For a long time, religious leaders struggled with the Internet, considering it a destroyer of family values ??and pastime. But more recently, Internet sites, as well as accounts on social networking and blogging service acquired the heads of all major religions and their followers.
Internet and virtual communication preaching the spiritual leader of the believers gradually becoming the norm. One of the last to Twitter came primate of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XIV, who made his first tweet June 28 with the iPad.
SaveDelete explored how spiritual leaders of different faiths are represented on the Internet, rank them by number of subscribers to Twitter (the data are taken at mid-day July 17).
Dalai Lama XIV : 2,025,726 Subscribers
Name : @ DalaiLama
Description : The official twitter-account office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV
Activity : 566 tweets
Page on Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/DalaiLama , 1,776,219 subscribers
Official site : www.dalailama.com
The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists – the first on the popularity of online resources and blogs citing a religious figure. He set his personal microblog on Twitter February 22, 2010. Each of his record gets more than a thousand retweets in the early hours of its appearance. With the advent of the Dalai Lama’s Twitter administration introduced the concept of resource “proved Account” to ensure the authenticity of the account.
The official website of the Buddhist leader of Tibet can find the schedule of his lecture tours, sign up for private audience, and find prayers compiled by the Dalai Lama, and other materials in his teaching.Recently appeared on the Russian version of the site.
Pope Benedict XIV : 70 087 subscribers
Name : @ News_va_en
Description : The official twitter-account Vatican
Activity : 1322 tweets
Page on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/news.va.en , 9449 subscribers
Official site : www.news.va
June 28, 2011 The Pope made ??his first “historic tweet” with iPad, which officially announced the launch of the new and improved website Vatican .The site is updated regularly, and its chief editor was the Pope himself. He will personally supervise all work to create new online resources the Catholic Church.
Thich Nhat Han: 29 430 subscribers
Name : @ thichnathanh
Description : The official twitter-account maintained by the community of Buddhist monks
Activity : 378 tweets
Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thichnhathanh , 343 264 subscribers
Official site :http://www.plumvillage.org/
The world leader of Zen Buddhism is a monastic way of life, but it did not prevent him from being in touch with the latest advances of Internet technologies and use them in religious and educational purposes.
Thich Nhat Han – rector of the church “Village of Plums” in southern France, where representatives of the monastic community recorded his every move and then spread this information in its twitter-account.
Thich Nhat Han from time to time at other countries with lecture tours, which devoted a separate web site where you can find the schedule, subject and venue of the lecture. The following year, Thich Nhat Han, and plans to visit Russia.
Baba Rampuri: 2298 Subscribers
Name : @ BabaRampuri
Description : Naga Baba, Yoga, author, writer, speaker, Alchemist
Activity : 8764 tweets
Page on Facebook: http://facebook.com/baba.rampuri
Official site :http://rampuri.com
Guru Baba Rampuri received wide acclaim in 1970 when he became the first foreigner who was admitted to the Juna Akhara – the oldest Hindu Order. Since then, he is considered one of the most influential Hindus in the world.
Since May 2010, “blue-eyed yogi” advises the mantra for everyone and share knowledge of alchemy in his journal of spiritual revelations on a personal site. In his blog, also talks about Rampuri practices of yoga, according to the places of pilgrimage, and tells about his meetings with famous Hindu saints and ascetics.
Rowan Douglas Williams: 2092 Subscriber
Name : @ lambethpalace
Description : Updates, photos and video from Lambeth Palace – the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Activity : 116 tweets
Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Most-Revd-Rowan-Williams/9599364033 , 4033 readers
Official site :http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org
The Primate of the Anglican Church has a weekly blog on his personal website, which tells about the life and recent events in his official London residence – Lambeth Palace – and puts its record of speeches and presentations.
Internet communication with the faithful Williams has been actively practicing since last summer, when launched the official Youtube-channel and the Anglican Church recorded twitter account. But the most active he communicates with his followers in Facebook: users leave him their wishes for the “wall” sometimes seek advice and even invite guests, but he gives in response to their spiritual guidance.
Seyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei: 1677 Subscribers
Name : @ khamenei.ir
Description : Stay tuned for news about the Iranian leader ayatolee Seyyed Ali Khamenei (only in Farsi)
Activity : 2159 tweets
Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Imam.Khamenei #! / Imam.Khamenei , 22 690 subscribers
Official sites : http://www.khamenei.ir and http://www.leader.ir
Eastern religious leaders did not yield to Western on the activity on the Internet. Confirmation of this – great work Rahbar Ali Khamenei.
A year ago, launched enhanced versions of two personal sites of Islamic leaders in several languages, first of which is devoted to public affairs, and the second - his career’s spiritual leader. The format of Internet blogs Ali Khamenei regularly shares with the people their opinions on the new reforms, elections, religious issues and other policy changes and the spiritual life of the Islamic Republic.
Patriarch Cyril: 1655 Subscribers
Name : @ SPK Observer
Description : The channel is dedicated to the Patriarch. Events. Speeches. Comments.
Activity : 257 tweets
Official site : http://www.patriarchia.ru
Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church has repeatedly stated that he wants to bring the word of God to modern life, and urged the clergy to use social networks. In the patriarch, and the ROC have an account on Twitter and on Facebook. But October 11, 2010 the ROC has launched an official channel on YouTube .
Quotations from the speeches of the patriarch, expert opinions, and publications devoted to him going into the draft, “the Patriarch Cyril. The main thing, “presented at Twitter, on Facebook and Livejournal .
Bartholomew I: 1587 Subscribers
Name : @ Ecu Patriarch
Description : The Ecumenical Patriarchate – the highest throne and the Holy Orthodox Church Centre in the world.
Activity : 495 tweets
Page on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=307552665296&v=app_2373072738 , 2024 Subscriber
Official site : http://www.patriarchate.org
Bartholomew I (patriarch of Constantinople)
The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople has actively supported various activities aimed at protecting the environment, and constantly finds relations with the ROC. Through its online resources patriarch is trying to develop Turkey’s European integration policy, calls for a healthy lifestyle and wants to obtain from the Government of Turkey to recognize it, “Ecumenical Patriarch”.
In this page on Twitter basically duplicated news from its official website. Patriarch himself is not writing the blog, but from time to time there appeared his quote. And his official page on Facebook devoted to combating environmental pollution, so it is read not only believers, but many supporters of environmentally friendly lifestyle.