Beliefnet launches social-networking site

NEW YORK, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Beliefnet has launched a social-networking service intended to bring together religious devotees, spiritual leaders and faith groups, the U.S. Web site said.

The idea behind Beliefnet Community is to provide a forum for connecting religious individuals and groups, or those seeking spiritual inspiration, through social-networking tools common in sites such as MySpace and Facebook, Beliefnet said.

An estimated 82 million people in the United States, or 64 percent of U.S. Internet users, perform spiritual and religious activities online, a 2004 Pew Internet & American Life Project study found.

"Social networks aren't just about dating or bands anymore; they've evolved into powerful and very real communities," Beliefnet.com Chief Executive Officer Steven Waldman said in a statement.

The online community will provide an accepting "spiritual home" where "beliefs and values can be safely explored and shared by people of all faiths," he said.

Developed by social networking software company Small World Labs Inc., of Austin, Texas, Beliefnet Community lets users customize Web pages and share photos and videos. It also has privacy controls and a "faith filter" that lets people mingle with others who share their specific faith, Beliefnet said.

Users can also update content from prominent spirituality sources, such as the Dalai Lama and "Conversations With God" author Neale Donald Walsch, it said.