"Visit the Sistine Chapel, attend the Church of Satan, have a question (dial a priest)... would be a useful addition to high school and university reference collections. " ARBA (American Reference Books Annual), vol. 38 (2007)
NB. American Reference Books Annual (ARBA) is Free this week (April 15 - 22, 2007, to celebrate the national library week), read my review online for free:
Publisher: Scarecrow, Lanham, MD (2006)
Price: $45.00pa
ISBN/ISSN: 0-8108-5257-8
Content Area: RELIGIONS
Handbooks and Yearbooks; General Works; Religion; Philosophy and Religion
John W. Storey - Professor of History, Lamar Univ., Beaumont, Tex
ARBA 2007
Several scholars have noted the zest with which American Pentecostals in the twentieth century have taken to the airwaves via radio, television, and satellite to proclaim an "old fashioned gospel," as if there were something anomalous about using cutting-edge means of communication to advance an "old" point of view. In fact, however, religious leaders and institutions have always embraced the latest marvels of modern technology to spread their message. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that religion has found the Internet, and the resulting opportunities for cyber worship are practically unlimited. This study by Mohamed Taher, educated in Indian universities and currently an information specialist at the Ontario Multifaith Council on Spiritual and Religious Care in Toronto, Canada, provides the most comprehensive "map" to religion on the Internet.This is not a guide to "everything one needs to know" about various religious expressions. Instead, it shows how religion functions on the Internet and points toward the remarkable array of religious practices available at one's fingertips. From mainline religions, whether Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, or Buddhist, to "alternative traditions," such as new age movements, paganism, cults, nonconformists, or nonmainstream spiritualities, Taher has cataloged them all. Visit the Sistine Chapel, attend the Church of Satan, have a question (dial a priest)-it is all possible through cyber worship. Without leaving one's living room an individual can have a simulated religious experience from around the globe. Circumnavigation is made earlier with this study, which would be a useful addition to high school and university reference collections.
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