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Religion Today Feature Story
a close-up look at the people, issues and events making news
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Blogging My Religion: For Many, Internet is Forum to Debate
Kristen Campbell
Religion News Service
Think of Steve Beard as the missing link.
Without him, you might not find anything to connect "Roy's rock" to rock
'n' roll, bikinis to the breastplate of St. Patrick.
But log on to his Web log at www.thunderstruck.org and you'll find links
to those topics and dozens more. Together, they serve as Beard's
so-called "truckstop for the soul."
Web logs, best known as blogs, are online journals dedicated to
particular subjects that often offer legions of links to relevant news
or other Web sites. While it's unclear just how many blogs are out
there, it's evident that spirituality -- and the intersection of faith
and culture in particular -- saturates many of them.
Beard said he started his blog five years ago, when he wanted a place to
post some articles he had written, along with others that were of
interest to him.
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Web surfers responded, writing to tell him he had a "weird mind" but
they appreciated the eclectic nature of his site.
"There's as much stuff on there about surfing and punk rock as there is
about theology," explained Beard, one of the authors of "Spiritual
Journeys: How Faith Has Influenced Twelve Music Icons." "For me, faith
includes all areas of life."
Beard, the 38-year-old vice president of Good News -- a network of
conservative United Methodist evangelicals in Wilmore, Ky., -- said he
spends between 3 and 4 hours every day maintaining his Web log.
"It was first just a hobby ... just a way for me to express myself,"
said Beard, who also edits Good News magazine. "I live in a very small,
conservative town and I'm from southern California. ... The two worlds
are very, very different. It ends up being a better way for me to
maintain my sanity here."
Now, he said, "I'm addicted to it ... and feel this weird
responsibility. It's a blast for me, and I'm stoked when other people
like it."
While many may appreciate the diverse nature of Beard's blog, surfers
seeking religion seem to gravitate toward like-minded believers.
Richard Flory, a sociologist at Biola University in La Mirada, Calif.,
said surfers are adept at using the Internet to create and solidify
networks they already have. Through the blogs, Christians have formed
international communities, Flory said, noting that it "seems like they
all know of each other."
But Flory doesn't think the congregation of these virtual networks means
the end for traditional religious communities.
"I don't think it's one replacing the other," Flory said. "People are
never going to want to lose the human contact."
Kathy Shaidle, the Toronto-based founder of the blog
www.relapsedcatholic.com, said the Internet will never supplant the
sacramental nature of Catholicism. What it's done, she said, is help
many to discuss difficult issues and clarify their thoughts.
"It can't replace it, but it's a wonderful adjunct," she said.
Shaidle, who started her blog in July 2000, said she noticed a
proliferation of sites when the sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic
Church began garnering national attention. Today, the number of sites
seems to have "leveled off," she said.
"I think it really was a wonderful way for people to let off steam," she
said. "It was probably a very healthy thing."
Many seem to sense a certain security online and may feel comfortable
engaging in conversations they might shy away from in person.
Brenda E. Brasher, author of "Give Me That Online Religion" and a
sociology professor at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, said she
believes one reason individuals feel comfortable turning to the Internet
for answers about their religious questions is "due to the feeling of
privacy many people associate with computer communications -- even
though it is not especially a private way to communicate."
Through their online dialogues, Shaidle said, many Catholics had the
opportunity to debate the causes of the sexual abuse crisis, and some
even rethought their positions.
"There would be a lot of back-and-forth between the bloggers," she said.
"It was a wonderful outlet."
The experience was arguably empowering for many, and in the end, may
offer some lessons for the Catholic Church.
"I think that the church ... is simply going to have to accept the fact
that we're all talking to each other," said Shaidle, who describes
herself as "an orthodox, conservative Catholic. There's a permanent
record of everything and we can find it."
Ultimately, Shaidle said, church officials should recognize the value of
transparency.
Beard said he believes blogs and Web sites of interest have leapfrogged
over the gatekeepers of the establishment.
"Blogs," he said, "give people another voice."
C 2003 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Editor's note: Crosswalk's weblog section is updated daily, and you can
check it out at www.crosswalk.com/news/weblogs.
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