The Internet is home to all things bizarre and disturbing, i.e. Second Life, Rotten.com, Fox News. But from the beginning, social networking platforms have dominated the many options for spending wasted hours online. Which is why the bridge to religious social networks isn't such an unfathomable leap for a chat-room-trained, blog-obsessed society.

GodTube, founded by Chris Wyatt in January, is the fastest-growing Christian site on the Web with almost four million unique hits every month. It's expanded enormously since its launch, reaching a wider audience than its "competitors" like MyChurch (just check the interactive users-online map). With a YouTube-like format, GodTube's focus is mainly Christian-themed videos, ranging from recited Scripture to clean rap lyrics. Its video blogs, chat forums and GodCaster - a unique tool for pastors and churches to stream videos of religious services for free - have also contributed to the site's popularity.

At first glance, it's hard not to find at least some redemptive value in GodTube. It looks pretty harmless. But the agnostic within me wasn't convinced. With the slogan "Broadcast Him," I'd be lying if I said the site didn't leave me fraught with tension. For those of us wary of the brainwashing potential of mass religious movements, the site's very principle is somehow damning.

Would GodTube become another Conservapedia, that propagandist endeavor designed to undermine Wikipedia's allegedly liberal bias? Would it, too, claim that hate crimes against homosexuals are often hoaxes and merely "vague intimidation," or that the arguments defending atheism "strongly attest to the validity of theism"? The possibility for GodTube to find itself on a slippery slope to narrow-mindedness - a mob mentality broadcast to millions daily - is more than a little frightening.

And then something changed my mind. Well, kind of.

In one of the last discussion sections of the year for a philosophy of religion class, I filled out an elaborate chart to indicate my various beliefs (or lack thereof) - anonymously, of course. But I couldn't help peeking at a fellow classmate's responses sitting next to me. He'd been fairly outspoken throughout the semester, voicing his theological skepticisms and rather staunchly playing the role of devil's advocate. More often than not, his comments came off as unapologetically doubtful of the existence of any God, let alone a traditional interpretation of Christianity. Feeling a little self-conscious of my own answers, I let my eyes wander onto his paper, expecting to find a solid line of check marks next to "atheism," "naturalism" and the like.

But to my surprise - and frankly, confusion - his chart revealed exactly the opposite. He was, in fact, a faithful, practicing believer of classical Christianity (at least on paper). Maybe he was won over by Paley's design argument. Maybe he was conflicted and turned to an easy answer. Or maybe he really was a devout believer disguised as a hair-raising wiseass.

But I've strayed from the point: If even this student, seemingly in blunt support of atheism, silently declared himself as Christian when given the opportunity, then who's to say there aren't others who would do the same?

This is where GodTube comes in. As with other religious networking sites, like MuslimSpace or the Jewish Television Network, GodTube offers the comfort of anonymity that physical congregations can't. If the notion of publicly identifying as a believer makes your stomach turn, GodTube may be a welcome change. And as a non-denominational organization, the site at least attempts to achieve a relatively neutral means of dialogue.

A closer look at GodTube gives my cynical self a bit of hope. According to the website, "Members of other religions, agnostics and atheists are encouraged to join and participate and share their point of view, as long as it's done respectfully." Perhaps, then, their mission - if I may use that word - really is to "connect people and discuss those issues that often divide us."

GodTube may have the makings of an off-kilter, grassroots conspiracy (via the ever-so-credible venue of the Internet), but its global membership says otherwise. I'll hold onto my skepticisms - the site might still be a stone's throw away from cult status - but hey, there are worse things to do online.

- E-mail Hartmann at carolinh@umich.edu.