Volume 31, #1 (2012)

Centre for the Study of Communication and Culture Volume 31 (2012) No. 1 IN THIS ISSUE Theological and Religious Perspectives on the Internet A QUARTERLY REVIEW OF COMMUNICATION RESEARCH ISSN: 0144-4646 Communication Research Trends Table of Contents Volume 31 (2012) Number 1 http://cscc.scu.edu Editor’s Introduction . 3 Published four times a year by the Centre for the Study of Communication and Culture (CSCC), sponsored by the Jewish Cyber-Theology . 4 California Province of the Society of Jesus. 1. Introduction . 4 Copyright 2012. ISSN 0144-4646 2. The Internet and Jewish Religious Practice . 5 A. Sexual modesty . 5 Editor: Emile McAnany B. The Internet and the Sabbath . 6 Editor emeritus: William E. Biernatzki, S.J. C. e-commerce . 6 Managing Editor: Paul A. Soukup, S.J. D. The sanctity of Internet communication . 7 E. Political and social gossip on the Internet . 8 Subscription: 3. The Virtual Synagogue . 9 Annual subscription (Vol. 31) US$50 4. Online Rabbinic Counseling . 12 5. Conclusion: Future Prospects . 13 Payment by check, MasterCard, Visa or US$ preferred. For payments by MasterCard or Visa, send full account Catholic Approaches to the Internet . 14 number, expiration date, name on account, and signature. 1. Introduction . 14 2. Internet and Evangelization . 15 Checks and/or International Money Orders (drawn on 3. Ethical Issues . 16 USA banks; for non-USA banks, add $10 for handling) A. The digital divide . 17 should be made payable to Communication Research B. Community and the Internet: Trends and sent to the managing editor Social networking . 18 Paul A. Soukup, S.J. 4. Living with the Internet: Internet Literacy . 19 Communication Department 5. Pastoral Use of the Internet . 20 Santa Clara University 6. Critique of the Church’s Approach 500 El Camino Real to the Internet . 21 Santa Clara, CA 95053 USA Islam and Islamic Teaching Online . 24 Transfer by wire: Contact the managing editor. Add $10 for handling. Hinduism and the Internet: A Selected Annotated Bibliography . 31 Address all correspondence to the managing editor at the address shown above. Book Reviews . 32 Tel: +1-408-554-5498 Fax: +1-408-554-4913 email: [email protected] The Centre for the Study of Communication and Culture (CSCC) is an international service of the Society of Jesus established in 1977 and currently managed by the California Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 519, Los Gatos, CA 95031-0519. 2— VOLUME 31 (2012) NO. 1 COMMUNICATION RESEARCH TRENDS Theological and Religious Perspectives on the Internet Almost every religious group has turned to the of the work cited by McDonnell originates in the Internet, if not officially with denominationally sanc- Vatican, particularly the Pontifical Council for Social tioned sites, then unofficially through online materials Communication. He divides his essay into how the prepared by enthusiastic members of the different Church uses the Internet and how it guides people groups. Such an outpouring of religious content poses through ethical and practical challenges. Dr. several challenges. First, to the religious groups them- McDonnell, currently the Director of Development for selves: They ask whether traditional teaching has any- SIGNIS (the World Catholic Organization for thing to say about the new technology. Should they Communication), is no stranger to the readers of embrace it? Does it offer resources and benefits to their TRENDS, having served for a number of years as adherents? Does the Internet pose dangers, either from research librarian and research director of its founding online content in general or from perhaps unorthodox organization, the Centre for the Study of religious interpretations or teachings? What about online Communication and Culture. practices: Can one worship or pray online?What kind of Paul Soukup, S.J., the managing editor of TRENDS, faith relationship exists or can exist in the virtual world? contributes a brief overview of research on Islamic The second challenge addresses communication approaches, and Dr. Rohit Chopra, of Santa Clara researchers. What can communication study learn University, provides a bibliography of online Hinduism. about virtual faith? From the time of Helland’s (2000) Several online sources offer good materials for distinction between online religion (individuals researchers. The Network for New Media, Religion, engaged in religious activities) and religion online and Digital Culture Studies provides an online resource (information about religion provided by churches), center for researchers, students and those interested in researchers have taken different approaches to the sub- investigating the intersection of new media, religion ject, with some looking at each kind of activity. Others, and digital culture (http://digitalreligion.tamu.edu/). as reported in this issue of COMMUNICATION RESEARCH Probably the most specialized online research comes in TRENDS, have examined the more official religious the Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet, an teachings about the Internet. Essays in this issue look at online journal devoted specifically to this area of study four religious traditions: Judaism, Christianity (repre- (http://online.uni-hd.de/). Finally, the Journal of sented by the Catholic Church), Islam, and Hinduism. Computer-Mediated Communication (JCMC), a web- Clearly, other traditions also appear online (see, for based scholarly journal, focuses on social science example, Kawabata & Tamuyra, 2007). research on computer-mediated communication via the Professor Yoel Cohen examines the relationship Internet, the World Wide Web, and wireless technolo- between Jewish theology and the Internet. He looks at gies. Though not exclusively dedicated ro religious areas and issues where the Internet and Jewish law issues, it does publish materials relevant to the topic overlap, and contrasts the views of the main Jewish (http://jcmc.indiana.edu/). religious streams: Haredi, modern Orthodox, References Conservative, and Reform. Professor Cohen serves on Helland, C. (2000). Online religion/religion online and vir- the faculty (school chairman 2009-2011) of the School tual communitas. In J. K. Hadden & D. E. Cowan of Communication, Ariel University Center, Israel, and (Eds.), Religion on the Internet: Research projects and is the author of God, Jews, & the Media: Religion & promises (pp. 205-223). London: JAIPress/Elsevier Israel’s Media (Routledge, 2012). Science. Dr. Jim McDonnell provides an overview of the Kawabata, A., & Tamura, T. (2007). Online-religion in Catholic Church’s approaches to the Internet. While the Japan: Websites and religious counseling from a com- theological underpinnings share the basic Christian parative cross-cultural perspective. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(3), article 12. starting points with other Christian denominations, the Retrieved February 18, 2012 from http://jcmc.indi- Catholic perspective finds an official approval, as most ana.edu/vol12/issue3/kawabata.html COMMUNICATION RESEARCH TRENDS VOLUME 31 (2012) NO. 1 — 3 Jewish Cyber-Theology Yoel Cohen Ph.D [email protected] The place of the Internet in the Jewish religious points of overlap between Judaism and mass media experience is undoubted. No less than in other reli- behavior in general and the Internet in particular. The gions, the Internet has created a revolution in accessi- extent to which Judaism itself intrudes into social life bility to information about Judaism and Jewish-related is unclear. Some Jewish theologians argue that with the matters. A search of Google in 2007 discovered that exception of specific subjects including family law and Judaism had 15,900,000 hits (Patrick, 2007, p. 71). By the Sabbath, Judaism has nothing to say about much of my estimate, there were 8,500 Jewish websites by 2005 human activity. But others define Judaism as an entire (Cohen, 2006). These may be broken into grassroots way of life with something to say about all spheres of groups and individuals, organizational, Jewish-related life. Whether narrowly or widely interpreted, much of and Israel-related news, and commercial. Religious the overlap between the Internet and Judaism appears content in the the grassroots group and individual cate- conflictual. On the other hand, there can exist a conflu- gories includes the Bible, commentaries, the Talmud, ence of interests between Judaism and the Internet—- and Jewish law codes. Sites enable the surfer to partci- such as the provision of information about events and pate in the daily study of a page of the Talmud (the daf societies, or networking, which contribute to under- Yomei) and hear inspirational talks about the weekly standing, but these are not generally identified as a Torah reading (divrei Torah). This category includes a peculiarly religious goal. number of Jewish outreach programs; among early This article attempts to extrapolate from the leaders in identifying the potential of the Net were Jewish Tradition a Jewish view on the Internet. To be Habad and Aish Torah. Organizations include the contrasted are the Orthodox stream, itself broken into Conservative, Orthodox, and Reform religious move- the ultra-Orthodox Haredi and Modern Orthodox (dati ments; synagogues; and community organizations, leumi), and the non-Orthodox streams, the Reform and with listings of synagogues, kosher restaurants, places Conservative. The Haredi outlook favors social isola- of Jewish interest, and other services. The news cate- tion from modernity, whereas the Modern Orthodox gory includes the website

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