BBC News, Bible download for mobile phone, 2 Oct 07 "A line of religious mobile phone products has been launched by a Monmouthshire firm - including downloading the Bible for £6."

Guardian, Now available online: Pope John Paul II's robes, 24 Sept 07 "Supplied without charge, the circular dots of cotton, measuring about 4mm in diameter, come pressed into a postcard bearing a photo of John Paul on one side and a prayer on the other. They are available by clicking a link on the website of the diocese of Rome and filling in the email application."

AFP, Technology puts Myanmar protests in international eye, 26 Sept 07, "Myanmar's swelling protests are in the global spotlight with the help of hi-tech gadgets in the era of YouTube -- a stark contrast to the 1988 uprising in the pre-Internet age."

Reuters/Yahoo News, Online shrines for "death networking", 2 Sept 07 "Candy's virtual memorial to her daughter was one of the starting blocks for what some call the latest "e-trend" in Britain.

"Candy now runs a Web site, www.alwaysberemembered.co.uk, on which she offers the bereaved a way of paying tribute to their dead. Users create a memorial page with pictures, poems and tributes which can be visited, viewed and added to by anyone who feels a need." Very interesting article on this sensitive issue, UK based, links to other sites as well.

Skanda Vale, home of Shambo, a temple bull that tested positive with Bovine TB (although that diagnosis in itself was controversial), led a vigorous campaign to save it. This attracted international media coverage, such as in the Times of India, Sacred bull Shambo slaughtered. and hundreds of other media outlets (listed by Google News). This is a 'local' story for me, so has generated substantial interest.

MidEast News Source, Google Your to Way to God, 17 May 07 multi-faith approach to the subject, quite an interesting overview: "Technology has influenced religion in other ways as well – the Internet has created a global community for worshippers of all faiths, connected by just a click of the mouse."

washingtonpost.com, BBC v Scientology: A YouTube Story Starring John Sweeney, When Reporters Attack L. Ron Hubbard "While the verdict may still be out as to whether Scientology is a brainwashing cult or not, after a recent run-in with the BBC, two things are abundantly clear: Scientologists can't stand being called cult members, and they have the power to drive even seasoned journalists absolutely insane." Author Emil Steiner also suggests it would make a good South Park episode (discuss).

BBC News, Reporter's fury caught on tape, 14 May 07 [Media clip] Also see BBC News, Row over Scientology video, 14 May 07 Discussion on the row surrounding a BBC programme on Scientology. The Scientology and me programme will be shown on BBC One at 2030BST [it will also be available on the Panorama website]. Also see the official Scientology website

icwales, Sacred bull to be worldwide net star, 14 May 07"Sacred bull Shambo is to become a worldwide internet star – a webcam is being set up in the temple where he is on death row." Known as MooTube... Details can be found at the Skanda Vale website, which includes an online petition.

Guardian, GodTube - where the rightwing Christians surf, 30 Apr 07 refers to GodTube

The Guardian, Nuns get into internet habit, 27 Apr 07 "The 12 Cistercian nuns of the 13th-century Santo Spirito convent in Agrigento have set up a website and are happy to take questions about what it is like to pray for hours in silence every day.

"The sisters, who speak to visitors, if pushed, through a grille, are being bombarded with inquiries at santospiritoag.com, said Sister Maria, who agreed to answer questions over the phone."

The Guardian, Let us pray ... at St Pixels, the virtual church with bar and bouncy castle, 12 Apr 07 "St Pixel is an imaginary character with no place between SS Pius X and Polycarp in the encyclopaedia of saints. But he presides over a real internet community, which has persuaded the BBC to broadcast its proceedings." St Pixels can be found here

The Slate, Schwing Tone, The religious war on cell-phone porn, 26 Feb 07 Commentary: "North America's first cell-phone porn service surrendered to a Catholic boycott". Full story: canada.com, Telus backs away from wireless pornography, 21 Feb 07

New and apparently selling well: Brian Bailey & Terry Storch's The Blogging Church (Jossey-Banks). The book's page is here. There is a Blogging Church video promo. Also see Bailey's LeaveItBehind blog. I haven't read this one yet, so await reviews with interest.

RevolutionNYC/Sundance/YouTube, One Punk Under God Commercial

Some stories that I missed, which cropped up on WWRN's pages:

• Faith group urges eBay boycott over relic sales
• Beliefnet gives spiritual melting pot new shape
• Boston cardinal starts new Vatican blog
• eBible is latest sign of Web faith
• Intimate Confessions Pour Out on Church’s Web Site
• Divine Inspiration From the Masses
• Cyber-savvy pastors turn to the blog to reach new, younger audience
• Divine inventions: Gadgets hot source of spirituality
• Religion Today
• 'Godcasting:' Love that new-time religion
• Religious blogs test beliefs, power structure
• Downloading God: Churches use podcasts to spread the gospel; faithful turn up volume
• Website attacks Da Vinci Code
• Atheist gives eBay bidders a chance to save his soul
• Life’s age-old mystery: What’s it worth to you?
• A More Intimate Sabbath
• St. Blog's cyberpews packed
• A Pulpit Online for Critics of 'The Da Vinci Code' Film
• D.C. church's 'Daniel' blog seizes preachable moment

Nuns on the web: The Sunday Times, Confessional blogs of the internet nuns, November 26, 2006 "Sister Julie Vieira, from Monroe, Michigan, wrote in her blog, A Nun’s Life: "More and more religious communities are getting ‘wired’ . . .. to spread the Good News and to tell people about who they are and what they stand for." Here's a link to A Nun's Life. There was also an earlier, related article in Time Magazine, Today's Nun Has A Veil--And A Blog, 13 Nov 06 which notes, in relation to the website of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, that "There's also a downloadable song of the month donated by a Christian artist, in response to the focus groups' revelation that "music was one of the highest ways to communicate with" young people, says vocation director Sister Julie Ann Sheahan. Thus the order's radio and TV ads feature a theme song based on a Franciscan hymn. The tune is also available on the website as a ringtone. Its title: Called to Be."

Blogger speaks (albeit briefly): BBC World Service, Heart and Soul, Sunday 22nd October Listen Again by following the above link until next weekend. Contains contribution from myself and alt.muslim re. religious podcasting in Islamic contexts.

smh.com, Jesus in cyberspace - you'd better believe it, 17 Oct 06 "Sydney Anglicans have appointed their first web evangelist to oversee a new, internet-based ministry."

Cardinal blogs one post, and hits Reuters headlines: Reuters, Boston cardinal adopts new habit with Vatican blog, 21 September 06 Also see Cardinal Seán’s Fall Trip To Rome

Reuters/Yahoo!, Desperate Catholics find "rent-a-priests" online, 30 Aug 06. "Roman Catholics shunned by the official church are "renting" married priests in times of crisis and celebration.

"They turn to http://www.rentapriest.com, a Web site with 2,500 Catholic priests in a national database known as "God's Yellow Pages.""

AFP, China shuts blog by Tibetan author that wished Dalai Lama happy birthday, 31 July 2006

BBC, Is the new Superman meant to be Jesus?, 28 July 2006 "Is the Superman Returns movie meant to remind us of the Bible? And if so, is it blasphemy?

"Well here's the story."