Religion on the Internet: Community and Virtual Existence

There is considerable controversy concerning the ability of the Internet to provide communal experi-ences. This article looks at the ability of the World Wide Web to foster religious community, particularly from a Christian perspective. It looks at the nature of religion and community and shows to what extent the Internet has and has not been successful in recreating religious community. It looks at the reaction of two particular groups of users and categorizes Web sites into five types: research sites, extensions of local com-munity, independent sites, spiritual retreats, and on-line worship. Finally it discusses the limitations of dis-embodied experience and argues that most individuals use the media within these limitations