The Pentecost reading from 1 Corinthians speaks of the many parts brought together in the Body of Christ. The internet also unites people in a variety of ways, and that includes people of faith. A new study finds that nearly half of adults in the U.S. who are online are using the Internet for religious purposes.

The study by Grey Matter Research reported that 19 percent of online adults have recently visited the website of their current place of worship, while another 17 percent have visited the website of a place of worship they are not attending. An additional 17 percent read religion-oriented blogs at least once a month and 16 percent followed a pastor or other religious leader on Facebook, Twitter, or another social network.

“Young people are especially likely to be using the Internet for religious purposes,” said Ron Sellers, president of Grey Matter Research. “Yet younger Americans in general are less likely than older people to attend worship services or claim any specific religious identity. . . .Young people are obviously looking to the Internet to be a significant part of their faith experience.”

Orthodox Jews in New York City, however, were encouraged to approach the internet with caution at a massive rally Sunday. Some 40,000 Orthodox men dressed in black suits and white shirts gathered at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, to listen to rabbis preaching the temptations and potential problems that stem from access to pornography and other explicit content on the uncensored Web.

Still, many attendees readily conceded that the Internet played a big role in their lives. Shlomo Cohen, 24, of Toronto, said he used the Internet for shopping, business, and staying in touch with friends. “Everyone needs email,” he said. Cohen said he was there because the rally was a good way to remind his community to keep temptation at bay. “Desires are out there,” he said, adding that men could be particularly susceptible. “We have to learn how to control ourselves.”

Sources: Articles by Jeff Kunerth for the Orlando Sentinel and Michael M. Grynbaum for the New York Times