Pope goes digital to better connect with Youth

I4U reports that Pope Benedict will text message thousands of young Catholics on their mobile phones during World Youth Day in Sydney in July.

The Pope will text daily messages of inspiration and hope during the six-day Sydney event while digital prayer walls will be erected at event sites and the church will set up a Catholic social networking Web site akin to a Catholic Facebook.

The Catholic Church said it decided to use technology to connect to the estimated 225,000 young Catholics expected to attend the World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations that start on July 15.

Telstra said it plans to connect 8,000 volunteers, 2,000 clergy, 3,000 media and an anticipated 225,000 pilgrims to more than 700 locations around Sydney."

Previously: - World Youth Day - Pope reaches pilgrims by SMS

Pope Benedict XVI provides moral support via SMS during Lent

Pope Benedict XVI is providing moral support to Austrian Catholics during Lent with an encouraging SMS on their mobile phones.

Faithful who sign up for the new SMS service, launched Wednesday by the Roman Catholic Church in Austria, will receive daily quotes from the Church leader during the 40 days of Lent to help them survive the traditional fasting period leading up to Easter.

The quotes, in German, range from the inspirational -- "The further development and dignity of a society depends on those people who do more than their duty" -- to the more obscure: "Resignation in the face of truth is, I am convinced, at the core of the crisis in the West and in Europe."

[via AFP]

Israel phone company launches porn-free service

Bezeq Israel Telecom, the country's dominant phone company, on Sunday launched a service that would block calls to porn and other "improper" destinations in a bid to attract ultra-Orthodox customers, News.com reports.

"Avi Gabbay, Bezeq's chief executive officer, said at a news conference the company had invested $500,000 on the new "Kosher phone line" service, which initially will be free and has been approved by Israel's leading rabbis.

He noted that although the main market will be the ultra-Orthodox--who typically live in their own communities and refrain from many secular activities--the service will be open to all.

Israel's mobile phone operators already offer similar services."

More on Kosher phones.

Egypt to Rule on Phone-Message Divorce

Islamic law can make the act of divorce stunningly simple for men, even if the ensuing financial settlements often are not. A husband has only to declare to his wife, "Inti talaq" -- "You are divorced" -- three times, and mean it, to end their marriage. [via The Washington Post]

"But technology has introduced a complication that Egyptian religious authorities are now debating in the case of the 25-year-old Cairene, an engineer and an observant Muslim: How should Islamic laws that began to take shape in the 6th century apply to 21st-century text messages?

The subject of divorce by SMS has been highly debated across the Muslim world and some Islamic countries like Malaysia have banned the practice."

Until Egyptian courts and religious scholars decide the fate of the woman's marriage, she lives apart from the officer with their 4-year-old son, but still wears her wedding ring. She asked that her name not be used to protect her privacy, because such cases are so rare in Egypt. "

Egyptian woman in legal test of SMS divorce

An Egyptian woman is seeking clarification from a court on whether her husband's declaration of divorce by text message is legally valid, a state-run newpsaper reported on Thursday. The AFP reports.

"After missing a call from her husband on her mobile phone, Iqbal Abul Nasr received a text message from him saying "I divorce you because you didn't answer your husband," Al-Akhbar said.

It was the third time Abul Nasr, an engineer from Cairo, received a divorce text message from her husband, prompting her to seek a legal decision from the a family court on the status of her marriage.

If the court declares the couple divorced, it would be the first reported case of divorce by SMS in Egypt.

The subject of divorce by SMS has been highly debated across the Muslim world and some Islamic countries like Malaysia have banned the practice."

Saints on cellphones spark controversy in Italy

If you are a Catholic looking for a saint in heaven to protect you, you no longer have to carry a small "holy card". You can get the image sent to your cellphone. Reuters reports.

"A company in Italy started offering the service on Tuesday but ran into opposition from some Catholic Church leaders who think the idea is crass and commercial.

The company started the service with 15 saints on offer at santiprotettori.com.

Nearly every shop near the Vatican sells paper "santini" but not everyone in the Church thinks cellphones and saints are a marriage made in heaven.

"This is in really bad taste," Bishop Lucio Soravito De Franceschi, a member of the Italian bishops conference committee for doctrinal matters, told the Turin newspaper La Stampa.

"It is a distortion of sacred things ... selling 'santini' for cell phones is horrifying," he said."

Brooklyn Heights Church Swears in New Minister Via Cell Phone

On November 18, the date of Rev. Dr. Patrick T. O’Neill scheduled Service of Installation at The First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn, a broken toe sent the good Reverend to the emergency room, where he remained hospitalized at 5 p.m. when the installation was to begin.

His absence didn't stop his devoted congregation, who enabled him to participate in own his installation via cell phone.

[via the Brooklyn Daily Eagle]

Bible you can read in the dark

Following South Africa's lead last year, a company in Wales is announcing the launch of a service that allows people to download the entire Bible direct to their mobile phones. The Telegraph reports

"Marketed as "faith on the move", it also allows the subscribers to express their devotion via an array of Christian ringtones.

The service, Ecumen , offers daily prayers sent straight to your handset and, should you so desire, the entire "Bible you can read in the dark" can be downloaded for just £6. "

Related:

-- Entire Bible now available on S.African mobile phones (September 2006)

-- Links to other mobile Bible services

-- Links to other Devotional ringtones

Tradition collides with technology

When television became a household item, the religious community at the time fought its entrance into the Jewish home, writes Rabbi Yehiel Ben Ayon. "Television was seen as a powerful portal to an alien culture, system of morals and values that conflicted with traditional Jewish ones.

A similar debate ensued with the advent of cellphones. With first-generation phones, one could merely converse. Second-generation phones introduced text messaging and were somewhat tolerated.

But third-generation phones have been another thing entirely. These phones can actually send and receive video clips, and one can use them to access the Internet from the convenience of a tiny screen. These third-generation cellphones quickly become unacceptable within the religious community.

Today, the technological battlefront is the Internet-capable computer. While stopping short of an outright ban on such computers, the religious community in Israel finds itself in the midst of an intense debate about them."

[via The Canadian Jewish News]

Send a prayer to the Western Wall by SMS

It a very old tradition to place a note with a prayer or request in the Western Wall and for years, several Web sites have offered Jews from around the world the option to send their prayers by e-mail to a rabbi who then prints them out and places them for them in Jerusalem's Western Wall.

Now SMS2Wall is offering a text message version of this same service, enabling people who can't make it to Jerusalem, to have their intimate messages placed in the Western Wall, from their mobile phones.

Our goal is to enable all people, Jewish and others, to be in the close contact with the Holy City of Jerusalem and its Western Wall in a simple and trustful manner.

How does it work?

-- Think of a message (prayer, wish, hope) you would like to reach the Western Wall.
-- Compose the text message: WALL your message
-- Send it to the number attributed by country

Your message is printed out and placed it into the Western Wall.

Previously:

-- Send a prayer by SMS to the Western Wall - A similar service was mentioned in an IOL article dated September 25, 2003, but there was no mention of the name of the company.

Turkish imam to fine owners of ringing mobile phones during prayers

The mufti or senior Muslim cleric for the southeastern Turkish city of Mus has ordered that anyone whose mobile phone rings while they are praying in one of the region’s mosques should pay a fine of 10 Turkish lira (or $7.30). MSNBC Turkey reports.

"Mufti Ali Melek said that the money raised from the fines would be go towards the needs of Mus’ mosques."

Related:

-- A Fatwa Against Ringtones - an imam at a Mosque in Saudi Arabia issued a fatwa against mobile phones after one rang during prayers on Saturday, playing Arabic pop music.

Threat to church phone masts 'that relay porn'

According to The Telegraph, The Church of England is facing an embarrassing test case over whether mobile phone masts on steeples are illegal because they can relay pornography.

"The church's highest court is to hear an appeal after a diocesan judge ruled that churches were "wrong in law" to "facilitate the transmission of pornography, even in a slight or modest way".

Many parishes have cashed in on the mobile phone boom by charging telecom companies thousands of pounds a year to put antennae on their towers or steeples. Even Guildford cathedral has a mast under its golden angel weather vane.

They were encouraged by official Church guidance, which acknowledged that immoral material can be transmitted by the new technology but argued that any "ill" was outweighed by the benefits.

However, critics said mobile phones can now transmit dangerously obscene internet images and the church should dissociate itself from such technology, especially after the General Synod condemned media exploitation last month.

The contentious issue has now reached the Archbishop of Canterbury's 800-year-old Court of Arches, which is due to hear an appeal against the ruling by the diocese of Chelmsford's consistory court within weeks."

[via we-make-money-not-art.com / del.icio.us/regine]

Dubai's Grand Mufti accredits divorce through SMS

Amazingly, divorce by SMS is still going on in Malaysia.

According to the Malaysia Sun, Dubai's Grand Mufti, Ahmed al-Haddad, "acknowledging the synergy of technology and tadition, confirmed that a Muslim divorce can be carried out by a text message:

'While some said writing a divorce is equivalent to verbally announcing it, others believe a divorce must be documented by writing and can only be applied when there is intention and when it is read aloud. Divorce through this modern way is not different from using a pen and a paper," he said.

Related:

-- Debate of SMS Divorce (still) Rages in Malaysia

-- Malaysian Senator fined for cell phone divorce

-- Indian Women unite against Muslim divorce by SMS

-- Malaysian Muslims and divorcing by SMS in the news again

-- Divorce by SMS, face a fine: M'sia

-- Don't give out divorce papers, departments warned

-- Mobile divorce unacceptable, says Malaysia (BBC)

The Church of England wants you to make someone laugh for Lent

The Church of England has just launched “Love Life, Live Lent”, a campaign to lighten up over Lent, accompanied by a website inviting communicants to share Lenten jokes. The Times Online reports.

And of interest to this column, "the website will also have a text-messaging service, which will send subscribers daily suggestions on how to spread generosity and neighbourliness, with the exhortation to make someone laugh."

In their own words:

The Church is encouraging people to take a fresh look at Lent with a range of other initiatives designed to raise a smile - with the launch of a Christian comedy club, a training course for vicars in stand-up-style performance skills, and a website sharing the best clean jokes in the country.

Organisers hope to highlight that doing something positive can be as transforming as giving something up, and can help people reflect on their relationship with each other and with God.

Temple donations via SMS

Airtel, India's leading mobile service, has launched a new service, which allows customers to make their donations to temples via SMS. Star of Mysore Online reports.

"The new service called Temple Offering is aimed at providing a convenient way for customers to pay their respects to their deity by making monetary offerings, from anywhere, by mobile phone.

SMS offerings can presently be made to four temples — Mantralaya (AP), Siddi Vinayak (Mumbai), Dharmasthala (Karnataka) andJalaram Temple (Bangalore). The service will be soon extended to Thirupathi, Shirdi Saibaba, Vaishnodevi and Mahalakshmi temple.

... As soon as the SMS is sent, it gets updated immediately in the temple record through a software deployed at the temple's premises, which will record the amount donated, time, date and the number from which it has been made.

Israeli Rabbis Teach Religion via Mobile Phones

Despite opposition from conservative rabbis, some new generation rabbis in Israel are communicating with followers via text messaging, according to Zaman Daily Newspaper.

"Aviner, rabbi for the Jewish settlement of Beit El in the West Bank, receives at least 3,000 messages each month on various topics and replies with short responses such as “proper” or “forbidden.”

With his public mobile phone number, Aviner said what a rabbi must do is be accessible at all times."

SMS from Saudi Arabia promoting conversion to Islam

“Call Me to Islam” is an initiative launched in Saudi Arabia by dawah activists to convert non Muslims to Islam via SMS or receive information about Islam , reported Saudi daily Arab News via Asia News.

"Dawah, which literally means ‘summons’, refers to Muslim responsibility to invite others to Islam. Now some activists have decided to go a step further. Anyone interested in learning about Islam can send an SMS to +966-55988899 and leave their names, nationality, language, religion, job and mobile number.

The service started at the beginning of Ramadan and, according to Al-Eiban, receives around 2,000 SMSs every four days. Dawah activists use nine languages to communicate with interested people and have called 1,155 people so far."

Cell Phones, windows to our souls

The Washington Post reports on how media-savvy ministries adapting their message for a new generation of phones, which have memories capable of holding entire books and playing videos and music.

"The result: missionaries in Asia beaming testimonials onto a two-inch screen; a three-day, 100,000-person crusade boiled down to a two-minute video sermon; a Christian punk ring tone."

... Using a phone for spiritual purposes raises unique questions: Is it rude to watch your phone in church-- if that's where you've downloaded your Bible? Can text-message blessings be spiritually enriching? Is therea sense of religious community on a cellular phone?

ellphones actually might be well suited for spiritual communication. Carried everywhere by their owners, they are the most intimate piece of technology many people own. They are emblazoned with personalized "wallpaper," have ring tones meant to advertise their owners' very essence and are loaded with personal information.

These palm-size gadgets "can take on a mystical significance," said James Katz, who studies the cultural and social impact of cellphones at Rutgers University, where he is the director of the Center for Mobile Communication Studies."

... Since launching in September, The MobileWorld has gained thousands of subscribers who can watch on their phones two- to three-minute video sermons by Greg Laurie, pastor at the country's eighth-largest church, Harvest Christian Fellowship, or snippets of Christian comics and hip-hop artists.

Stained glass window from Restoreglass/a>

Entire Bible now available on S.African mobile phones

South African Christians seeking a quick spiritual boost will be able to download the entire bible on to their mobile telephones phones as part of a drive to modernize the scriptures, reports Reuters.

"By sending an SMS, customers of the The Bible Society will get the complete Old and New Testaments as well as a built-in search engine.

Customers can choose between the traditional King James version of the bible or more up-to-date translations. Zulu and Xhosa version will be available soon and other languages will follow."

Cell phones services that are good for the soul

At a time when consumers are being inundated with offers to receive wireless sports updates, interactive games and more, entrepreneurs are catering to customers looking for cellphones and related services that satisfy spiritual, rather than entertainment needs. The WSJ rounds up some of the religious services available for cell phones.

Many more examples in Textually's SMS and Religion category.

Pray as you go to spread the Catholic Word via mobiles

The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland is urging followers to pray, protest and ponder via their mobile phones, reports the Scotsman.

"The nation's 270,000 active Catholics will be offered a new text message service, which will send out everything from church news to requests to pray.

The service will even attempt to mobilise followers by advising them of radio and television talk shows on moral issues, urging them to call in.

The Church will distribute 100,000 flyers over the next month in an effort to get people to sign up for the new service, which will be free to subscribers and operated by IT-savvy volunteers from the Scottish Catholic Church's headquarters in Glasgow.

Those who sign up will deliver news about appointments in the Church and also ask the faithful to pray for leaders and people in distress. According to a spokesman, examples could include subscribers being given the first name of a pregnant woman in two minds about whether to keep a baby or have an abortion, and asked to pray on her behalf.

The service will also alert Scotland's Catholics to opportunities to air their views, such as radio talk shows discussing issues including euthanasia and abortion.

Subscribers will be alerted to radio shows a few minutes before they are broadcast, and told the phone number to call in order to get on air and make their views known. "

Texts 'uplift' Muslim communities

A new mobile phone text messaging service called muslimtext.com, aims to boost the quality of life for Muslims, reports the BBC.

"It sends daily uplifting messages to "spiritually enlighten" its users. Users are able to receive a host of different services, including messages from the Koran, the Muslim holy book, and daily prayers."

Other religions around the world who are using text messaging to spread the good word:

-- Text messages from the Great Synagogue - Sydney's Great Synagogue has become the first Jewish community in the world to send Sabbath greetings via SMS.

-- The Pope used Text Messaging to spread the good word ... the Vatican had a history of embracing new communications media, and cell phones are a natural vehicle for reaching younger believers.

-- Texting faith - New religious text messaging services have been launched in the Philippines.

More in Textually, under SMS and Religion.

SMS campaign against Bush's visit to Hyderabad

In anticipation of President George W. Bush's visit to Hyderabad, India, Muslim religious leaders have formed a committee to coordinate the campaign and use SMS and e-mail services to spread the message that President Bush poses a threat not only to the Muslim world, but also to others who do not like the domination and monopoly of the US. [via Rediff]

Debate of SMS Divorce (still) Rages in Malaysia

Amazing, divorce by SMS is still being debated in Malaysia, according to Islam Online, who writes "several divorce cases have been made through SMS in Malaysia recently". It seems to be admissible if the divorce declared by SMS is verified by the court.

Picture left from the BBC.

Related:

-- Malaysian Senator fined for cell phone divorce

-- Malaysian Muslims and divorcing by SMS in the news again

--Divorce via SMS, face a fine: M'sia

-- Don't give out divorce papers, departments warned

-- Mobile divorce unacceptable, says Malaysia (BBC)

Islamic Scholars' Views on Portraying Mohammed Not Identical

Townhall has a very interesting article on the differing views by Islamic Scholars over the portrayal of Mohammed. Some interpret that even photographs of loved ones are not allowed, and to one Imam, even emoticons, the "smiley-face" icons widely used in email and mobile phone text messaging, are forbidden.

"As protests erupt in the Muslim world over cartoon depictions of Mohammed, various media reports stress that Islam forbids any pictures of its founding prophet. However, it's an issue over which -- like so many others in the religion -- scholars appear to differ.

"Generally speaking," Muslims believe images of Mohammed are unacceptable, "and many would say it is haram.

The same Islamic (shari'a ) law said to outlaw pictures of Mohammed also forbids pictures of any person or even animal -- and there, too, scholars' interpretations vary.

Not only have images of Mohammed appeared in art and literature over the centuries, but even today pictorial interpretations are available in the Islamic world. Many such pictures -- both historical and modern -- have been reproduced on the Internet in recent months, prompted by the cartoon dispute.

... Experts on a website called "Ask the Imam" say the act of keeping photographs of loved ones in an album is also prohibited in Islamic law.

And they go further than that: Even emoticons - the "smiley-face" icons widely used in email and mobile phone text messaging - are forbidden, rules Mufti Ebrahim Desai, a South Africa-based cleric.

Danes apologise for cartoons as embassies burn

European-based Muslims took to the streets in Paris and Brussels on Sunday, organised via SMS messages on mobile phones. EuroNews reports.

"Europe's cartoon crisis with Islam began in Denmark, and on Sunday thousands marched in Copenhagen to say sorry. "They called for peaceful dialogue to end the violence. Denmark's political leaders appealed for calm, and for the leaders in the countries concerned to help them to defuse the situation.

European-based Muslims again made their feelings felt on Sunday. About a thousand marched in Paris, more took to the streets of Brussels and marched to the state broadcasting centre to ensure they made the evening television news. It seemed to be a spontaneous rally of mostly young people, growing from a few dozen around lunchtime to around 4000, organised via SMS messages on mobile phones."

Related: - Danish Embassy in Beirut on Fire

A TelCo ran by nun

Interesting entry from Nicolas Nova on Pasta and Vinegar on how The Vatican's telecom is run by nuns.

"The Telephone Service of the Vatican State is responsible for the study, installation and management of the telecommunications infrastructure of the Vatican. It has been run since 5th July 1948 by devout members of the religious order of the Society of St Paul (la Società S.Paolo), employs over 30 laymen, a few priests and numerous nuns."

It's not surprising, The Vatican has always been heavily involved with new technology, starting with the Internet, to spread the good word and information about the church, powered by three computer servers named after the three archangels: Gabriel, Raphael and Michael.

And the Vatican even nominated a patron saint of the Internet, St Isidore. But no word so far on a patron saint for text messaging.

Malaysian Senator fined for cell phone divorce

Malaysia's Islamic court has fined a senator $ 145 for divorcing his wife through cell phone via SMS and voice mail message, reports The Times of India.

" The senator, Kamaruddin Ambok, 52, who had resorted to the high-tech style of divorcing five years ago, was given a stern lecture on the sanctity of marriage by judge Zainor Hassin, who fined him for the offence."

Picture left from the BBC

According to an article in C/Net Asia last August, "Malaysian authorities overturned Islamic Syariah Court's ruling that allows Muslims to end marriages through mobile text messages. Divorce via impersonal channels like SMS, e-mails, letters, faxes and telephone calls will not be validated by the Muslim court."

Related articles:

-- Malaysian Muslims and divorcing by SMS in the news again

--Divorce via SMS, face a fine: M'sia

-- Don't give out divorce papers, departments warned

-- Mobile divorce unacceptable, says Malaysia (BBC)

Cardinal Warns Against Wireless Christmas Gifts

The Wireless Weblog has picked up on a story in the Salt Lake Tribune, of a leading Catholic cardinal who warning Catholic parents to be careful when buying iPods and other wireless devices as Christmas gifts because they could be used by minors to access pornography.

Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, co-chairman of the Religious Alliance Against Pornography, said iPods, PDAs and video cell phones can easily send and receive pornography, much of it unsolicited.

Keeler urged bishops to warn pastors and parents that the devices used to download music and movies also make pornographic photos and videos more accessible, and warned of an ''approaching perfect storm'' that will inundate consumers with pornography."

Indian Women unite against Muslim divorce by SMS

Though in Malaysia, authorities overturned Islamic Syariah Court's ruling that allows Muslims to end marriages through mobile text messages since 2003, according to an article in Adnkronos International IOL "divorce among Muslims in India has never been easier thanks to new technology that has enabled men to end their marriages through an SMS or mobile phone text message.

Now a group of Muslim women are up in arms against this method of articulating the "triple talaaq", the formal unilateral declaration, repeated three times, with which men declare their divorce from their wives.

Sources among the Muslim community in Mumbai have said that representatives from "dozens of women’s associations", have decided to organise a three-day convention in Lucknow, the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh, on the problems facing women in the world of Islam, including this new method of divorce. The conference is set to begin on Tuesday.