For the established religions, the anarchy of the Internet must be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it's an exhilarating opportunity to minister to current believers, make new converts and offer the cosmic congregation a dizzying display of doctrines and documents. On the down side, anyone can be a high priest in the church of cyberspace. Fuzzy fringe ideas carry the same weight and authority as those that have withstood the critical scrutiny of the centuries. The path to salvation is now being mediated by circuit boards and modems instead of by the clergy. It will be interesting to watch. 

 Net-savvy local congregations are appearing on the Internet; two have been awarded the coveted Alamo PC Hot Pick of the Week icon. Temple Beth-El has embraced the new technology. They have a refreshingly current list of Jewish links, are building an e-mail database of the congregation and provide a wealth of information about their services, school and activities. Every time I visit the temple's web site they have added something new and interesting. Covenant Baptist Church has a gentle, welcoming site, shattering the stereotypes I held about the hellfire and brimstone orientation of that denomination. Pastor Gordon Atkinson will make an appointment with you to have a private discussion on Internet Relay Chat, and is exploring other innovative ways to use technology to help his young congregation grow. 

Although I would be delighted to mention every local online congregation, there are far too many. I will make a list of those I am aware of and include it in the online edition of this column. If you know of others, please let me know and I will add them. 

 To keep up with religion on the Internet, you should conduct your own pilgrimage to the search engines. In Alta Vista, I unleashed almost two million references to God and more than 500,000 to religion. A more manageable approach might be to start with Yahoo!. Their religion section is neatly tucked into Society and Culture, with almost 2,000 links for Protestants alone. There is enough material here to keep you occupied through the second millennium. Don't overlook the newsgroups and e-mail discussions lists. There are dozens of them, and the ones I have visited are being used by sincere people, eager to share ideas. 

 There are several meta-sites that concentrate solely on religious matters. My favorite is the Facets of Religion, part of the World Wide Web Virtual Library. It is well organized, and its annotations helps you separate the wheat from the chaff. Tables of Religion takes an interesting approach. The webmaster has charted the world's major religions and has links to their saints, scriptures and sects. The format is innovative, and worth visiting for that alone. 

 There are thousands of religious texts on the Internet. A good catalogue of Christian works is at ICLnet, a service of the Institute for Christian Leadership. It is a tightly-packed list that runs to nine printed pages. Do you want to read the Bible online? Which one? ICLnet lists more than 50, from Luther's Die Bibel to the Gospel of Luke in several Bolivian dialects with parallel English and Spanish translations. This site has a full page of creeds and confessions, online Bible studies and devotionals, sermons and books. 

Another useful slant is in the Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Here, you can select a religious concept, such as the golden rule, the renunciation of wealth or monasticism and be taken to reams of material from the world great religious works. I also enjoyed A Page from the Babylonian Talmud. This site uses as reproduction of one page of an old Talmud to start a voyage through the history of Jewish religious literature. The technique was flawless and the content mesmerizing. 

 You can search and research the Bible. Goshen has put its entire study library online, making these powerful reference tools available to lay persons. It contains Nave's Topical Bible, Vine's Expository Dictionary with a Greek lookup, Easton's Bible Dictionary, Torrey's New Topical Textbook and Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary. 

I play the hammer dulcimer, which I had heard was mentioned in the Bible. I typed in dulcimer and was immediately taken to chapter and verse. When I clicked on the dictionary, however, I was told that the Bible's dulcimer was traditionally translated as bagpipe. The scene this evoked was alarming: instead of a heavenly host of angels making sweet music, I pictured hairy men in kilts storming heaven's gates to the drone of The Garry Owen. 
 

Hammer Dulcimer (as played by  angels in heaven)	Bagpipes (as played by hairy men in kilts)

 If you want to test your Bible knowledge, the Luther Seminary has created an online Bible tutor, originally designed to help their pastors in training prepare for their Bible proficiency exam. It covers dates, books, places, people and general knowledge, plus a Bible study guide and study hints I took a 10-question quiz on Bible geography and only got one wrong; a few more weeks of poking around this fun, interactive site and I'll be ready for my own pulpit. 

 The Vatican has been especially active in cyberspace. Last year, they broadcast the Pope's visit to America on the Internet using cutting-edge video streaming technology. The Vatican's website is currently running at half speed as they build their searchable database of church documents, but you can still read the Vatican News Service or have their daily news bulletins sent directly to your e-mail box. Vatican Radio is also on the 'Net, using RealAudio technology. The most interesting Roman Catholic Site is run by a private organization, Christus Rex. I can't speak to the soundness of their theology, but they have amassed an incredible list of links and have archived thousands of high- quality images of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and other significant and beautiful places. 

 There are several lovely sites for Islam which have helped me sort out the intricacies of that complex religion. An interesting place to visit is the Islamic prayer utility. If you type in your zip code it will return to you a monthly chart of precise prayer times, plus a map showing you which way to face so your prayers will be directed to Mecca. 

I was able to pay virtual visits to places that have piqued my interest for decades. I grew up near the Cathedral of the New Jerusalem, the home of the Swedenborgian sect in America, and was able to sate my curiosity about their beliefs. One of my college roommates, Joyce Reilly, founded a therapeutic community within Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophical Camp Hill movement, and I found them on the web, too. A few years ago, John and I traveled throughout Israel, and we returned to the Dead Sea Scrolls and spent more time ogling them. When we lived in Chicago, we drove by the Ba'hai Temple every day on our way to work; that, too is on the Internet and merited a visit. I've even been able to learn more about gargoyles. The possibilities are limitless. 

 As the holidays approach for many of us, we can celebrate and gather inspiration from the Internet. Last year, the Kennedy Center conducted a Messiah virtual sing-along. Using video streaming software, you could attend the concert from the best seat in the house, print the music for the popular choruses and belt out an off-key rendition of the Halleljuah Chorus in the privacy of your own home. It is still archived there. There are several good Christmas sites, with everything from the lyrics to carols to a virtual Christmas tree. You can learn how to say "Merry Christmas" in dozens of languages. You can, of course, shop, and send electronic greeting cards to your cyber friends. I confess that my favorite site is the one that shows you how to turn your stash of unused AOL disks into attractive Christmas ornaments and presents. 

 My favorite Chanukah site is at the Jewish Communications Network. In addition to the JCN International House of Latkes, they have the Web's first virtual dreidel. If you've never spun a dreidel, try it here. Many African-Americans celebrate the week-long Kwanzaa festival during December. Kwanzaa is based on seven principles, Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). The page was inspiring. 

 Susan Ives, the owner of Square 1 Internet Training and Consulting, is on the Board of Directors for Alamo PC, co-chair of the Internet special interest groups and the webmaster for the Alamo PC home page. Santa is going to bring her more RAM and a faster processor so she can continue to grow spiritually in cyberspace