protest against Jerry Springer Opera "Another UK-based Christian new service provider, Ekklesia, also commented within their editorial that, "In one sweep our loud accusations seem ill-informed, unbalanced and, at worst, vacuous to the onlooker. Jonathan Bartley, director of Ekklesia, despairs that Christians have missed a 'golden opportunity for moral and ethical debate' by not giving 'meaningful explanation' to their accusers."

Persian Students in the UK: 'Imprisoned Bloggers were tortured' says ex-VP blogged on 28 Dec, obviously still relevant.

The New York Times > International > International Special > Religions: Faith Divides the Survivors and It Unites Them, Too

The News-Enterprise - Serving Hardin County, Kentucky, What is the power of prayer?: "The Rev. Dick Sullivan at St. James Catholic Church said prayer is comparable to using 'a cell phone or the Internet.' It is a means of conveying a message."

China fearful of net | The Register

MercuryNews.com | 12/25/2004 | Making spiritual connections

Yahoo! News - Chinese authorities call for increased surveillance of the Internet

BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Tsunami loved ones reunited by web