David Van Biema
TIME Magazine
When people think of religion on YouTube, most probably flash to “gotcha” videos of Sarah Palin’s old church or Barack Obama’s old pastor. But the video-sharing site is also being used by a wildly diverse collection of pastors, rabbis, imams, gurus, and pious laypeople — like Roman Catholic Steve Silvia, who made the video above — to celebrate and explain their creeds.
These aren’t glitzy televangelists. In keeping with the YouTube ethos, many simply fire up camcorder and go. But low cost and infinite range, plus the mini-video’s ascent as one of the culture’s preferred ways of imbibing information, means vastly increased exposure for clerics who would otherwise have tiny flocks.
“For years, people in my business talked about how the Internet was going to revolutionize religion the way the printing press helped create Protestantism, but it didn’t happen,” says Steve Waldman, founder of the multi-faith website Beliefnet. But with the rise of YouTube, he thinks the unassuming, grass-roots religion clips like the ones that follow “could be the beginning of that kind of transformation.”
| felicia floyd |
October 6th, 2008 12:20 pm ET religion on the tube, why not everything else is on the tube ,and coming alive all over this crude world. so why not put jesus, budda or who ever somrone believe in there lives on the tube. |
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| Maria |
October 6th, 2008 3:56 pm ET I believe that religion is structured values and beliefs that transformed by parents and community to their kids, so whatever kids received at their childhood will be developed and expected to be practiced through life. Yet, man at certain time in his/her life may question belief and faith and that is mainly happened following life changing experience, interaction with different culture, or un satisfaction of specific issues in religion. Now a day, internet creates massive platform of diverse communication that truly change human life and practice. You Tube probably one of the famous cyber blogs where people advertise and promote their thoughts and belief. Recently, Queen Rania of Jordan established blog on You Tube to defend some of Islam beliefs, highlighting the popularity of You Tube to carry out such discussion. Most importantly I think is that the people who is engaged with You Tube, mainly young and middle age people, the most challenging age of questioning beliefs and values. It is highly unlikely for kid or senior to change his/her beliefs and values. So I will not surprise if internet affect human belief and religion. Next question may rise, is it good or bad idea to use internet for belief marketing and how this may affect globe. |
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| Bill Recall |
October 6th, 2008 7:51 pm ET This morning the middle class sold this afternoon the rich bought…… |
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