Get Right With Godcasting

Podcasters are getting religion. And it's the old-fashioned kind.

The Saturday March 19th Washington Post's Religion section features an article headlined "The Word of God, Now Via Handy IPod; Churches and Preachers Increasingly Turn to 'Podcasts' to Get Across Their Message" (I'm unable to locate a link at the Post's website, but Google found the same piece by Religion News Service's Kathleen Murphy at another site). As the article notes, it's not the first time that spreaders of the Gospel have been early technology adopters -- "Just as sermons were among the first type of broadcasts when radio caught on in America in the 1920s, podcasting is creating a new form of wireless parson."

Hosannas to the trend are already being exclaimed, stimulating Podcasting News to proclaim: "Based on the number of religious-themed programs being distributed, though, it looks like Godcasting may be the podcast's first killer app."


Traditional religion is represented with shows such as "Catholic Answers Live" and "Psalmcast", a Presbyterian airing of readings from the Book of Psalms with musical accompaniment. But nontraditional sects may well have the most to gain from narrowcasting's ability to reach dispersed adherents, and that's the aim of the "Pagan Power Hour", which thankfully "advises listeners that the correct practice of Wicca excludes sacrificing animals and worshipping Satan". (While Satan is miffed, family pets across the land are giving thanks for that message.) According to the article,Pagan Power's host is happy in his belief that, "The borderless Internet, unfettered by Federal Communications Commission guidelines, allows people to enjoy freedom of speech without fearing retribution". We'll see about that, especially since potential regulation of indecency on cable TV is but one small step from similar regulation of indecency through the cable modem. And if the Pagans start endorsing political candidates the FEC may get in on the act.

Mirror sites for religious-themed podcasts are already springing up, with www.godcast.org claiming that listeners from 75 nations have downloaded offerings since its debut in November 2004. (They wanted godcast.com, but apparently some agent of Satan was demanding $250,000 for the site.)

The trend is getting broad media attention, with the Boston Herald running a piece on March 10th titled, "Preachers taking to new pulpit: The Internet".

The Pew Internet Project claims that 82 million Americans had used the Internet for spiritual and religious purposes as of last year. That's a potent congregation against any policies that would impede the word of God from traversing the Internet.