Would you like to be ordained online as a minister in the Universal Life Church? Or do you fancy saying the cyberrosary to your computer? Or what about chatting with strangers about Satanism? That's just the tip of the Internet's religious iceberg.
All world religions and churches have a presence on the Internet. God himself is, apparently, online to answer your questions (email direct to god@godchannel.com). The godchannel Website features a list of God's prophets and messengers (Bob Dylan and Rudolph Steiner among others) and an interview including the deeply spiritual questions: "God, how can I know it is you who is communicating with me?" and "God, why have you chosen to use a site on the Web as a medium to spread your message?". Answers to these and more at www.godchannel.com.
Unfortunately, Pope John Paul II is not personally online, although the Vatican does have a (very conservative) Website (www.vatican.va). Designed to resemble ancient parchment, the sepia site of the Holy See provides press releases in Italian, details of the Pope's activities, the Catechism, and massive pictures which take an eternity to download.
It is, however, possible to pray online: "He may not have a computer in Heaven, but He knows what we are typing" says the site's opening page, at angelfire.com/ma/OnlinePrayer. If you would like others to pray for you, email your request to allways_praying@hotmail.com.
Although Buddha is not directly online, Cyber Monk, located at the Zen Mountain Monastery in the US, will answer your questions at www.zen-mtn.org.
Lucifer may not have arrived in cyberspace but his disciples have - and they are ready to chat. Meet them in the Satanic Network's chatroom off www.satannet.com.
For those with a more conventional approach to religion, most of the world's bibles are on the Net. Want to know which woman was first mentioned in the New Testament? Or who married Lamech (the answer is the same)? The Bible Gateway (bible.gospelcom.net) not only provides bibles in nine languages (including Tagalog), but they are all searchable.
For links to other Christian sites, surf to Not Just Bibles (www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/christian-resources.html) and, from there, sites such as the Christian Internet Directory or the Best of the Christian Web are but a click away.
Irish churches are beginning to use cyberspace to get their message across. The extensive Website of Donabate parish in Dublin (which has received 7,500 visitors since last December) provides mass times, all you need to know to get married (nearly), multi-linguistic prayers (including Mozambique's Chichangane and the Native American language, Crow), photos of the local priests and much more.
For those with Real Audio 3.0, it also offers a cyber-rosary and an online Stations of the Cross. Click to play Ave Maria while you say the rosary, or choose to listen to the priest and then make your responses. Easy to follow and it even reminds you when to genuflect. It's at homepage.tinet.ie/frduffy.
The Church of Ireland Website's opening page is far from welcoming, with less-than-inspiring photos which have no links anywhere. It does, however, tell you how to get genealogical information from parish registers (send a request by snail mail to local clergy): www.ireland.anglican.org.
Less mainstream religions are on the Net, too. Ever wondered about the history and magic of La Santeria? Find out all about animal sacrifices, trances and initiation at www.seanet.com/users/efunmoyiwa/.
Witches have taken to the Internet with enthusiasm and, as all the sites are keen to point out, witchcraft was recognised as a religion in the US in 1985. For FAQs on witchcraft, such as "Are you Satanists?" (No) and "How do you become a witch?" (We don't actively seek converts) visit www.cog.org. Irish pagans use the Web to explain their philosophies and publicise their future events: a National Pagan Conference (with speakers, music and real ale), workshops on playing with fire, shamanism and druid healing and a lecture in the `Perception and Practise of Modern Druidry' are all coming up soon. Find out more at indigo.ie/~silja/pfireland.
The best place to start looking at world religions is the Table of Faiths at www.servtech.com/~mcroghan/re970802.htm. Clearly presented in a user-friendly table, this is a gateway to online information on faiths, their founders or principal saints, scriptures and main sects. The Christian faith section, for instance, lists 66 sects and subsects, from Anglican to Yaohushua. This is a fascinating and well-constructed site and, although it can be slow to load, is well worth the wait. Starting with "All Faiths" and finishing with "Zoroastrianism", there are links to all major faiths and sects as well as to lesser-known ones , such as Asatru, a polytheistic religion which gives a free choice in the gods and goddesses you worship, at www.irminsul.org). If you are looking for anything even vaguely concerned with religion, there is a more academic but equally fascinating directory at www.academicinfo.net/religindex.html. Tempting you to surf for hours, this is an excellent site with its comprehensive links.
If you have a desperate urge to talk to someone - anyone - about religious issues, or to tell a religious joke, drop into an Internet religion chat room. By far the easiest to enter are Omnichat's rooms (www.4-lane.com/religionchat) which are divided into various categories: BuddhismChat, MuslimChat, HinduChat, ChristianityChat and so on. And for that all-important ordination as a Minister of the Universal Life Church (which is free and comes with certificate and list of money-making opportunities) surf to www.ulc.org/ulc/.
If you've had enough of religion after all that, take a break at the Secular Web, produced by the Internet Infidels (infidels.org/infidels/).