Do you “Like” Jesus ? 8.2 million Facebook users do!

For the last three months, more people have “Liked,” commented and shared content on the Jesus Daily than on any other Facebook page, including Justin Bieber’s page, according to a weekly analysis by AllFacebook.com, an industry blog” according to an article in the New York Times.

Much of the conversation on social platforms is fostered by religious leaders, churches, synagogues and other religious institutions turning to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to attract followers and strengthen connections with members. What is new is that millions of people are also turning to Facebook pages, like the Jesus Daily, created by people unaffiliated with a religious leader or a specific house of worship. With 8.2 million fans, the Jesus Daily counted 3.4 million interactions last week, compared with about 630,000 interactions among Justin Bieber’s 35 million fans, the AllFacebook.com analysis shows. The Bible Facebook page, run by the United Bible Societies in Reading, England, has eight million fans and also beat Mr. Bieber with about a million interactions. See earlier famvin article for an indications this is not a fluke.

Over all, 31 percent of Facebook users in the United States list a religion in their profile, and 24 percent of users outside the United States do, Facebook says. More than 43 million people on Facebook are fans of at least one page categorized as religious.

Pope Benedict acknowledged in a recent statement that social networks offered “a great opportunity.” But he also cautioned Roman Catholics that “virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives.”

Thought starters…

Willie Sutton, the famous American bank robber, when asked why he robbed banks, replied “Because that’s where the money is!”

• Is Facebook where our people are?
• Are Vincentians there?
• How make the best use of Facebook and avoid its traps?