John Boquist had never met Jimmie Taylor. But when two of Mr. Taylor's premature grandchildren died at birth in July, Mr. Boquist recited a daily prayer, asking God to save the surviving 1-pound triplet, Anna.
"It was touch-and-go for quite a few weeks," says Mr. Boquist, of Hampton, Va., who is minister of music at Bethel Baptist Church in Yorktown, Va.
Mr. Boquist, and several hundred other Baptists who also had never met Mr. Taylor, a minister who lives in Louisiana, united in prayer -- via computer, that is.
The long-distance prayer gathering was made possible through a computer network linked to the information superhighway. From the Christian Interactive Network to on-line Torah study to discussion groups for those of Baha'i, agnostic and even atheist persuasion, spiritual dialogue conducted through the tapping of keyboard keys has created a veritable "cyberfaith." The on-line service that enabled Mr. Boquist to pray for baby Anna, whom he reports is healthy and has left the hospital, was the SBCNet (Southern Baptist Convention Network).
Mr. Taylor requested prayers through a daily "Anna Update" on the 2,000-member SBCNet. "That little girl had people all over the country -- maybe the world -- praying for her who wouldn't have even known about her if it weren't for SBCNet," says Mr. Boquist. "It was amazing to see, on the 'net,' how people supported him."
SBCNet is among the bevy of religious on-line services that have sprouted in recent years. Teresa Jones, 20, of Newport News, Va., started a Christian-oriented bulletin board system (Bbs) in February that operates out of her home.
"I found that most boards were adult-oriented and even pornographic," says Ms. Jones, whose on-line handle has been "Maverick" since she began navigating the Internet eight years ago. "I'm a Christian and I didn't want that."
Ms. Jones, along with her husband Tony (aka "Zealot"), named their Bbs New Hope.
The free service, in which subscribers can access 180 different message areas, has 232 users. Most users are Christian and live in Hampton Roads, Va., she says.
There are many worldwide Jewish computer networks.
Hebrew University in Jerusalem offers the Global Jewish Networking Information System. And the State University of New York dedicates a portion of its Internet access to Jewish topics.
Perhaps the most aggressive Jewish group to embrace cyberspace is the Lubavitch sect, a Hasidic group already well ++ known for its use of satellite television.
Its computer net, Chabad-Lubavitch in Cyberspace, offers Judaism courses, Hasidic stories, religious lessons, and even digitized photographs of its "rebbe" or chief rabbi, Menachem Schneerson, who died in June.
More than 500 users belong to Full Armour of God. The service was founded five years ago by Walter Hayden, a member of a Baptist church in Virginia Beach., Va.
"It's the type of bulletin board that your 5-year-old can call and you don't have to worry what they will see," says Mr. Hayden.
Popular computer information services such as America Online, Compuserve and Prodigy contain religious forums.